App offers chance to explore – and keep fit
A retired telecoms worker from Belgium is among those behind an innovative smartphone app that aims to keep you fit and discover “hidden gems” all over the world.
Philippe Pleckspaen helped launch “Jooks”, an application that helps you navigate your way around a locality, spotlighting places of interest.
The idea is that users do this while running or cycling at the same time but the device can also be used if you are just walking or, for instance,in a wheelchair.
The mobile app combines geographical positioning with data and you can also book personalized experiences directly through the app, including hotels along your route, sightseeing runs and guided tours.
All circuits have been carefully selected and users can explore villages, towns and cities at their own pace.
There are curated routes—whether touristic, themed, or training-focused—in hundreds of 300 cities across over 75 countries all over the world.
The first was launched in Lyon, France and the first in Belgium was in Braine l’Alleud (which now has three circuits) and where Philippe is a coach at a local jogging club.
The city with most users is in the Auckland, New Zealand which is widely regarded as the “birthplace” of modern-day “jogging.” In Belgium, most users are in Namur and Leuven.
There are numerous circuits available via the app in the UK, including five in London, one of which is for wheelchair users.
Philippe, who lives in Waterloo, Belgium, explained how he, and two associates, first got the idea for the app, saying, “We were on a business trip to Madrid and, after a day’s work, we decided to go for a run in the area before returning for dinner.
“We saw lots of what looked like very interesting places but the problem was that we didn’t know what they were or anything about them which was a shame.
“When we got back to the hotel we reflected on this rather sad experience. It was then that we came up with the idea of an application that would help guide people around an area so that they could get more from the experience than we did on that run in Madrid.”
The initiative is carried out in conjunction with local offices of tourism or commerce who, for an annual fee of €500, are asked to help device a walking/running circuit in their area, identifying local places of interest.
The resulting App, which is free to use, contains all manner of info, including anecdotes about famous local people and culinary specialities of that particular area.
It is usually marketed via social media, such as Facebook and LinkedIn or just word-of-mouth recommendations.
It is available in no less than 12 languages, including French, Dutch, Italian, English and even Chinese.
So far, an estimated 500,000 people have signed up to use the App.
Some 500 circuits have been established since the scheme started, with 42 in Belgium (including one for the city’s famous annual 20km race, and 80 in Paris alone.
The shortest circuit is about 4km but the average length of each one is 10km. The cycle App is designed usually for longer distances, up to 40km.
The scheme is financed by each of the municipalities involved and Philippe and his two colleagues, Olivier and Christophe, help promote it.
Philippe, who is 69, said, “The App is meant to be self guided so users can go around a place at their own pace, time and rhythm.”
“The idea is that you discover things on a given route, many of them ‘hidden gems’ that even locals may be unaware of, while, at the same time, keeping fit.
“We hope that with this application we can use geographical positioning to help make people’s lives simpler and better. The goal is to improve the well-being, fitness, health, cultural knowledge and safety of our apps’ users.”
He added, “We can very easily adapt things according to feedback from users.”
The latest circuit was launched on Sunday (2 August) in Gerpinnes, a quaint municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut in Belgium.
This writer was among those who were the first to use the app in Gerpinnes which is located just 12 km south of the large industrial city of Charleroi.
One of the loveliest small towns in Wallonia, it is well known for its folk marches, the most important one being that of the Pentecost (gathering more than 2,500 walkers in typical costumes of the 1st and 2nd Napoleonic Empire) in honour of Holy Rolende.
Using the informative app, I and a small group of runners, based in Braine l’Alleud, jogged around the area on a hot Sunday morning, covering a distance of 11km.
The application took us around the town’s medieval monuments, castles, fountains and churches, including St Michel Church where you can find the remains of Holy Rolende, daughter of Didier, King of the Lombards, who died of exhaustion in Villers-Poterie in the 9th century.
We stopped regularly as Philippe pointed out various places of interest. As well as being very informative there was also the verdant nature and the quietness to enjoy and admire.
Edmond Van der Meiren is president of the tourist office in Gerpinnes and,at the launch, told this website he was “proud and delighted” to be involved with the new scheme.
He said, “I think it is a very good idea and we look forward to engaging with the initiative. We already attract quite a lot of visitors, including tourists, because this is a very pleasant and picturesque area.
“But being involved with this new scheme and the App will, we hope, help us boost tourism even more and allow even more people to discover the area.”
He added, “A very dynamic circuit has been devised here which allows even locals to find out about places they may have, hitherto, not known about. We look forward to welcoming lots of people to our locality.”
Full details about the Jooks initiative are available via its website (see below) which is also in English.
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