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‘THIS DOESN’T
SEEM RIGHT…’
RW writer and ultrarunner
Damian Hall tackles the
61-mile, 47-peak Paddy
Buckley Round in Snowdonia
and becomes only slightly
lost in a valiant attempt to
complete it in under 24 hours
ON THE P11 Instant Calmer The easy way P44 ‘Running Is My Religion’ P68 Your Best Shape Ever The
to run off anger for good Snooker superstar Ronnie training plan that gets you
COVER O’Sullivan on his real fitter, faster and stronger
P13 Pimp Your Stride More spring sporting passion
Photographer
Sean Laurenz in three simple steps P78 6 Quick Form Fixes Simple
Model Dominique P50 Eat This For More Energy moves to loosen your shoulders
Scott-Efurd P34 Special Report: Can Running Vitamin B is a nutrient that’s and help you run faster
Clothing Adidas
Save The NHS? How we can often forgotten: bad idea
outrun…heart disease, cancer, P85 On Test: Shoes For Extra
diabetes and obesity, and help P60 40 Best Podcasts For Runners Speed Pull these on and feel
preserve our beloved institution Readers, time to listen up like you’re flying this year
OUT OUR
many dogs
NEW
WEBSITE!
Training, gear, news,
health, nutrition,
races and more. Visit
POD WILLING runnersworld.com/uk
Run and get smart
at the same time
REGULARS FEATURES
WESTBURY WHITE
HORSE, W ILTSHIR E
THE EXPERIENCE
Salisbury Plain is home
to some of the wildest
trails to be found in this
lovely part of Britain.
Perfect for exploring on
foot, this windswept
escarpment is scattered
with the remnants of
a long and varied human
history, from the replica
East German village at
Imber and the World
Heritage Site of
Stonehenge to Wiltshire’s
famous white horses.
The Imber Range
Perimeter Path runs for
33 miles around a live
firing range, taking in
some of the remotest
reaches of the plain.
With plenty of intriguing
sights and occasionally
cryptic waymarking, it’s
a real adventure of a run.
RUNNER
Jen Benson
PHOTOGRAPHER
Sim Benson
ABOUT
Jen & Sim Benson are
runners and guidebook
authors. RW readers can
buy the fully updated
2019 edition of their
book Wild Running, with
a 30 per cent discount
and free UK postage,
from wildrunning.net,
using the code RW19.
JULY 2019 RUNNERSWORLD.COM/UK 009
FITNESS NUTRITION MIND+ INJURY
HEALTH
WARM-UPS
The TIPS YOU NEED to GET UP to SPEED
WO R D S : S T E P H E N G L E N N O N . I L L U S T R AT I O N : I K E R AY E S TA R A N 1. M E D I C I N E & S C I E N C E I N S P O R T S & E X E R C I S E
RAGE TURNER
feeling, leave the rage on the road.
SPRING
THEORY
If you want to
become a quicker
runner, get
some air
Try these three exercises (right), ground. Repeat for both hips, knees and ankles, and while bringing your right
recommended by Everyone Active, sides and do 10 in total. Add keeping your body straight knee up. Repeat on the other
to put some spring in your step. weight to increase difficulty. as you jump. Do 10. leg and do 10 in total.
SIX
running economy means
THE MARGIN WALL you run X per cent faster,
You know that mate who the study shows that for
portions out every meal slower runners, a one per
and cuts his own hair to cent increase in running
ensure he can buy state-of- economy actually makes
the-art shoes? A study2 has that runner 1.17 per cent
shown that, if he’s a slower faster. An elite runner,
runner (9min/mile), he’s however, would only be
probably gaining more 0.65 per cent faster. So
from these marginal gains if you’re starting out as
Percentage (on average) by than elite runners are. a runner, make sure you
While the assumption enjoy these gains. Because
which runners slow down always was that an X per the faster you get, the
during a marathon.3 cent improvement in harder it gets to get faster.
ABOUT A SOY FOOD’S DESPITE THE EFFORT S MADE BY SOME fast food chains to offer
grilled food and other healthier items, fast food is bigger,
GETTING
Women reach peak bone more calorific and saltier than ever. That’s according to
density in their twenties, new US research1 that looked at 10 fast food restaurants,
after which stress fractures including McDonald’s, KFC and Burger King. The study
WORSE
become more common. found that mains and desserts have grown significantly
Luckily, the key to future- in size and calorie content since the 1980s.
proofing your skeleton
could be in your fridge –
specifically in soy-rich
foods. That’s according to Takeaway food is bigger and
a study by the University of badder than it was 30 years ago
Missouri. ‘The findings
suggest all women might
see improved bone strength
by adding some soy-based
wholefoods, such as tofu
and soy milk, to their
diet,’ said Pamela Hinton,
professor of nutrition
and exercise physiology.
WO R D S : R I C K P E A R S O N . P H OTO G R A P H S : M AT T R A I N E Y, G E T T Y I M AG E S 1. J O U R N A L O F T H E ACA D E M Y O F N U T R I T I O N A N D D I E T E T I C S . 2 P E E R J
WINDOW OF
OPPORTUNITY
Don’t fret about downing
your protein shake the
moment you stop running.
The refuelling window may
be bigger than previously
thought, according to new
research.2 It suggests
getting 25 grams of protein
before a workout can
produce the same muscle
gains as a post-workout
dose of the same amount.
The study also found the
carb window is wider than
earlier studies have shown.
While it’s true that taking
in carbs immediately after
a workout speeds up how
quickly your muscles refill
with glycogen, this only
seems to matter if you’re
planning to exercise again
186 90 39
AVERAGE AVERAGE AV E R A G E W E I G H T
72
AV E R A G E W E I G H T
14 AVERAGE
42 AVERAGE
within the next eight INCREASE IN INCREASE IN INCREASE INCREASE (IN PERCENTAGE INCREASE IN
hours. The takeaway: once NUMBER O F N UMBER OF (IN GRAMS) OF GRAMS) OF INCREASE IN C ALORI E S I N
you’re getting enough of CALORIES F OR CALORI ES IN A MAIN MEAL D E S S E R TS SODIUM CONTENT FRENCH FRIES
the right protein and carbs, D E S S E R TS A MAIN MEAL IN A MAIN MEAL ( T H E Y A LS O H A D
don’t worry too much about 1 2 P E R CE N T
when you’re getting them. MORE SODIUM)
FAST FRIENDS
SIT TING CLOSE to a go-getting colleague partner,’ says Dr Josephine Perry,
1
boosts your own output. A study sports psychologist at Performance
found employees sitting within 25 feet in Mind (performanceinmind.co.uk).
of a high performer improved speed ‘The right partnership can bring
Why you can be as quick or work quality by 15 per cent. And out the best in each other. The
the same can be true in sport. improvements can come from each
as the company you keep ‘For runners, a specific, but helpful, trying to match the other in effort
peer relationship is that of a training or outcome, wanting to impress
their partner or from simply being
inspired by them.’
WO R D S : R I C K P E A R S O N . P H OTO G R A P H : S V E T I K D/G E T T Y I M AG E S . 1. N O R T H W E S T E R N U N I V E R S I T Y, I L L I N O I S , U S . 2 . A M E R I CA N C O L L E G E O F CA R D I O LO GY. 3. J O U R N A L O F A P P L I E D P H YS I O LO GY
GOOD COMPANY
The right running
buddy can boost
your performance
Give your mental health a tiny, yellow helping hand – by playing Lego. A survey by
the Danish toy company found that 91 per cent of adults felt noticeably better after
TIME TO LEGO OF playing with the building blocks, while 86 per cent said it made them feel more relaxed.
YOUR ANXIETY Pastimes that require a high level of concentration, as Lego does, have therapeutic
effects because they limit anxious self-reflection. Another survey, by the University
Try building blocks of Otago, New Zealand, found that completing sudoku or jigsaw puzzles, or filling
in colouring books, encouraged a state of mindfulness. Practising mindful thinking
can, in turn, lower inflammation and levels of the stress hormone cortisol – meaning
you’ll recover quicker from your run, too.
4,000
SPORTY WINKS A MOMENT Try this
Napping can do more than reboot
our energy levels and boost our OF CALM
mood. New research2 suggests The Calm app
those who fit in a daytime snooze (free) is one of
are likely to have a noticeable drop the most popular
in blood pressure – cutting the risk meditation apps on
of cardiovascular disease. Midday the market. It offers 10-minute Daily
napping is not an option for most of Calm programmes and Sleep Stories
us, but there’s a practical alternative:
or fewer steps a day and sitting for long periods narrated by high-profile actors such
10 minutes of meditation. can cause metabolic issues, even with exercise.3 as Matthew McConaughey.
DROP WHAT
– are designed to offer a
more natural running style,
closer to barefoot running
YOU’RE DOING
It may be time to rethink heel-to-toe drop
WO R D S : R I C K P E A R S O N . P H OTO G R A P H S : LU C K Y I F S H A R P ( S H O E ), B E T H B I S C H O F F ( E X E R C I S E S ) . I M AG E M A N I P U L AT I O N C O L I N B E AG L E Y. 1. CA L I F O R N I A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y, U S
HEEL-TO -TOE DROP – the difference in height between the heel and six-month trial were that low-drop shoes presented an increased
forefoot of a running shoe – has long been a subject of debate injury risk for experienced, regular runners, while occasional
among runners. While a lower heel-to-toe drop, anything from runners were, by contrast, less likely to get injured when wearing
0-6mm, has been heavily favoured by fast, experienced runners, a low-drop shoe. Running in low-drop shoes, then, should not be
a study published in The American Journal of Sports Medicine seen as a badge of honour among experienced runners; nor should
suggests it should be the other way round. The findings of the it be something to be feared by newcomers to our sport.
2 . S CA N D I N AV I A N J O U R N A L O F M E D I C I N E A N D S C I E N C E I N S P O R T * B A S E D O N A N O N L I N E R W P O L L W I T H 3 6 2 VOT E S
4.6
BALL OF FAME
A study2 has found the
two best Swiss ball
exercises for working
the core. See below: 1
1
Athletes with poor self-
regulation (eg self-monitoring)
were 4.6 times more likely to
suffer an overuse injury.1
2
2
YOU SAID IT
Most of my running injuries have
been the result of...*
‘I’M NOT
READY TO
GIVE IN’
Severe asthma has not
stopped Debbie Moulton
from running marathons
RUNNING 1 // Talk to your GP/asthma preventer (usually the brown one) heavy breathing differs from
WITH ASTHMA
nurse before beginning to run, is calming down your symptoms. struggling for breath, which is
which should be gentle at first, 3 // Carry your reliever (usually an asthma symptom. Look for
IF YOU HAVE ASTHMA AND WANT TO to see how your lungs react. the blue inhaler) on a run. It will symptoms such as coughing,
RUN, BE MINDFUL OF THESE TOP TIPS
FROM DR ANDY WHITTAMORE, THE
2 // Exercise can keep asthma open the airways in an attack. wheezing and chest tightening.
CLINICAL LEAD FOR ASTHMA UK controlled (symptoms less than 4 // Don’t worry about getting 5 // Knowing what triggers your
three times a week). This means breathless – that’s normal when asthma is key: it could be hay
ensuring your background running – but be aware of how fever, a virus or poor air quality.
T
Qualifying experiment with different methods),
Standard). Not increases the likelihood of cutting
he footpath bordering the fields has finally dried out. Not that I’m ever corners, or even cheating, and,
yet baked, it yields just a little under my feet, for which I’m doing another ultimately, yields less satisfaction.
grateful, because my legs have not yet forgotten the 26.2 miles one. Just saying. The suggestion is to engage with the
they carried me around at the weekend. Amid the swaying journey rather than keep eyeing the
flax, singular poppies assert themselves – splotches of red in Ran… finish line. Not such a new idea when
a swathe of blue. Above, a swallow exuberantly loops the loop, you consider words written over 2,000
…My first race
announcing the impending arrival of summer. I, too, feel as years ago in the Hindu scripture
as a V50. Happy
free as a bird on the wing (albeit one with the DOMS that the Bhagavad Gita: ‘Those who are
new age group
would inevitably result from a 6,000-mile migration flight). motivated only by desire for the fruits
to me!
The reason I’m feeling so free is that the marathon – yes, the marathon I’ve of action are miserable, for they are
been harping on about for the last few columns – is behind me. Whatever my constantly anxious about the results of
feelings about the result (and that’s a complex set of feelings to unpick), I have
Hosted… what they do.’
another medal to add to my haul and I am free to turn my focus elsewhere. The …A new work- I plead not guilty to being chained
last time I felt so liberated was when I finished my degree. After months of shop – Train to the outcome in this last marathon.
slogging over my dissertation and stressing over exams, I was off the hook at last, Better, Race But I was chained to the process – and
with the summer stretching out in front of me. What could be more exhilarating? Better – about even being free of that has opened up a
I don’t mean to sound negative about the marathon. In fact, I relished the getting the most world of possibilities. Normal life can
training, the discipline and methodical focus that it required, and – just like out of your resume! My mind is crowded with
when I no longer had to be in the physiology lab all morning and the library training miles Things To Do, the same way someone
all afternoon – there’s a part of me that feels a little bit lost without it. But it’s with specific fresh off a diet is overwhelmed by a
telling how visceral this sense of emancipation is. race distances tantalising menu. What to indulge in
One reason, I think, is that marathon training holds us captive, curtailing first? A good old beasting at the track?
I L L U S T R AT I O N : P I E TA R I P O S T I
in mind.
spontaneity. And I don’t just mean impromptu big nights out or weekends away, A jaunt around the woods to catch the
but running spontaneity. I missed being able to go eyeballs-out in a speed session last of the bluebells? A bit of canicross
(not relevant for marathon pace and it takes too long to recover) or shoulder a or duathlon? All of the above, I reckon.
backpack and hike a rugged trail (Sundays are reserved for long runs or rest As soon as my wings have recovered.
days), or even rock up to a race off the cuff, just because.
In short, I missed not being able to miss what my programme told me to do in
favour of something I just fancied doing. The same could be said, to some degree, sam-murphy.co.uk
THE DOG
years ago, when I was three ridgebacks and a Route markings are
working in a dog daycare labrador by my side overrated (sort of)
centre. I could see how – which is most days. ‘I organised a charity event
RUNNER
little exercise the dogs It’s pretty awesome two weeks ago, which was
were getting at the running with them. It’s like a dog-running five miles in
centre. I also noticed in running with a pack of Wimbledon Common, and
parks that dog walkers wolves. You can see how 45 people came. It went
often just stand there happy they are and it’s pretty well, but because I
Meet Milo Royds, the man and while some dogs great just knowing that know the course very well,
who runs with the hounds naturally run around they’re getting the right I didn’t mark it well enough
WO R D S : S T E P H E N G L E N N O N . P H OTO G R A P H S : DA N R O S S
WHAT’S INSPIRED, IMPRESSED OR, PERHAPS, ANNOYED YOU LATELY ABOUT RUNNING OR RUNNERS? THE WRITER
OF THE WINNING EMAIL OR LETTER RECEIVES A PAIR OF SAUCONY TRIUMPH ISO 5S, WORTH £140
RUNNER’S WORLD, Unit 9, Apollo Business Centre, Trundleys Road, Deptford, London SE8 5JE
Email letters@runnersworld.co.uk Tweet @runnersworlduk Facebook runnersworlduk
‘ F LY G I R L C O L L E C T I V E H A S P R O V I D E D M E W I T H A N
AVENUE WHERE I CAN FORM A SISTERHOOD WITH WOMEN
T H AT K E E P M E A C C O U N TA B L E O N M Y F I T N E S S J O U R N E Y.
I ’M WE E KS AWAY F RO M M Y S E CO ND H A LF MA RATH O N. ’
BERNITA BOXILL, joined April 2018
ON THE FLY
of being good for runners’ ‘As much as running is our
mental as well as physical core activity, I encourage
health – and this is key for people to check out other
the Fly Girl Collective. ‘We things,’ says Egere-Cooper.
Celebrating the fitness achievements of make sure that everyone Event organisers also
women of colour, the Fly Girl Collective leaves feeling better about have a role to play in
themselves and feeling fostering a more diverse
has been a soaring success better for having taken running field. This year,
part in the session,’ says London’s Vitality Big Half
Egere-Cooper. ‘If we’re offered £10 entry to
MATILDA EGERE- running. ‘The marketing Matilda Egere-Cooper
(second from left) communicating that the members of the local
COOPER likes to around [running] doesn’t
started the Fly Girl participation is the thing community, and such
imagine a world in which exactly show black women Collective to that matters most, I think ventures are useful. ‘Any
the Fly Girl Collective, the doing half marathons, or encourage more
BAME women to get people will be a lot more sort of fitness that is shown
running club she founded full marathons for that
physically active open to it.’ to be accessible and has
in 2015, isn’t needed any matter. If we see a wider
However, the option diversity at the heart of
more. While running in the scope of representation,
to try to grab a PB is also it, is going to appeal to
UK is taking steps towards then I think something like
available. Fly Girls are people,’ says Egere-Cooper.
embracing diversity, it Fly Girl Collective wouldn’t
remains a largely white have to exist,’ she explains.
and middle class activity. Egere-Cooper has been
That’s where the Fly Girl running long-distance for To find out more about the Fly Girl Collective, visit flygirlcollective.co
Collective comes in. ‘It’s eight years, and credits
a fitness community her involvement with
WO R D S : S T E P H E N G L E N N O N . P H OTO G R A P H S : O L L I E T R E N C H A R D
AGE IS NO BARRIER
RUDOLPH INGRAM, 7, FLORIDA, IS ONE OF THE QUICKEST KIDS ON THE PLANET
GENE DYKES, 71, PHILADELPHIA, IS ONE OF THE FASTEST MASTERS MARATHONERS EVER
THERE MAY BE 64 YEARS between race earlier this year. Dykes, on the other was denied the official world record. The
them, but Rudolph Ingram and Gene hand, set a M70-74 marathon world record unstoppable 71-year-old is also an avid
Dykes have one thing in common: speed. at the Jacksonville Marathon late last year, ultramarathon runner: in 2017, he was one
Seven-year-old Ingram, known as ‘Blaze’, is crossing the line in a superb time of 2:54:23, of only 13 people to complete the triple
being called the quickest kid on the planet having averaged 6:39min/miles. However, crown of 200-mile trail races – the Bigfoot
after clocking a dizzying 13.48 in a 100m the course was not sanctioned, so Dykes 200, the Tahoe 200 and the Moab 240.
Rudolph Gene
Ingram Dykes
MIN/MILE PACE OF INGRAM’S 100M SPRINT. ‘I HAVE SEEN HIM [LOSING] MIDRACE AND DYKES’ AVERAGE YEARLY MILEAGE. ‘I NEVER STRETCH, NEVER DO FLEXIBILITY
JUST TAKE OFF AND GET FASTER. HE WANTS TO WIN:’ INGRAM'S DAD, RUDOLPH SR EXERCISES. NO WEIGHTLIFTING, NO STRENGTH, NO CORE. I JUST RUN’
4
THE AGE RUDOLPH
WAS WHEN
512,000 4
As AND THREE Bs
ON HIS RECENT
SCHOOL REPORT
CARD
64
HIS WEIGHT, IN
KGS. ‘I TEND TO
EAT HEALTHY,
BUT I’LL EAT
JUNK FOOD’
1,360 13
WO R D S : I S A AC W I L L I A M S . P H OTO G R A P H S : @ B L A Z E _8 1 3 , R OT H M A N B R OA D B E N T
Race miles in 2019. ‘This year
TEN
HE STARTED Ingram’s impressive Instagram
218
I decided that after a year of PEOPLE
RUNNING following (@Blaze_813)
competition, I just want to COMPLETED THE
FOUR
concentrate on having fun,’ TRIPLE CROWN
says Dykes OF 200-MILE
TRAIL RACES –
THE BIGFOOT 200,
144
The distance,
in miles, of MARATHONS THE TAHOE 200
Touchdowns
his longest AND ULTRA- AND THE MOAB
Rudolph
race: Delirious MARATHONS 240 – IN 2018.
scored for
W.E.S.T, in DYKES HAS DYKES WAS
his youth
HIS HEIGHT, IN FEET 101 hours COMPLETED ONE OF THEM
American
20
2:54:23
football team
21
His last season Dykes’ unofficial
weight, M70 marathon
in kgs world record.
AMATEUR (3st 4lb). ‘I had said that
ATHLETIC UNION That will being the record
GOLD MEDALS TO change, holder wasn’t
HIS NAME fast important,’ he says
E
sunglasses are bubbly type. You know, the one who’s
nowhere to be encouraging everyone, high-fiving all
very marathon you do is different. This year’s London found. the kids. Don’t get me wrong, I was
Marathon, my eighth, was the slowest one I’ve done, by tired, but those last few miles were a
30 minutes, and yet it may have been the most enjoyable. …your indignity rave-up. Coming under Blackfriars
The contrast to the last one couldn’t have been more stark. is complete when Bridge with the sound system pulling
Two years ago I lined up utterly focused. My life had been you are running us all through and only two miles left,
geared to beating three hours. I had created a scenario where with your dog, he the elation nearly took my head off!
that was the only option. My training diary listed PBs at stops abruptly By this time I imagined the podcast
multiple distances, high mileage, three days of carb loading for a crap, you recording had degenerated into sheer
before the race and a perfect taper. pick it up with a noise: exclamations of good wishes to
This year, I’ve been struggling with a back problem, so my total distance most worryingly thin strangers punctuated by the odd groan,
weeks has been in the 20-22-mile range. Gig chaos meant the carb loading was bag and then and all cocooned by the wondrous
compressed to a day and a half. The taper involved a three-day tour in the Middle continue running, crowd support that London offers. All
East. The day before the race, I got in after an overnight flight from Dubai feeling the bag swinging separation between us and the rest of
tired and grouchy. Damage limitation was the order of the day: do the race while wildly. And so the field had dissolved. We were no
recording a podcast – and enjoy it. Time-wise – 4:00 to 4:15. warmly. longer individuals, just part of a river
Recording the podcast during the marathon was a strange prospect. Some of of humans doing this simple thing:
you will know that Rob Deering and I record one every week while running, running down a packed embankment.
usually up to an hour in length. Low pressure, fun times. We had high hopes that I crossed the line in 3:59:45 – an
with the unusual length of the marathon recording, our minds would riff jazz- hour slower than last time, but the
like into hitherto untravelled fields of thought and wit, with the marathon best of times. It made me want to run
somewhere in the background. It wasn’t like that. The main thing we learnt is more slower marathons just for the
that it is impossible to run the London Marathon and it not be the main focus. It experience of running with others. It
I L L U S T R AT I O N : P I E TA R I P O S T I
was a day of our very beings slowly dissolving into the event itself, this felt like the best of me.
irresistible tide of energy and goodwill that is the marathon.
For me, released from the burden of chasing a time goal, it was a process of
rediscovering the course. Every landmark brought up memories of the sub-three Check out Paul and fellow comedian Rob
quest. The feeling of determination I’d experienced at the halfway mark was this Deering's running podcast, Running
year replaced by a technical pause to check the kit. There was the usual joy at Commentary – available on iTunes and
having, for the first time, less left to run than you had done already, but no worry Acast. @RunComPod
ONE FOOT IN FRONT OF THE OTHER COULD TA K E PR ESSUR E OFF THE BELOV ED
T
he national
health service’s
70th birthday last
year was the
perfect opportunity
to reflect on this
unique institution.
From a commem-
orative service
at Westminster
Abbey to milestone parkruns across
the country, everyone seemed keen
to join the party. It was yet another
reminder of the special place it holds
in the nation’s heart, as poignant as
the NHS segment in the opening
ceremony of the London 2012
Olympics. Who can forget the
rollerskating nurses and child
‘patients’ bouncing on hospital beds?
While we rightly celebrate the past,
the future looks far from rosy. As the
UK’s population increases and we
live longer, we demand more from a
health service that already deals with
one million patients every 36 hours.
Factor in the health problems caused
by sedentary lifestyles fuelled by poor
diets and the result is no surprise: an
NHS under – ultimately – unbearable
strain as more and more is asked
of it. According to a report by the
Institute of Fiscal Studies and Health
Foundation, it now costs £149 billion
a year to operate our health service.
It is the fifth-biggest employer in the
world, behind the likes of the US
Department of Defense and China’s
People’s Liberation Army.
One way to reduce the mind-
boggling cost of running the NHS
is for each of us to take preventive
action. The healthier and fitter we
are, the less we will need to rely on
the safety net of the NHS. Lifestyle
changes can dramatically improve
many aspects of our health, and
getting more exercise is a key and
relatively simple change that nearly
everyone can make. Currently,
more than 20 million people in
the UK are classed as physically
inactive, meaning they don’t hit
the recommended weekly activity
target(s) of 150 minutes of moderate
aerobic exercise or 75 minutes of
more vigorous activity. Lowering
that figure that would make a huge
difference to the health of the nation
and the NHS balance sheet.
‘Regular physical activity, such
as running, can help reduce the
risk of key preventable illnesses
H E A LT H P ROBL E M S , T H E S I M P L E AC T OF P U T T I NG that are driving demand on NHS
services, such as type 2 diabetes,
cardiovascular disease, depression
I N S T I T U T I O N – A N D S AV E T H O U S A N D S O F L I V E S and some cancers,’ says Dr Mike
ONE
with cancer in the UK. cancer and strengthen
Roughly one in three of muscles, joints and
us will develop the bones. It can also help
disease at some stage, with anxiety and
with half of all cases
affecting the breast,
in six depression,’ says Wiley.
Dr Rebecca
prostate, bowel or lung. Hospital beds occupied by Robinson, a consultant
someone with diabetes in sports and exercise
Cancer Research UK
(CRUK) says cancer kills medicine, and an
almost 164,00 people in the oncologist at Sheffield’s Weston
UK every year. Park Hospital, agrees: ‘There’s
Cancer services also cost the some exciting work showing that
NHS £5bn a year and this enormous exercise may prevent cancer and
amount leads to much-publicised benefit recovery post-treatment,’
tough policy decisions about which says Robinson, who’s also a GB
forms of treatment can be made endurance runner. ‘In terms of
available to patients. prevention, exercise can reduce
The picture isn’t all bleak, however. inflammation in the body, which
People diagnosed with cancer today can be a driver for certain cancers.
have, on average, a 53 per cent chance We already have good evidence that
of surviving for five or more years. exercising – including running – can
Survival rates for prostate cancer, for help those with breast, colon, lung
example, have tripled in the past 40 and endometrial cancers. Some
years. But our odds of getting cancer research suggests exercise might
in the first place could be slashed stimulate the immune system in a
further if we took more responsibility very positive way.’
for our health. There is a huge body of research
CRUK believes 38 per cent out there to back the role of exercise
of all cancers can be in reducing cancer
prevented through risk and boosting
£11.9
lifestyle changes such survival rates. In
as stopping smoking, 2017, a Danish study
improving diet and, suggested exercise
crucially, exercising can prevent cancer
more. According to
CRUK estimates, this
billion spreading by slowing
down its progress,
could prevent 135,000 NHS England bill for mental making it easier to
health services last year
annual cancer deaths. treat. Adrenaline is
Georgina Wiley, a released during
specialist nurse adviser for intensive workouts such as running
Macmillan Cancer Support, and a and scientists believe this can cut the
keen runner, says there’s ample risk of developing breast cancer by
evidence that regular exercise cuts 25 per cent. Similarly, the World
Cancer Research Fund found that Currently, 26.2 per cent of adults
exercise reduced breast cancer in England are classified as obese (a
risk in postmenopausal women by body mass index of 30-39.9) – with an
10 per cent. additional 35.2 per cent being over-
Such is the weight of scientific weight. According to the Organisation
research that last year the Clinical for Economic Cooperation and
Oncology Society of Australia called Development (OECD), which promotes
for exercise to be a fundamental part global health as part of its brief,
of cancer treatment this makes the UK the
following indisputable most obese nation in
26%
evidence that it can Western Europe.
help with recovery And, worryingly, this
from several cancers. slide towards obesity
It prescribed at least often begins with the
150 minutes of exercise Reduction in the risk young. Ten per cent
of developing type 2
a week, with a jog/run of children starting
diabetes with 150 minutes
being part of the of exercise a week primary school in
regime. While this England are obese, a
development was a figure that doubles by
first, the Australian example will the time they leave. According to
surely soon be followed by other Public Health England, nearly a third
countries in the world. of secondary school pupils are either
One way of getting those exercise overweight or obese.
minutes could be by taking part in 5K This paints a disturbing picture of
Your Way. The event was launched the future, as increasing obesity
in Nottingham last June by multiple levels are already straining stretched
Ironman winner Lucy Gossage – NHS services. The latest figures
who’s also an oncologist at the show an 18 per cent annual increase
City Hospital – and international in the number of patients admitted to
runner Gemma Hillier Moses. It’s NHS hospitals for obesity and related
a monthly event, hosted at more conditions. There were around
than 25 parkruns for those affected 617,000 such admissions in 2016-17,
by cancer. according to NHS Digital. Further
‘There’s strong evidence that evidence from Public Health England
we should get every single cancer shows that obesity is responsible for
patient talking about doing some around 30,000 deaths each year,
exercise, whatever their level,’ says depriving a person of, on average,
Dr Gossage. ‘Some of our runners say nine years of life.
it’s a way of connecting with others In 2014-15, the NHS spent an
dealing with cancer. For others, it’s estimated £6.1 billion on overweight
introducing exercise, which can be and obesity-related ill health, a figure
so helpful. We had a chap recently that’s projected to rise to £9.7 billion
who ran it for the first time since by 2050. However, the wider costs
undergoing chemo. After crossing to society from the knock-on effects
the line, he said “I feel so alive!”’ of obesity are thought to be more
than £27 billion, according to Public
Health England.
IOBESITYI This is a health and public policy
time bomb, but Dr Alison Innerd,
one february day back in 2012, senior lecturer in physical activity
Elaine Wyllie, head teacher at and exercise science at Teesside
St Ninian’s School in Stirling, University, already sees signs that
encouraged her pupils to go for a running is playing a part in easing
run around the school grounds. The the crisis. ‘Running’s not for
run – which became known as the everyone, but parkrun and social
Daily Mile – quickly became part of running groups are attracting what
the school’s regular timetable. we call “hard to reach” people,
Seven years later, over 8,000 including women and younger people
schools across the UK and around who wouldn’t normally be interested
the world have embraced the routine in exercise,’ she says. ‘By offering a
of a 15-minute daily outdoor run social side while getting fit, weight
at a comfortable pace. The aim was loss can naturally follow rather than
– and is – to get children running being the sole focus of why people
every day to help them become fitter decide to run.’
and healthier, and reduce rates of Of course exercise, and specifically
childhood obesity. running, is not the only factor at
appropriate level has been proven to As the stigma around mental health has lessened report showed that mental illness
release the hormone endorphin, somewhat, more people are now opening up about their costs approximately £94 billion
which produces a mood-enhancing emotional well-being. The charity Mind says that one in annually when treatment, social care
effect,’ says Mahoney. ‘It has also four of us will experience a mental health issue at some costs and loss to the economy are
been shown to provide relief from point. Often this can manifest as anxiety, depression or included. In January this year, the
anxiety and improvement in both. Obsessive-compulsive disorder, phobias, panic Government unveiled its 10-year
self-esteem. As well as exercise disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder are also plan for the NHS, pledging an extra
decreasing the stress hormones such becoming increasingly common. £2.3 billion in mental health by
as cortisol, it increases the release of While it’s undoubtedly a positive development, the fact 2024, thereby helping a further
adrenaline, serotonin, oxytocin and that more people are now seeking help has come at a cost, two million people.
dopamine, which are referred to as with the bill for mental health services in the last financial But to ease the NHS burden,
the body’s “happy chemicals”.’ year reaching £11.9 billion. Meanwhile, a 2108 OECD alternatives to prescribing drugs
26.2
says Bednar. ‘It’s when than one million
you go over and over a people thought to
problem in your head have undiagnosed
‘I was born with a hip
without resolving it. But T2D, and a further defect, which was
running outside means Percentage of adults in 12.3 million at risk finally fixed in my 20s,
England classified as obese using metal to hold it together. When
you become less of developing it,
introspective and the word ‘epidemic’ I reached my 30s, I hoped to finally
instead look around you more. This doesn’t sound like hyperbole. get on with life. But at 32, just after
can stop the cycle of brooding over T2D costs the NHS more than becoming engaged to Duncan, I was
negative thoughts.’ £9 billion a year. It’s believed that at diagnosed with breast cancer. In
England Athletics has also any time, one in six hospital beds is February 2014 I had my right breast
recognised the positive link between occupied by someone with diabetes
removed before starting chemotherapy.
running and good mental health, and diabetes medication alone costs
teaming up with Mind to launch the NHS £1 billion a year – there were
‘Within weeks of starting chemo, I
#RunAndTalk, a programme already 55 million prescriptions last year, up went for a run with my dad. I’d never run
involving 23,600 people (a third 70 per cent in the last 10 years. before and started almost as an act of
of whom had a mental illness). It Although not exclusively caused by defiance against my body, as it seemed
encourages those who have never run lifestyle choices, there’s a proven link to be throwing serious health issues at
before, or are returning to it, to join between T2D and rising obesity rates. me. I began running along a path around
one of its empathetic running groups. And lifestyle changes can often a park of exactly 209 steps; once I could
Psychotherapist William Pullen, prevent T2D in people with pre- cope with that, I did more laps of it.
author of Run for Your Life: Mindful diabetes (when blood sugar levels are ‘Despite losing all my hair, I did my
Running for a Happy Life (Penguin higher than normal but not high
first 10K race in July 2014 before
Life), encourages his clients to run, enough that diabetes develops). It’s
too. ‘There are many reasons why also possible to reverse the condition
completing my treatment. I did a half
running is good for mental health, the same way. Diet and exercise are marathon a year later, and then the
with some less obvious than you key and running is an ideal way to London Marathon. After that, I came up
might think,’ he says. ‘For example, a achieve this, say experts. with the idea of marrying Duncan on the
run through a forest will mean you ‘There are a number of risk factors same day as running London again, in
absorb phytoncides – chemicals that for type 2 diabetes, including age and 2017. We had our wedding ceremony on
plants and trees naturally produce to ethnicity, but being overweight is the the Cutty Sark before I headed to the
protect themselves – which have most significant,’ says Douglas start line in my running wedding dress.
been shown to decrease Twenefour, deputy It was a fantastic day. I know some
anxiety, depression, head of care
people have a very different experience
£1
anger and stress.’ at Diabetes UK, who
He believes the body advocates running as of surgery and chemotherapy, but I
is ‘primed for adventure, a way to deal with discovered running during that period.
exploration and hunting’, T2D. ‘People can ‘I’ve turned unfortunate health events
adding, ‘We’re built to
be free and [to have]
billion take steps to manage
or reduce this with
into a positive. I still often walk those
209 steps and think that was where
that sense of freedom Annual cost of diabetes diet and exercise. I first got my body to run. I’m now
medication to the NHS
every runner knows is Although nobody is celebrating five years of being clear
the perfect antidote to expecting you to of cancer with Breast Cancer Care
most forms of mental distress.’ become a marathon runner fundraising events, including my first
overnight, running regularly will
ultramarathon. Running’s now part of
help the body and either prevent or
IDIABETESI manage diabetes.’ who I am.’
Twenefour says running can help *For information and support on exercise
this is the 21st-century health people with T2D use what insulin after breast cancer, download Breast Cancer
epidemic that many believe is their body does produce more Care’s BECCA app
threatening to overwhelm the NHS. effectively. ‘Running can benefit your
The number of newly diagnosed glucose levels for 48-72 hours after
cases of type 2 diabetes – when the exercising by making your muscles
pancreas doesn’t produce enough more insulin sensitive,’ he says.
insulin or the cells don’t react to it, ‘Staying in range can prevent
raising blood sugar levels – is soaring. complications such as sight loss,
ONE
‘In simple terms, leading to heart failure,
Christopher Hunter exercise takes the strain heart attacks and strokes.
33, Belfast off the pancreas and so Of the 170,000 annual
lowers the amount of deaths in the UK caused
‘I was in bed one night in meds you need. That’s person by heart and circulatory
August 2015 when a pain good for you and the disease, 42,000 are
is diagnosed with
NHS budget.’ type 2 diabetes every classed as premature
in my chest woke me up. I
Exercise can also three minutes because the person who
thought it was indigestion, but I couldn’t contribute to weight died was under 75. Add to
feel anything down my left side and my loss, making it easier to this those who survive a
wife, Maria, noticed the left side of my control the condition. heart attack or a stroke but need
face looked different and my speech ‘Relatively small shifts in weight emergency treatment and aftercare,
was slurred. She called an ambulance. and activity have a huge impact,’ and it’s clear NHS spending is only
‘In hospital, I was given a clot-busting adds English. ‘Reducing body weight heading one way. But experts believe
injection. I was still very confused the by 3.5 kilos by modifying the diet we can chip away at these grim
next morning at what had happened, and increasing activity can cut T2D statistics simply by being more active.
until a nurse said I’d suffered a stroke. development in those with impaired ‘If we could put exercise like
glucose tolerance by 58 per cent. running into a pill, it would be the
I was only 29, so was surprised someone
‘It means that a regular run or even most popular one on the shelf
my age could suffer one. a brisk walk could prevent T2D in because it provides a host of benefits,’
‘I stayed in hospital for 10 days, where many people who are on the cusp of says Dr Dan Augustine, consultant
I underwent rehab to get me walking developing it.’ cardiologist and sports cardiologist
again as the feeling to my left side This view was backed by a recent at the Royal United Hospital Bath.
returned. About four months after my University College London study ‘There’s good evidence to show that
stroke, I began running. I signed up for review, which looked at 26 existing an increase in your exercise capacity
a Couch to 5K programme run by the T2D studies before coming to a reduces your cardiovascular risk and
West Belfast Coolers running club. similar conclusion. It found that mortality. It also reduces the risk of
‘After doing a 5K, I became a parkrun doing the recommended 150 minutes coronary artery disease, lowers blood
of weekly exercise reduced the risk of pressure and helps maintain a normal
regular. I pushed on and did more races,
developing T2D by 26 weight. All of this helps
including three half marathons and my per cent, and that risk improve your lipid
42
first marathon, in May. fell further for those profile, reducing ‘bad’
‘I was worried I could suffer another who exercised more. cholesterol and
stroke, as the cause was a bit of a This approach is improving ‘good’
mystery. But my medical team told me
regular exercise would benefit me. I
shared by Southport
GP Simon Tobin, who thousand cholesterol. Having a
poor lipid profile is one
have lost 2st through running, which ‘prescribes’ running Number of premature deaths of the risk factors for
has made me feel great physically and to T2D and other related to cardiovascular heart attacks and
mentally. We now have two children patients he believes disease in the UK each year strokes. Exercise has
could benefit. Many multi-system benefits,
and I want to stay healthy to enjoy being
now prefer regular so increasing the
active with them. parkruns to a lifetime of pills and this amount we do will help us achieve
‘I might never have started running could play a huge part in keeping the these benefits.’
if it wasn’t for my stroke, but now NHS running, too. There are caveats. ‘We know that
WO R D S : A D R I A N M O N T I . P H OTO G R A P H S : G E T T Y
running’s a big part of my life and people in their 40s onwards who have
will hopefully stop me having another. exercised over a lifetime at higher
Luckily, I’ve recovered well from a very IHEART DISEASEI intensities are at increased risk of
frightening experience.’ developing an irregular heart rhythm
with around seven million people called atrial fibrillation,’ adds
*Christopher fundraises for the Stroke in the UK living with heart and Augustine, a keen runner. ‘There
Association. Visit stroke.org.uk circulatory disease, it’s easy to see have been studies showing that older
why this area of healthcare costs the endurance athletes have more heart-
NHS almost £9 billion a year. And, of muscle scarring – fibrosis – on heart
course, the costs go way beyond the MRI scans and further studies are
financial: according to the British needed to see what the significance of
Heart Foundation, every day an this is, if any. Studies have also shown
that older endurance athletes had Department of Kinesiology found that runners had a Obviously, running in isolation
more furring of their heart arteries 24-40 per cent reduced risk of dying young. Interestingly, isn’t the cure-all for every modern
compared with age-matched controls. the study found that no other activity had the same health condition, but all of this
However, importantly, the plaque positive impact on health as running, with every hour of research and expert insight adds
seen in athletes is calcified, more running potentially increasing life expectancy by seven up to a compelling argument that
benign and thought to be less likely to hours. And it gets better. Runners could expect to live getting more people out there
rupture and cause cardiovascular three years longer than non-runners. Even those who pounding the UK’s pavements, trails
events than the softer mixed plaques already have coronary disease can benefit by running for and park paths could be a valuable
seen in the control groups. Overall, less than 80 minutes a week. prescription for an ailing health
the benefits of exercise far outweigh Lead author Professor Duck-Chul Lee said even those service. Can running really save the
the downsides. Anything done to who do a high mileages won’t cause any damage to their NHS? We believe that it can, if
reduce sedentary behaviour will cut heart. ‘We still didn’t find a significant harmful effect of enough people lace up their running
cardiovascular risk.’ running too much on mortality, including cardiovascular shoes. And, more importantly, if
A major US study involving 55,000 mortality,’ says Lee. ‘You might not get further benefits, you’re one of them, it can add many
people by Iowa State University’s but you will not harm yourself.’ healthy years to your life, too.
R
O N N I E O ’ S U L L I VA N I S N O T I N T E R E S T E D ‘He used to force me to go out,’ says
in jogging. The man nick- O’Sullivan. ‘He said, “You can leave
named ‘The Rocket’ likes to school when you’re 15, but you have to
run the way he pots snooker keep fit. Healthy body, healthy mind.”
balls: quickly, relentlessly. I never used to enjoy it, but I noticed
‘There’s no feeling quite like ticking it made me play better snooker. And
along at 6:30-min/mile, in the forest, I wanted to be as good as I could at
up and down the hills,’ he says. ‘It’s snooker, so I kept it up.’
just a great way to start the day. That, But when his dad was imprisoned for
to me, is proper running.’ murder, O’Sullivan stopped running
To hear O’Sullivan speak about and by the time he was 20 years old,
running today, in almost religious he weighed 15 stone and his waistline
terms, it’s hard to imagine a time when had swelled to 37 inches. He returned
he considered it a chore. However, as to running initially as a way to lose
a kid, O’Sullivan was told by his dad, weight – but it soon became much
Ronnie Snr, that he had to run. more than that.
O’Sullivan loves to
set himself up for the
day with a brisk run
F U L L P L AT E
TEN YEARS AND several injuries on,
O’Sullivan is not running quite as
quickly. ‘I could probably only run
a 20-minute 5K at the minute,’ he
says, wistfully. He is, otherwise, in a
wonderful place – physically, mentally
and professionally.
Two days before we met, he had
just become world number one again 2. 4.
in his second-favourite sport: snooker.
At 44, he’s the oldest player to achieve
this – and he attributes his longevity
to regular running and a fresh
approach to nutrition.
His new book, Top of Your Game:
Eating for Mind and Body, which he
co-wrote with nutritionist Rhiannon
Lambert, is a collection of healthy
recipes and hard-won insights on
food, running and other aspects of life.
In many ways, O’Sullivan is an
unlikely poster boy for the healthy-
eating movement. Moderation, self-
care and wholesome living aren’t things
you might readily associate with a 1. At one point,
man whose all-night binges involved O’Sullivan was playing
him consuming 15 pints of Guinness badly because he was
tired all the time
(alongside other, stronger substances).
It’s fair to say he’s made some foodie 2. For now, O’Sullivan
faux pas along the way, too. ‘I’d always is firmly focused on
snooker, but running
eaten well because my mum was remains vital
Sicilian,’ says O’Sullivan, ‘so I’d been
3. His 10K PB is 34:54
used to eating fresh produce and good
food. My biggest problem has always 4. O’Sullivan running in
been that I’ve just eaten too much.’ his beloved Woodford
Green club vest
For instance, when someone said
to O’Sullivan that olives were really
O N LY H U M A N
WITH A SNOOKERcue in his hand, O’Sullivan
is a phenomenon. The trophies – five
World Championships, seven Masters
title, seven UK Championships – tell
only half the story. Because it is not
the number of trophies O’Sullivan
has won – 36 ranking titles and
counting – but the thrilling manner
in which he has done so, that sets
him apart. Watching ‘The Rocket’
in full, irresistible flow is a beautiful
sight. He is the Picasso of the baize
or, perhaps more appropriately, the
Kipchoge of the cloth.
With a pair of running shoes
on his feet, O’Sullivan is good, but
not great. He once finished in 189th
place at the Southern Cross-Country
Championships and made it into the
pages of Athletics Weekly following a
win at a small-scale 10K in Essex.
Yet swapping the bright lights of the
baize for the ankle-deep anonymity
of cross-country was part of the
appeal. With a club vest on, O’Sullivan
was no longer a once-in-a-generation
genius, with all the
expectation that comes
with it. Rather, he was
RONNIE’S RECIPES just another exhausted,
imperfect runner.
Breakfast bowl Serves
1 ‘I knew I was always
Don’t be put off by its vivid green going to have to be one
of these untalented
colour – this breakfast bowl tastes
WO R D S : R I C K P E A R S O N . P H OTO G R A P H S : G E T T Y, A L A M Y, A N D R E W H AY E S WAT K I N S
INGREDIENTS METHOD
200g cooked tiger 1. Place the prawns in
prawns a bowl with the mango
1 mango, chopped and avocado.
into cubes 2. Add the zest and
1 avocado, sliced juice of half the lime
1 lime to a bowl.
½ red chilli, deseeded 3. Mix chilli, honey
and finely chopped and oil for a dressing.
1 tbsp honey Cut the other half of
1 tbsp avocado oil the lime into wedges.
½ iceberg lettuce, Drizzle the dressing
shredded over the prawns,
avocado and mango.
4. Serve on a bed of Serves
iceberg lettuce with a 2
wedge of lime.
me? He’d never get anywhere near Championships might have come
me. Even if he played for the next 100 second to his desire to represent his
years and I didn’t pick up a cue, I’d home county, Essex, in cross-country.
wipe the floor with him.’ ‘Running did take over for a while,
While running victories may I’ll admit,’ he says. ‘But I didn’t mind,
have remained out of reach, moving because [running] is a good thing.
from maestro to mid-packer taught You don’t mind things like that taking
O’Sullivan some valuable lessons over. Anyway, what else are you going
about himself. ‘Running taught me to do with your life – sit around and
that I’ve got guts, determination and get fat?’
that I’m happy not to take shortcuts,’ Nowadays, O’Sullivan prioritises
he says. ‘If you want to get the most out his potting. However, he still packs
of yourself as a runner, you don’t have his running shoes when he heads off
to have masses of ability. I honestly to a snooker tournament, regularly
think if you run 50 or 60 miles a week, popping in on local running club
with a few track sessions thrown in, sessions, provided he feels fit enough.
anyone can run a sub-three marathon ‘When I’m fit, I always join up with
or a sub-35 10K. It’s all about effort.’ the local running club and go for a
Had you, in 2009, asked O’Sullivan five- or seven-mile run,’ he says. ‘The
to rank his top sporting priorities, last three or four years, my running
winning another snooker World has gone a bit downhill, so I don’t
How Ronnie’s
achievements Snooker 1997 2001 2015 2019
on the green Fastest ever Wins World Overtakes Stephen Becomes oldest
baize and the maximum break Championships Hendry as player with person to become
run stack up (5 mins 20 secs) for first time the most centuries (776) world No 1 (aged 44)
6 - M I N / M I L E , YO U
NA
‘ I F YO U C A N R U U N W I T H A N YO N E .
meet so many people now because I
don’t want to slow them down. I just
A N G O F O R A R U’RE
go out and do my own little four-miler
C . B U T I F Y O
AH
at 7:30 min/mile. That’s enough for me
E V E N M O FA R / M I L E S , M O ’ S N O T
at the moment.’
I N G 8 - M IN
R U N N
E R E S T E D . H E ’LL BE
T
G O I N G T O B E I N O T T I M E F O R T H I S ”’
I K E , “ I A I N ’ T G
L THE LONG GAME
A LT H O U G H S O M E O F O’Sullivan’s miles are
run on the road, he’s happiest on the
trails of his local Epping Forest. And
although snooker may have made him
a millionaire several times over, when
it comes to running he likes to keep
things simple and gadget-free.
‘I love running offroad, through the
forest,’ he says. ‘For me, it’s all about
getting away from people, cars, fumes.
I once wore headphones for about half
an hour, but I threw them away in the
forest, as it was killing it for me; the
beauty of being outside is that you’re
away from technology.’
Given his impressive times over
the shorter distances, it is perhaps
surprising to learn that O’Sullivan has
never run a marathon. At his running
peak, his clubmates told him he was
in sub-2:45 shape, but injuries and a
hectic schedule have always got in the
way. Is it something he’d like to do in
the future?
‘I would definitely do a marathon,’
he says. ‘While I’m still competing
playing snooker, it’s hard for me to
commit to doing the miles in training,
because that would become too much
of an obsession. I’ve only got another
three or four more years playing
snooker – I’ve got to prioritise that.
O’Sullivan is eyeing But if I get in decent shape, even at 50
up a marathon, but I like to think I could still possibly run
not until his snooker
a sub-3 marathon.’
days are behind him
Whether or not he decides to tackle
the full 26.2, O’Sullivan knows he
wants to continue to run for as long as
his legs allow him to. ‘I look at people
at the running club in their 60s and
70s, and they’re still doing it. I look at
them and they look so healthy – I want
to look like that when I’m their age.
I obviously want to run as much as a
I can, and if I can’t run, I’d probably
take up a coaching badge.’
Ronnie O’Sullivan, running coach?
Don’t expect any jogging in his
training schedules.
Plan
Feeling low, a little…off? The symptoms may not seem
unusual but, finds Georgie Lane-Godfrey, they could be a
red flag for the nutritional deficiency you never expected
C
an we just… slow down?’ I pant to VERY BUSY B explains that B12 deficiency can lead
my husband. He looks confused. A quick google tells me B12 is essential to a type called ‘megaloblastic anaemia’,
We’re not pounding out an interval for your body to function. Naturally whereby your body doesn’t have
session, nor are we having the kind of occurring in animal products, it’s enough cells to carry oxygen around
athletic sex that requires an interval. released from food by stomach acids, the body – hence the breathlessness.
We’re strolling to Sainsbury’s. Very, before combining with the protein For most people with a deficiency,
very slowly. intrinsic factor and being absorbed in nutrition can get you back on track.
It wasn’t just the breathlessness. the small intestine. From there, it gets While you probably know to reach for
I used to feel so constantly tired that to work forming healthy blood cells, the orange juice when you need some
an hour of exercise demanded a generating DNA, extracting energy vitamin C, awareness of B12, and
recovery nap later that day and my from food and ensuring the proper where to get it, is low. ‘If you eat meat,
mood plummeted so drastically that working of the brain and nervous fish or dairy foods, you should be able
‘What’s wrong now?’ had become my system: in short, the fundamentals. to get all the B12 you need from your
long-suffering husband’s catchphrase. It’s no surprise, then, that when diet,’ says Harley Street nutritionist
By the time I found myself bent double you fail to get enough of it (the NHS Rhiannon Lambert. ‘It shouldn’t take
on the way to do the weekly food shop, recommends 1.5mcg a day), your body too many diet tweaks to hit that daily
I knew I couldn’t keep blaming my will notice – and fatigue is the tip of target – it’s just a case of knowing
hormones, work or poor sleeping the iceberg. The symptoms read like what foods to find it in.’ Eat scrambled
patterns. I knew my body, and I knew a teenager’s diary entry – low mood, eggs made with milk for breakfast, a
that something was wrong. Several irritability, clumsiness – but if you niçoise salad for lunch or a salmon fillet
exploratory blood tests later and I had fail to address a deficiency, the for dinner and you’ll get what you need.
my answer: I was deficient in vitamin consequences go way beyond a weary If you’re vegan, you’re at higher
B12. I’d never even heard of the stuff walk to the supermarket. ‘Unchecked, risk. It’s harder to come by, but it is
– and therein lies the problem. a B12 deficiency can lead to shrinkage possible to get enough B12 from a
Statistics suggest B12 deficiency of the brain, irreversible memory vegan diet. ‘Vegans can find B12 in a
mainly affects older people, with one loss and poor functioning of blood lot of plant-based foods, such as soya
in 10 aged over 75 affected, but a cells, resulting in anaemia,’ explains and nut milks, which are fortified
recent review of the data by the World David Smith, professor emeritus of with B12 to help them get their quota,’
Health Organization led it to conclude pharmacology at the University of says Lambert. The key is getting the
that the real numbers could be higher Oxford. Anaemia is a reduction in the quantities right. ‘Fortified nut milks
than previously thought among normal number of blood cells. Smith have around 0.38mcg of B12 per
younger people, too. This is primarily 100ml, while fortified soya milk has
P H OTO G R A P H S : G E T T Y I M AG E S
S POT
you are getting enough from your on the alert for possible deficiencies,’
diet. A study published in the British says dietitian Nicole Rothband.
Medical Journal found that 12 per cent It could also be genetic.
of 19-39-year-olds were B12 deficient
even though they consumed the 1.5mcg
RDA. ‘The traditional view doctors are
taught in the UK – that a well-balanced
diet is all you need – is not true,’ says
Smith. ‘Some people require more B12
B CA R E F U L
B12 deficiency can lead to anaemia,
but, confusingly, a different kind of
anaemia could explain why you’re not
TH E
S I GN S
than others, particularly pregnant getting enough. ‘Pernicious anaemia is
women, among whom there is a high a genetic disease known to be a cause
prevalence of B12 insufficiency – which of vitamin deficiency, including B12,’
we don’t yet know the reason for.’ explains Smith. ‘It occurs when the
One explanation is malabsorption body produces antibodies that attack Any of these ring a bell?
– when you can’t physically extract intrinsic factor proteins in your It could be time to get checked out...
the B12 from food. ‘The most common stomach, which allow the gut to
cause is insufficient acid production in absorb B12.’
PR E G N A NT
PAU S E
Large doses of folic
acid (the vitamin all
pregnant women
should take to
in different parts of the country. ‘If So it was with me. I was prescribed
prevent neural tube
you live in Essex, you stand a chance a course of six intramuscular B12
defects in their
of being diagnosed if you have B12 injections over two weeks – with a
babies) can mask a
levels below 200 pmol/L, but over in view to topping up every three months
B12 deficiency. So
the Vale of Glamorgan you wouldn’t be for life. The results, however, are
your doctor might
classed as deficient with those levels. worth it – within a week, my mood
miss the signs of low
It’s still worth getting a blood test and energy levels were back to normal.
B12 until more
either way – it’s good to know how low But as for my missing B12, it’s still at
serious symptoms
your level actually is,’ says Hooper. large. I’m not vegan, I’m not coeliac,
pop up, says Dr
‘Unlike Vitamin A or folic acid, B12 nor do I suffer from heartburn. What’s
Zhaoping Li, director
is one of the few vitamins where there more, my test results came back saying
of the UCLA Center
is no upper limit decided upon by the I didn’t have issues with intrinsic
for Human Nutrition,
authorities, and a high level has not factor. It’s frustrating, but a timely
in the US. If you’re
been shown to cause any harm,’ says reminder that with B12 deficiency – as
expecting, ask your
Smith. If your B12 levels are low despite with so much of nutrition – we have a
obstetrician to check
the fact you are getting enough from lot to learn. ‘It’s a rather neglected
your vitamin levels
your diet, then it’s more likely to be area of study,’ confirms Smith. ‘But it’s
when other blood
an absorption problem, meaning oral an important one for public health,
tests are carried out.
supplements won’t help, either. In this given that millions of people around
case, B12 injections will be prescribed the world are deficient in B12.’ Looks
– especially if symptoms are severe and like this celebrity PR agent still has a
you need to raise your levels pronto. lot of work on her hands...
YO U ’ R E T I R E D YO U ’ R E M O O DY YO U ’ R E O F F YO U R M E M O RY ’ S YO U F E E L YO U R T O N G U E I S
ALL THE TIME A lack of B12 can BALANCE G O N E AWO L PRICKLES SMOOTH, THICK
Lacking the vitamin mess with your Without B12, That nerve damage Pins and needles AND SHINY
can sap strength mental health. the nerves in the can also affect your in your hands and Lack of B12 could
and energy, Why? Low levels spinal cord can brain, leaving you feet? That could cause you to lose
because it affects may affect the wither, leaving you feeling forgetful or be low B12 stocks papillae – tiny
the red blood cells production of dizzy and wobbly. confused. If this is affecting nerve bumps containing
that carry oxygen mood-regulating Report ongoing regularly the case cells. Ignore it taste buds. Your
to your vital neurotransmitters, instances of with you, see your and the tingling tongue may feel
organs. Low O2 such as serotonin feeling off-kilter doctor, to be on can become sore and your sense
means low energy. and dopamine. to your doctor. the safe side. permanent. of taste may fade.
DRAGON
The Lake District’s Bob
Graham Round and the
Highlands’ Charlie Ramsay
hog the limelight, but the
Paddy Buckley Round,
which completes the UK’s
fell-running trilogy, may be
the toughest of them all.
Damian Hall is humbled by
Snowdonia’s brutal beauty
Y GARN TRYFAN
GLYDER
MOEL EILIO
GLYDER FACH
FOEL GRON MOEL FAWR
CYNGHORION
FOEL GOCH CLOGW YN BWLCH-
CRIB Y DDYSGI Y-MAEN
MOEL SIABOD
SNOWDON
CRIBAU CARNEDD Y CRIBAU
Y GARN TREGAL AN
MYNYDD DRWS-Y- COED YR AR AN
TRUM Y DDYSGL
CERRIG COCHION
MYNYDD -Y-DDW Y-ELOR MOEL MEIRCH
CR AIG WEN
Y GYRN
YSGAFELL WEN
MOEL LEFN MYNYDD LLYNNAU’R CWN
MOEL DRUMAN
MOEL YR OGOF UNNAMED TOP
CNICHT ALLT-FAWR
MOEL HEBOG
DAMIAN’S FOEL
BRYN BANOG START/FINISH DDU
MOELW YN MOEL-YR-HYDD
MAWR
The 47 peaks of the
CR AIGYSGAFN Paddy Buckley and the
MOELW YN BACH route between them
SEEM RIGHT...’
30 minutes. Then we set off, with Paddy in a long-sleeve top and
long johns, even though it was very warm. After 15 minutes, he retired.
Bob and I continued, but he got the runs and eventually retired on
Snowdon. I continued alone.’
Some navigational problems in the dark around Llanberis –
says my mate Charlie Sproson. We grind to a halt, our momentum including having to climb a ‘moving slate mountain’ – rendered her
disappearing into the fog. Blinkered by exhaustion and sleep target of a sub-24-hour finish impossible, but Dodds continued
deprivation after 22 hours of running, we’re chasing the fumes of our regardless. ‘Paddy wanted me to give up, but I always think it’s better
ambitions to finish a Paddy Buckley Round in under 24 hours. We’re to complete, regardless of the time and then next time it’s just a
on our last leg, south from Capel Curig to Aberglaslyn, and on our last question of speeding up rather than wondering if you can get round,’
legs. In the damp, disorientating fog, the clock is ticking faster than says Dodds. She was the first to complete the Paddy, taking 25 hours
our feet are moving. The wet and cold are taking their toll on our and 38 minutes.
shivering psyches and, worse still, I’m all out of Tunnock’s bars. Ian Fox may have completed the first sub-24-hour Paddy in 1983,
We consult the map. He’s right. It’s not right. We trudge dejectedly but ‘Paddy doesn’t feel confident that Ian managed to complete the
up a steep bank to try to locate the correct line, a few more crucial route accurately, as he lost his map on the first summit!’ says fell-
minutes wasted. running legend Martin Stone. Sadly, Ian is no longer around to shed
Charlie is a professional mountain guide and, as evidenced by his more light on this, but three years later, Stone himself recorded the
ability to spot our error despite the challenging visibility, a navigation first verified sub-24-hour Paddy (23:26). ‘My feelings on finishing
wizard. Together we’ve completed Britain’s other two big 24-hour were total elation,’ he says. ‘I had never before subjected myself to
fell-running rounds, England’s Bob Graham Round (42 Lake District such pressures during a solo night run or worked as hard for the last
summits, 66 miles and 27,000ft of ascent) and Scotland’s Charlie few hours to make up time on a long-distance event. Experiences and
Ramsay Round (24 Highland summits, 60 miles and 28,000ft of ascent). memories from the round will remain with me for many years.’
Always the most high profile, the Bob Graham (BG) has had plenty Stone would return in December 1989 to record the first winter solo
of recent publicity, thanks to new records by Jasmin Paris (fastest and unsupported Paddy (23:40). Other Paddys worthy of mention
woman), Nicky Spinks (fastest double) and Kilian Jornet, who last year include Anne Stentifor’s, who brought the overall record down to 19:19
broke Billy Bland’s 36-year-old overall record. Despite its challenges, in 1991, Mark Hartell’s 18:10 a year later, which was, miraculously,
over 2,000 people have completed the BG, which is also beautifully matched to the minute by Chris Near in 2008 and, finally, beaten by
mythologised in Richard Askwith’s book Feet in the Clouds. Tim Higginbottom in 2009, whose 17:42 is still unbeaten. Then there
What next after a BG? A Ramsay, in Scotland, whisper those in the was Mike Hartley’s 1990 time of 33:30 which might not sound
know. It’s more spectacular and remote – and harder, too. And then impressive until you learn that it was the third part of a continuous
there is the third of the great 24-hour fell-running rounds. The Welsh hat-trick of the big three rounds, completed without rest, other than
instalment is the least celebrated, certainly the most idiosyncratic, and the drives in between.
possibly the hardest of them all.
61 66 60
Mt Everest from sea level.
Starting in 1977, Paddy Buckley spent over MILES
47 42 24
to 1902, and London Marathon co-founder
SUMMITS
Chris Brasher, who owned a cottage just
off-route. Fascinated by the BG and after a
failed attempt at it with Brasher, Buckley, in
his words ‘spent hours on the maps; measuring,
‘ I SUFFERED
HARD GOING ‘The Paddy is probably the one that catches
More people have completed a Paddy (172) than a most people out,’ says Jim Mann, the winter
Ramsay (134), but the Scottish round is more record holder for all three rounds. ‘The micro-
ON THE
eulogised (see Jonny Muir’s The Mountains Are navigation is tricky. It’s a round you need to get
Calling). Spinks garnered attention for the to really know – you have to make friends with it.’
Ramsay in June 2018 when she became the first The Paddy is idiosyncratic. Unlike the BG and
person to do a double. ‘The Paddy doesn’t have the Ramsay, it has no official start point (though
the magnificence of the Ramsay, or get the
attention of the BG,’ says Spinks, also formerly PADDY IN some see it as Plas y Brenin/Capel Curig). Most
people try to get round in less than 24 hours, but
P H OTO G R A P H S : S T E P H E N -AS H WO R T H ( P R E V I O U S PAG E A N D 1 ) , DA M I A N H A L L ( 2 ) , S T E P H E N -A S H WO R T H (3 )
the women’s record holder on all three rounds. there’s also no official cut-off time. In an email
A WAY I
‘But as soon as I recced the Paddy I knew it was exchange with Paddy Buckley, now 90 and hard
way harder than the BG.’ of hearing, he would not say why this is. ‘Paddy
That opinion is shared by round record- didn’t focus on time,’ explains Stone. ‘It’s just not
DIDN’T ON
breakers – Wendy Dodds, Martin Stone, Jasmin a big deal to him.’ Unlike the other two rounds,
Paris, Jim Mann – who agree the Paddy is tougher there’s no dedicated website (gofar.org.uk is
than the BG. Stone estimates the actual mileage the nearest thing), though Paddy himself does
THE BG OR
on the Paddy is often longer (mine was 70+ miles), maintain a completion list.
with significantly more climb. ‘It probably The BG divides neatly into five logical legs, but
requires about an hour’s extra effort, which makes the Paddy isn’t so obliging. ‘And there is no “easy”
24 hours a more elusive target,’ says Stone. section,’ says Spinks. ‘Unlike the Helvellyn ridge
‘The Paddy Buckley was definitely the hardest
for me,’ says Jasmin Paris, the women’s record
holder of all three and overall record holder of
the Ramsay. ‘I suffered on the Paddy in a way
RAMSAY’ on the BG, there is no obvious leg to do at night,’
agrees Stone. ‘Tricky navigation and bad ground
are spread evenly throughout. There are also few
well-defined paths.’
I didn’t on the BG or Ramsay.’ This, along with the lack of an official start
While the BG record is 12:52 and Paris’s point, threw up a confusing array of possibilities
Ramsay record is 16:13, the fastest ever time for for Charlie and me. We weren’t sure where to
the Paddy is Higginbottom’s 17:42, which has start, our plans changing as the day approached,
stood for 10 years – though there were several the uncertainty feeding our unease. Though
attempts at it last year and we’ll see more this the weather forecast was promising, when we
year. ‘To break the record, you have to have arrived in Llanberis, driving up through some
recced the Paddy quite a lot,’ says Spinks. ‘For the of the daunting shadowy shapes we’d soon be
Paddy I had to do quality training, put myself out traversing, the sky hung heavy and threatening.
of my comfort zone and scare myself silly (the Anecdotally, it seems more Paddy attempts are
descent off Tryfan for example). The Paddy scuppered by inclement weather than on other
probably made me who I am.’ rounds: heavy rain makes terrain slower and
1 3
1 / The sky begins to 2 / Ascending Tryfan 3 / The weather changes
lighten on the third presents a very everything and on the
leg between Llanberis particular set of Paddy it can change
and Glandana challenges quickly and dramatically
UK 057
JULY 2019 RUNNERSWORLD.COM/UK
2
1 3
saps motivation, while fog makes navigation much more problematic. says Spinks. ‘I also think having Snowdon to yourself is a big bonus.’
The Met Office estimates that Snowdonia and the Lake District get After a 500m rocky climb it’s distinctly surreal to be entirely on our
comparable amounts of rain – bucket-loads being the precise own on the summit of what is known as ‘Britain’s busiest mountain’.
meteorological term in question. However, ‘Snowdonia is the first It’s 1.30am and we’ve slipped 10 minutes behind our 23:30 schedule,
high ground that gets hit by the weather from the Irish Sea,’ reasons but we’re too awestruck to worry.
Stone. ‘There are no hills to stop it. Whereas much of the BG is in the At Llanberis we’ve stashed a food bag. I eat a precision-engineered
eastern Lakes, which are further from sea. At night, in bad weather, endurance athlete’s meal of chocolate éclair and salty crisps. Next up
the Paddy can be extremely challenging.’ is, ‘the most technical leg’, says Spinks, ‘with the Elidirs, Glyders and
‘The weather on the Paddy has cursed me,’ says Mann. ‘I had a then a tricky ascent and descent of Tryfan.’ After a long, challenging
perfect forecast for my winter Paddy, but I ended up doing it in gales climb through Dinorwic slate quarry, we tick off a few more summits
and white-out blizzards – a proper fun day out!’ and then the creeping pink glow of dawn appears to the East. The
huge moon holds its ground above, the mist hangs in the valleys below
and the mountains rise in silent camaraderie all around us. I’m
UP AND AWAY exhausted but I can’t think of anywhere in the world I’d rather be.
Before Charlie and I begin our attempt, our fingers swish nervously After Glyder Fach – a spiky mohawk of huge boulders – we follow
across our map one final time over a pot of tea in Peat’s Eats. Then we an avalanche of small rocks down to one of the most handsome and
drive round to Nantmor for a 7.03pm start, going clockwise. It’s a relief daunting mountain sights in Britain: Tryfan, where Spinks was
to get going. ‘This short leg appears easy on the face of it, as there ‘scared silly’. We scramble up – Volvo-sized boulders balanced on
aren’t any huge climbs,’ says Spinks. ‘But there’s very little flat in it more Volvo-sized boulders – then down. Charlie admits to finding the
too! It’s either up or down the whole way. It also has a good selection steep descent ‘gruelling’. My throbbing knees creak their agreement.
of tussocky climbs as well as two heather-bashing ones.’ We swap some kit, grab more snacks and scoff a cold curry at Charlie’s
It’s dark and – nature laughing in the face of the forecast – drizzling van, parked in Ogwen. We’re feeling a bit beaten up and we’re leaking
and foggy. We’re constantly double-checking the route and taking sub- more minutes, but we’re hoping there’s some relative respite ahead.
optimal lines. It’s hands-on-thighs power-hiking, jogging through long ‘The Carnedds are generally regarded as the easiest leg, but with
wet grass, survival mode on unstable slabs of wet rock, scrambling the climb up Pen y Ole Wen being 800m and taking an hour over soggy,
over boulders, and the occasional exhilarating but precarious descent. then rocky, ground it’s not exactly a stroll in the park,’ says Spinks of
Whenever I let my guard down a feisty rock jumps up and attacks my the next section. It’s a slow, steep, dispiriting slog up. But at the top the
shin like a silent, vicious dog. ‘If you fall off the path (or what is views stretch out to sea. There are patches of snow, sunshine, good
construed as a path), you end up in horrid rocks,’ warns Spinks. running along long, gentle ridges. All’s right with the world.
Then, on the leg’s last summit, we rise above the clouds and an Talk shifts to what treats we’ll buy in the cafe in Capel Curig.
enormous moon lights up silhouettes of dragon’s-back ridges rising Charlie’s keen on a cola. I’ve fixed my fantasies on a bacon and cheese
from the mist of the valleys below. The distant lights of towns remind croissant. When we get there, however, the cafe has been replaced by
me of the joys of a warm bed, but also make me feel sorry for those an outdoor retailer. Though we manage a takeaway tea, it’s a severe
who never do this kind of thing. blow to morale. We only have one leg to go – Capel to Aberglaslyn –
The Snowdon massif is next. ‘It’s generally the leg people do in the but it’s the longest and, according to Spinks ‘fiddly to navigate’. We’ve
dark; navigation is more straightforward and the ground less technical,’ had some glorious sunshine, but a huge comb-over of cloud is settling
3 / Even navigation
guru Charlie Sproson
found the Paddy
topographically tricky
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others to ‘not sures’. Wikipedia offers: ‘Some of when they don’t succeed,’ says Spinks. ‘Maybe it’s
‘IF IT’S
these tops really are just bumps on the ridge and just me, but I’ve always loved the low-key feel
not really summits in their own right at all.’ and the idiosyncrasies of the Paddy. I would say
it’s on par with the Ramsay, and maybe even
surpasses it as my favourite.’
MUD AND THUNDER
We make detours to tag superfluous ‘summits’,
wasting crucial time. The terrain and weather
WET, IT’S Jasmin Paris is similarly taken with it. ‘I was
impressed by the beauty of the mountains,’ she
says, ‘the remote wild feel of much of the route.’
SLIPPERY
are making fools of us. I’m wet, cold, grumpy and The Bob Graham has the glamour, the Ramsay
playing a game of treasure hunt in remote Welsh has the drama, but the Paddy is quirky, tricky
mountains, without any actual treasure. It’s all and idiosyncratic. You have to spend time getting
COME OUT
I have run a bit of this section before and get never intended to be an easy day out.’
a little carried away in my ‘knowledge’ of the
route. That’s when Charlie, thankfully, interjects
TO PLAY’
and we correct our line, but it’s yet more crucial Mountain Run offer guided attempts and recces of all
minutes lost. We share the thought that a sub-24- three of Britain’s big 24-hour fell-running rounds.
hour finish may no longer be realistic. As we Visit mountainrun.co.uk
01
Run, Selfie
Repeat
With episodes lasting around 15 minutes,
Kelly Roberts’ spin-off from her blog
(shecanandshedid.com) is an easy one
to fit into short-run days. And her journey
to body positivity is a motivational tonic.
Roberts claims she is ‘a terrible, terrible
athlete’ but she likes to think that
‘running is a lot like grief, neither ever
really gets easier. You just get stronger.’
02 04 07
10% Happier Food Psych My Dad Wrote
With Dan Harris Bad day got you reaching A Porno
Emmy award-winning greedily for the biscuit Imagine if your father did, in
journalist Harris was a tin? Nutritionist Christy fact, pen a filthy book. You’d
co-anchor on the American Harrison serves up straight- probably try to bury it at
TV institution Good Morning talking, feel-good, plate- the very back of the shelf,
America until he suffered a based psychology to but Jamie Morton decided
panic attack live on air in help you clarify your to read it to the world in
2004. It was a wake-up call thinking on nutrition. this comedy podcast. With
that led him to meditation. the help of mates James
The podcast – which shares Cooper and Alice Levine,
its title with his book – is Jamie reads a chapter a
a meeting of minds for
mindfulness devotees.
05 week, discovering far more
about his father than he
Harris’ guests muse upon
The Runner’s ever bargained for, and
happiness in its many
World UK creating what The Sunday
forms and ask whether it’s
Podcast Times has hailed as ‘a
Please excuse our self-
possible to strive for both cultural phenomenon’.
promotion here, but we’re
success and enlightenment.
rather proud of our audio
offering. What began as
03
a monthly podcast last year
is now weekly, with new 08
episodes dropping every Bryony Gordon’s
Guardian’s Tuesday. Hosted by Rick Mad World
Science Weekly
Brought to you by
Pearson and Ben Hobson,
with guest appearances 06 When your first guest is
royalty (Prince Harry),
The Guardian’s science from other team members TED Talks Health the bar is set high. But it
journalists, this asks the and a stellar line-up of Not a series of wellness isn’t simply the calibre of
big questions and then special guests, it’s packed monologues delivered by guests – including national
answers them in an with passion, insight and a foul-mouthed bear, but treasure Stephen Fry –
engaging and digestible inspiration to rock every a series of lectures by a that will keep you coming
way. Ever wondered, for runner’s world. Regulars global community of deep back, but the way in which
instance, why fertility include RW commissioning thinkers, curated under Gordon creates a space
worldwide seems to be editor Kerry McCarthy on the banner of Technology, that feels safe enough
falling? Or what it means the week’s developments in Entertainment and Design. for sharing. Movingly
to be human in the age the world of running; and Think of them as a chance candid, the stars’ personal
of artificial intelligence? recent guests included to listen to some of the mental health struggles
A series of half-hour tempo Anna McNuff, who’s cleverest people on the are touching, humanising
runs for your grey matter. running Britain barefoot. planet – with no tuition fee. and, as the conversation on
mental health continues to
evolve, greatly needed.
09
Feel Better,
Live More
With Dr Rangan
Chatterjee
Best known as the host
of the BBC’s Doctor in
the House, Dr Rangan
Chatterjee is an NHS
health powerhouse. Here
he blends his experience
with insight from industry
professionals, other
doctors and researchers
to attempt to uncover the
truth behind health myths
on subjects such as gut
health and microbes.
10
The Hilarious
World of
Depression
Listening to people talk
about depression might
13-14
not sound like fun, but
when those people are
comedians and other wits,
Radio Headspace
there are plenty of laughs.
‘Depression is everywhere
and it sucks,’ says American
& All In The Mind
public radio presenter John The team behind Headspace, the app
Moe. ‘But talking about it that helped meditation go mainstream,
doesn’t. Talking about it is a
really good idea.’ Agreed.
chat to athletes, adventurers and
scientists to examine what the mind is
truly capable of. And if you like what you
hear, try All in the Mind, Radio 4’s dive
11 into the capacity of the human mind –
The Rambling psychologist Claudia Hammond’s mini-
Runner
One both for and about series dissecting loneliness is superb.
dedicated amateur runners,
Matt Chittim’s excellent
show goes out to all of us
who try to balance our
passion for running with
our jobs, families, friends
and everything else life 15 16 17
throws at us. Yogaland When Orla Met Eat Sleep Work
We still have much to learn Broadcaster and former Repeat
when it comes to why your All-Ireland triple-jump Not as stressful as it sounds.
yoga class leaves you champion Orla Chennaoui The number-one business
22
Running
Commentary
Comedians Paul Tonkinson
and Rob Deering talk about
life and comedy – but
mainly running. While
they’re running. Quirky,
funny, insightful and
life-affirming. Check out
the recent quadruple-
show prog-pod odyssey
recorded while the pair
were running the London
Marathon (see p31).
23
WO R D S : E M I LY P R I TC H A R D, JA M I E M I L L A R, A L LY H E A D, J O E M AC K I E . I L L U S T R AT I O N S : LU C K Y I F S H A R P
30 for 30
Podcasts
American network ESPN
makes excellent sports
documentaries and they
work just as effectively
without the visuals. Here
you can discover stories of
26
Hidden Brain
Award-winning journalist
and Harvard fellow Shankar 28 29 30
Vedantam – also a former Happy Place Dear Sugars The Calmer You
science writer at The TV and radio presenter Writers and Cheryl Strayed Podcast with
Washington Post – expertly Fearne Cotton smoothly and Steve Almond may Chloe Brotheridge
combines science with extract insights and have stopped bringing Guidance and inspiration to
storytelling to reveal the self-care tips from guests out new episodes of their help you become a calmer,
unconscious patterns that such as Tom Daley and ruminations in response to happier and more confident
drive human behaviour. Dawn French. Running is a readers’ letters, but with you. Brotheridge – author
Topics include the history frequent touch point, with over 100 in the bank, their of The Anxiety Solution –
of fake news (spoiler: it Gary Barlow and Bryony sage advice will keep you curates a mix of expert
didn’t begin with Trump) Gordon (see no.12) both going for months. Guests interviews, encouragement
and the more baffling talking about how running include Oprah Winfrey and, crucially, reminders
question of why we lie. has helped them. and Hillary Clinton. that you are not alone.
PODCASTS
world-class performers’,
32 38
On Being With
Work Play Krista Tippett
Love Buddhist monks, gay
Former pro priests, conservative
runner Lauren Christians...it may sound
Fleshman and like a set-up for a walking-
her triathlete into-a-bar joke, but this
other half Jesse exploration of spirituality
Thomas deliver from journalist and former
wisdom on running- diplomat Krista Tippetts is
related subjects such a treasure trove of thoughts
as identifying injury, mental and opinions. When the
toughness, motivation, commute has you truly
training, food, recovery, hating humanity, it’ll
running form and midrace restore your faith.
pooing. Come on, people,
it happens. Accept it.
36 39
33
She Explores
The The Joe Rogan
Experience
Each episode with US
One for and about women
who are inspired by time in Rich Roll comedian Rogan takes
the form of a long-form
the great outdoors. Author
and photographer Gale
Straub weaves interviews,
Podcast
Roll, a former hard-
conversation – all are funny,
but the health ones are not
to be missed. Think Robb
in-the-field recordings Wolf, author of the New
and listener submissions living LA lawyer, is York Times bestseller The
into episodes covering Paleo Solution, and Chris
themes such as solo now a vegan and Kelly Starett, Crossfit
hiking, ageing, diversity, world-class ultrarunner. trainer. Perfect for long
motherhood and feminism. Here he discusses all training runs.
GOING NUTS
ABOUT BUTTER
Cashew butter, almond butter,
hazelnut butter and, of course,
peanut butter. We show you
how to turn the tiny super-snack
into a meal fit for a runner.
Want to do well in a variety of races this summer and autumn? Masters champion and running coach
Pete Magill explains how to stay in top form week after week
AEROBIC/ANAEROBIC ENERGY
REQUIREMENT
8% 4%
THE BASICS
Before you jump excitedly into a series of
races, you need to have built a substantial
BASE-BUILDING
ESSENTIALS
base of fitness, beginning two to three months
92% 96% before your first important competition.
Improved fitness occurs when you apply a 1 2
training stimulus (your workout) and then
allow time for adaptation (increased aerobic Volume Long hill repeats
5K 10K energy production, stronger muscles etc) (Distance)
before the next stimulus. This is an
2% .5% incremental process and can’t be rushed.
Training harder and more frequently won’t
result in better fitness; it will lead to the 3 4
opposite because you will, in effect, short-
circuit the improvement that occurs post- Intervals Tempo and
98% 99.5% workout, during periods of recovery. VO2-max work
During base building, you should focus on
the six types of training listed here (right).
Half marathon Marathon Those training elements will ready your body
for the rigours of race season and prepare you 5 6
to run your best at any race distance. If you
*Percentages are averages and will vary for different haven’t yet built up a strong base, you’d be wise Pre-speedwork Resistance work
runners. Also, a marathon will recruit a greater to postpone your race series until the autumn. or plyometrics
quantity of faster fibres during the latter stages
of the race than shown.
THE
Even after you’ve established your fitness foundation, you’re not
quite ready to jump into the first important race of the season, as
keen as you may be to test your mettle against other runners.
The transition from base training to racing doesn’t happen in a
day, or a week. Instead, you will need to add a transition period
lasting a few weeks, during which you can incorporate pace work,
speedwork and a tune-up race. Too many runners expect a quick
TRANSITION
pay-off for their pre-season work, but the cold reality is that good
whole-body fitness is not synonymous with race fitness. You’ll
need to train your body, nervous system and mind for the new
challenge of harder, 100 per cent race efforts. And you’ll need to
avoid sabotaging the season by racing too hard and too often during
this crucial phase, thereby overwhelming your body with a
workload it simply isn’t prepared to handle. In short, you need
to be patient, even as you put in the effort in your sessions. During
the transition period, you should include the following types of
workouts for maximum results:
BASIC TRAINING
Easy run +
Tempo or VO2- Long run +
Sample week* resistance/ Hill repeats
max workout resistance/plyos
plyometrics
TRANSITION TRAINING
6 × 90-sec hill
Easy run + Long run +
WEEK 4 Easy distance run
resistance/plyos
repeats or 25 x
resistance/plyos
30-sec fast repeats
THE SEASON
SAMPLE
The chart shows four workouts for each
week; fill in other days with easy distance
runs (volume) or rest. If you want to add
a second easy run (recovery run) two or
three times a week, it’s good practice to
double up on hard days. During the
season, if your legs are feeling dead, limit
TRAINING
training to long, slow distance runs for
two or three days or more; if you’re still
dead-legged after a week, it might be
time to end your racing season rather
than risk overtraining syndrome.
For plyometrics, do the moves on a soft
surface such as grass, a running track or a
SCHEDULE
mat. Spend as little time on the ground as
possible between hops/bounds/jumps.
Do two sets of 10 repetitions (2 x 10)
with full recovery between sets. Single-
leg hops, double-leg bounds (from a
squat position, jump forward as far as
you can), alternate-leg bounds, squat
jumps and box jumps all work well.
THE RUN-TO-LOSE
Cutting too many calories
PROBLEM
2,500kcals when you’re logging
extra miles. If you’re eating less than
that and your weight drops below a
certain point, your metabolism will
slow down to compensate for the
Trying to shed a few pounds? You’ll want to avoid these lack of fuel, which means you enter
common dieting traps, so you can run healthy – and happy what is known as ‘starvation mode’.
Your body holds on to everything it
can, making it nearly impossible to
maintain weight loss. Instead of
slashing calories, aim for a smaller
WEIGHT, WHAT?
reduction of 250kcals a day, says
If your body thinks
you’re not getting nutrition consultant Leslie Bonci.
enough fuel, it will That should result in a loss of half
fight back to three-quarters of a pound (225-
340g) each week, which won’t flip
the starvation switch.
WO R D S : L E S L I E G O L D M A N . P H OTO G R A P H : G E T T Y I M AG E S . 1. U N I V E R S I T Y O F W E S T E R N O N TA R I O, CA N A DA ,
contribute to weight loss on their
own, too. Finally, ‘It doesn’t matter
what size your are – you’re a runner
just by getting out there and running,’
says Scritchfield. ‘Your weight has
nothing to do with it.’
AMONG NEW RUNNERS , weight loss is second only to exercise as a motivator for
lacing up. But dieting doesn’t always make the best running buddy.
‘People think they need to restrict a large number of calories to lose
weight, but if you’re doing that while running, you’re burning the candle at both
ends,’ says sports dietitian Tavierney Rogan. Possible fallout includes injury, BOOST YOUR BURN
burnout and bingeing. Here’s how to sidestep the biggest fuelling mistakes and use
healthier strategies to run and lose weight.
STRENGTH-TRAIN DO SPRINTS
Lean muscle burns A study 1 found
about five calories that people who
Skipping refuelling replenish glycogen stores – that’s two
per pound while the added four to six
to four servings of fruit or complex
body is at rest. Fat 30-second sprints
When you cut carbs or skip meals in carbs such as porridge or brown rice.
tissue burns half of to their runs lost
an effort to drop pounds, you’re not The food isn’t going to your gut,
that. Add 20-30 twice as much
giving your body what it needs to either. ‘The carbs you eat after a
minutes of strength- body fat as those
avoid muscle breakdown. When you workout are used by your muscles,
training three times who only ran at a
run, you use the glycogen in your not stored as fat,’ says Rogan. You’ll
a week. slow, steady pace.
muscles. So, after a workout, you want to also supplement that with a
need 40-50g of carbohydrate to little protein for muscle recovery.
BY KIM PEARSON
MYTH
YOU WILL LOSE
WEIGHT IF YOU RUN
Many people start running
to lose some weight, and
while it can be a great
part of a weight-loss
programme, regular
running can also make you
feel hungrier, leading to
extra calorie consumption.
If you come back sweaty
from your run, it can be
easy to think you have
burned more calories than
you actually have. Track
your calorie expenditure
and plan healthy meals
to best complement your
running regime. Make
sure the sources of these
crucial calories are mostly
FAKE CHEWS! whole, natural, minimally
A runner needs processed foods that
more than carbs will deliver a variety of
and protein essential nutrients, too.
MYTH
experience. She
stomach disagrees with the types of fats you include reduced perception of loves running coloured fruit and veg
them. Or you can keep it in your diet is important. exertion and increased and pasta in such as berries, dark-green
simple with a homemade Steer clear of fats from fat burn, so if you enjoy equal measure. leafy veg and bright-orange
energy drink (there are processed and deep-fried a cup of joe before your kim-pearson.com; veg such as butternut
plenty of good recipes foods and opt for fats found run, go for it. @kimmypearson squash and sweet potato.
BONE-
2. Spiced tofu with brown rice BOOSTING
Almonds are rich in bone-boosting calcium. They are
also high in magnesium, which aids enzyme formation
3. Satay courgette
Peanuts are packed with folate (folic acid), which
is vital for cell development and metabolism
HEART-
HEALTHY 4. Banana and almond bread
with hazelnut butter
A batch of this contains a dose of heart-protecting
healthy fats, as well as plenty of essential minerals
SHOULDER
THE
BURDEN
B
To combat shoulder in and hold your The hunched-shoulders bottom of your shoulder
tightness, you need to shoulder blades down posture is a habit that blades to the centre of
strengthen the muscles by drawing them to your needs to be broken, your thoracic spine in a
that hold the shoulder waist. Lift your chest up even after you’ve ‘V’ shape. Be sure there
blade down. To start a little and then your worked on the muscles is a little tension in the
this, you should to be arms just off the floor. here. Use tape to act as tape. It should not feel
able to activate them Hold for five seconds, a reminder on the run. tight, but if you lift or
well. Lie face down with 12 times, being careful Start with shoulders roll your shoulders on
your arms in a press-up to not allow the down and get someone the run it should pull to
position. Draw your chin shoulders to hunch. to attach tape from the remind you.
TOP
TRUMP S 2
Time to thr
ow out thos
old trainin e stinky
g tees and a
zest to your dd a little
kit drawer
10
8
WO R D S : S T E P H E N G L E N N O N . P H OTO G R A P H S : LU C K Y I F S H A R P
WOMEN
5 7
8 10
NOW SEE
90-minute charge time on full power
Set-up is a doddle – turn them on, the
pre-charged Revvez pair instantly with
How they tested
your phone and you’re ready to go – and with
Call us a bunch of cynics here at RW, but
HEAR!
only three buttons needed to control track
when we see hybrid kit or tech creations, we
changing, volume and call management,
sometimes assume too many compromises
they’re simple to use, although if you have
will have affected quality. This was not the
large fingers you’ll have to slow down a little
case with these sunnies-and-headphones-in-
while you fumble with the buttons.
Sunglasses and headphones one: in fact, we were pleasantly surprised.
in one cunning package The glasses look bulky on your face and aren’t
going to win any style awards, but they’re RW verdict
light and comfortable, and the arms and nose If you’re looking for the best sunglasses and
clip did a splendid job of holding them firmly headphones (or the cheapest versions of
in place on a sweaty head, even on a long run. each), these will not suit you. But if you’re
There are five types of interchangeable the kind of runner who gets their arms
Optishokz Revvez
lenses to choose from when you buy. We went tangled in headphones wires or who can’t
£179-£199, optishokz.co.uk
for the photochromic ones (which cost £20 find earbuds to fit your lugs, these will solve
Available via amazon.co.uk
more) and they provided not only superb both those issues. For a first version, they
Sept/Oct 2019 (date tbc)
glare control but also excellent adaptability are impressive and with future iterations
to different light conditions; ideal you’re expected to be more refined and contain
running through woodland or in fading light. features such as built-in music storage, these
As for the earbuds: these don’t go into your sunnies are worth keeping an eye on.
ears. Instead, transducers on the end of the •••••••
WATCH
THIS PACE
1
The marathon
route in the Bath
Running Festival had
its ups and downs, and,
when it was badly
needed, cooling
water. Great
Damian Hall takes on a hilly Bath Running Festival marathon route – and emerges victorious
‘FESTIVALS’ OF RUNNING are becoming a bit of a thing. gentle trails through the woodland surrounding the campus. After
You’ve only to spend a few minutes browsing the RW race less than a mile, however, we were bombing downhill on a fairly
listings and you’ll find several offerings. Held either over one hairy single-track. From there we burst briefly onto the wide streets
day, a weekend or several days, these events feature quite a number of the city centre before a third terrain change, onto the picturesque
of distance options to which equal organisational attention has been towpath of the Kennet & Avon canal.
paid and from which participants are invited to take their pick. After a pleasant mile and a half by the water we left the canal (we
My options here were a 500m sprint event, a 5K, 10K, a ‘long’ would be back, more than once), took in another road section, then
half marathon (16 miles) and a marathon, all on lumpy trail terrain, sauntered over the handsome Grade II-listed, 19th-century Bath
of which there is plenty surrounding the lovely city of Bath. Easton Toll Bridge. Via a small wooded loop, we ducked under it and
I chose the full eye-candy experience by signing up for the reached an aid station, where, eager to test the race’s claims of
marathon. When race day dawned and the thermometer said 25C, fuel-station greatness, I was overwhelmed by chocolate cornflakes,
my first thought was that tackling the 650m of climb in that heat cereal bars, jelly beans, malt loaf, crisps, oranges, bananas and
was going to be…interesting. But I still fancied a crack at this one. flapjacks. Delicious but quite unnecessary after a handful of miles.
The shorter events began first from the grounds of Bath Uni, but It was a decent slog up Banner Down, north of the city, and most
it was our turn soon enough and our task started easily, with some of us walked it, the temperatures seeming to rise as we did. And
a firework – has a couple of tasty climb and some of the finest handsome corner of the Wiltshire
climbs, some fast canal-side scenery in the West Country. The Cotswolds on a hilly nine-mile
running, plenty of mud and a – route passes Roman lead mines, route. Be warned that there’s a
usually frigid – river crossing. But prehistoric burial mounds and the sting in the tail, and also note that
it’s all worth it for the legendary wonderfully named Velvet Bottom. the race usually sells out a couple
cakes at the finish. Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, of months in advance.
Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, Nov 3, October (date TBC) Wiltshire, January 2020 (date tbc),
avonvalleyrunners.org.uk westonac.co.uk/mendipmuddle chippenhamharriers.co.uk
MILE 3
You’re now
STONEHAVEN
surrounded All runners are
by farmland. allowed a free dip
But listen
HALF MARATHON
in Stonehaven’s
START out for the Olympic-sized
Runners gather in Mineralwell sound of open-air pool,
Park, in the north of Stonehaven, a the bagpipes which is filled
Race director John harbour town about 18 miles south being played with heated
of Aberdeen. One of its claims by a lone seawater.
Ritchie guides you to fame is that a local chippy Scottish
on a hilly loop of the introduced the deep-fried Mars piper
bar to the world in the 1990s. at the
Aberdeenshire coast peak of MILE 5
the second For the next three miles you’ll
MILE 1 testing climb. be running through lovely
Fetteresso Forest, an expansive
Only half a mile into the race you
woodland of spruce trees.
begin one of the three tough
climbs on the course. Look out
for Dunnottar Castle, a ruined
medieval fort perched high on
5 a rock overlooking the sea.
7
6 NEW MAINS
OF URY
REDCLOAK
4 HOUSE
12
START
8 9
FINISH
10 11 STONEHAVEN
2 1
KIRKTOWN OF
TEWELL FETTERESSO
MILE 7
After a short-out-and-back section through the shady
forest, you begin the third – and toughest – hill on the
course, which is 99m. It will lead you away from this
‘THIS RACE WAS STARTED
woodland where, in the past, archaeologists discovered
in 1987 by the local authority,’
signs indicating that it was once a Roman camp.
says John. ‘It’s a hilly course
that attracts 350-400 runners
from local clubs, mostly, and
others who come here from MILE 9 FINISH
WO R D S : A D R I A N M O N T I . P H OTO G R A P H S : G E T T Y I M AG E S
across Scotland. Because the It’s a speedy descent for the last four-and-a-half miles. A short
race is held in the Scottish As you look towards Stonehaven, you will see its war downhill
summer, it can be blazing hot memorial, which stands on a hill overlooking the town. section of
or we can be caught in a It can be seen from most parts of the surrounding area. trail leads
deluge, so you never know you to the
what the weather will be like finish, where
on the day. A new course 250 you should
record was set last year by 200 head straight
Elevation (ft)
300 1986 50
‘The organisation was excellent,
especially the sign-posting – I have
never seen so many signs on a course
and the route was very clearly marked
and very well marshalled.’
– D AMBLER
The year Avebury’s neolithic stone circle PERCENTAGE OF MALE
VOLUNTEERS HELP THE (which marks the end of the race) became TO FEMALE RUNNERS
EVENT RUN SMOOTHLY a UNESCO World Heritage site LAST YEAR VALUE FOR MONEY
1,128
‘Really enjoyable event. You can’t ask
110 896
for much more for the money. Great
views, well-marshalled flat course,
loads of water, friendly atmosphere
and lots of snacks at the finish!’
Number of entrants
– LYTHAM LT
Height in metres of who completed
the outline of the METRES OF CLIMB ON THE COURSE the route nonstop
White Horse on the AS RUNNERS FOLLOW THE ROUTE OF (627 did it over ALL THIS AND LOOKS, TOO
WO R D S : I S A AC W I L L I A M S , A D R I A N M O N T I . P H OTO G R A P H S : G E T T Y I M AG E S , R U N F O R A L L , N I C K W E B S T E R , M AT T C E C I L L
hillside at Uffington THE ANCIENT RIDGEWAY two days)
‘Lovely setting as well, with the lake
ONE
27 1,489
and the coastal run, also running past
Number of the windmill. Overall, a bargain at £20,
nationalities that considering most other halves are
took part last over £30. Would definitely do it again.’
year, including
entrants from as – RUNNERGAZ
NO ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE
‘The general feeling was of friendly
runners chatting to each other and
out to enjoy the event. I didn’t feel
any of the club runner atmosphere
that I have become accustomed to
at some races.‘
– RACEHOUND
092 RUNNERSWORLD.COM/UK
RUNNERSWORLD.C . JULY 2019
RACE
What is Secret London Runs? have more than 15 attending (we’ve What makes London such a good
‘We give guided running tours of had 100 before) and then we break secret running location?
London and in each we try to show into smaller groups based on pace. ‘Each area has a unique, ever-
people a side of the city that you We also give private sightseeing changing story. The East End, for
might not normally see on the tourist tours for tourists – they’re often for instance, was just a collection of
trail. We divide London into themes just one or two people.’ villages 200 years ago, but the
– from gin, to sex, to craft beer – and Industrial Revolution brought in
tell a story based on those topics. How far do you run? swarms of people, and suddenly
‘Most of them are around 10K, but these tiny villages had to grow and
What inspired you to set it up? for some – like the street art tour – adapt to thousands of new residents,
‘I set it up about three years ago. we offer a 5K too. There are usually all of whom needed jobs, housing and
I went on holiday to Budapest and a 10-15 stops of two to three minutes so on. There are so many more tours
running tour was one of the top things on each tour, enough time to catch we can – and will – put on.’
to do on Trip Advisor. I’d not heard our breath, uncover something
of this before but that planted the we weren’t expecting and then move Do you have any plans to expand
seed in my head.’ on before getting too cold.’ to other cities?
‘While I think it’s an idea that could
How do they work? Do you have to have an interest work in many locations, I’m planning
‘You’ll follow a history-loving running in history to enjoy it? to stick to London, because there’s
guide between different locations; ‘No, not at all, and there’s never any still so much history that we haven’t
at each you’ll get to hear more about assumed knowledge.’ explored. What gives Secret London
that place and how it links into the Runs the edge is our knowledge and
theme of the tour.’ What’s the most popular one? passion about the city, and moving
‘Our gin run is what put us on the further afield might dilute that. Plus
How many people, on average, map! We’ve had about 6,000 people we believe we’ve only scratched the
attend each tour? on that one in our three years of surface of the history we can reveal
‘It varies massively. We give public business. We have also just launched and the people that we can show it to.’
group tours, which are popular with a Jack the Ripper-themed running Vanessa Cain-Tait
leads a tour (above);
locals: numbers range from two to tour and that is proving even more street art becomes For more information and bookings,
15 people per guide. But some dates popular than gin so far this year.’ living sculpture (inset) visit secretlondonruns.com
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
POLL
Dorstone Dawdle 10K
The rolling Herefordshire hills and How far have you
self-deprecating name might make travelled for a race?*
the Dorstone Dawdle sound like a
doddle. Don’t be fooled: it’s anything
but. There are a couple of energy-
sapping climbs and a mixture of road,
trail and grass on this 10K circuit, but
a barbecue awaits finishers and
20%
To a different
continent
supporters when it’s all over.
38%
Dorstone, Herefordshire, July 7,
dorstone.org.uk
To a different country
40%
The Toss O’Coin
On a hilly six-miler, would you rather I HEARD IT THROUGH THE TURBINE
get the climbs out of the way early on,
or save them until closer to the end? To a different town
Or would you prefer to leave your fate Run the Blades
to the toss of a coin? That’s exactly
what happens on this clockwise or
anticlockwise loop around The Toss
O’Coin pub – so the good news is that
2%
I don’t travel to races
Ah, the wind. When it’s on your side, PBs lie in pieces at your all-conquering feet
and all is right with the world. But when it’s against you…that’s when you know
what true suffering is. Perhaps we all need to learn how to live with the wind
and its vagaries, and there’s surely no better place to practise than on the UK’s
after the randomness of the coin toss, largest onshore wind farm. Run beneath the majestic wind turbines for 10K,
Run Before the Sun Goes Down Mourne Mountains. There’s still
Channel your inner motorbike (sound around 150m of ascent to deal with,
effects optional) in this race against though, and a mixture of road and
the sun on Darley Moor Racetrack. trail along the way. Of course, if you
Start at 4pm by yourself or in a team have plenty of energy left, you can
of 10, and keep running laps of the always have a go at Slieve Donard.
2.5km course until the sun goes down It’s only 850m high, after all.
at 10.02pm. You have just one goal: Newcastle, Co. Down, July 19,
run as far as you can before it gets born2runevents.com
dark. Once it does, you can make a
night of it by enjoying a barbecue.
Ashbourne, Derbyshire, July 6,
The Fan Dance
* BA S E D O N A N O N L I N E R W P O L L W I T H 6 46 VOT E S
duffo.co.uk
MULTIPLES OF FIVE Summer Edition
Have you ever thought that you have
what it takes to make it in the SAS?
Ultra: 5K Then try the Fan Dance: British Special
Pffft, a 5K is easy, you might say. Well then, do it five MOUNTAIN VIEW Forces candidates train on this fierce
times. In five hours. The faster you run on this multi-terrain 24km route over Pen-y-Fan, the
course, the more recovery time you get for the next round: The Sea 2 Sky Series 2 highest point in the Brecon Beacons.
you have an hour per 5K, so finish in 20 minutes and you When you see Slieve Donard, Options include Clean Fatigue (basic
have 40 minutes to relax/panic (or take advantage of the Northern Ireland’s highest point, pack) and a Load-bearing race (35lb
massages on offer) before the next one begins. Take on the towering over Newcastle, you’ll be for men, 25lb for women).
challenge with a team of five if the solo effort isn’t for you. glad this 5K or 10K race only goes into Near Libanus, Powys, July 6, 7 & 13,
Kempston, Bedfordshire, July 14, ultra5k.co.uk the forested foothills of the beautiful thefandancerace.com
Timberhonger 10K Team Theo’s Obstacle 5K 877 steps over 35 floors, and if that
The Timberhonger 10K returns for its If you’re looking to introduce your sounds too easy, you can always do it
17th year as part of the Bromsgrove kids to the joys of running, this may three times to complete the ¼ Vertical
Carnival weekend. Local charities are well be the place to start. The Mile, or 12 times for the full Vertical
the main beneficiaries of a weekend obstacle course is designed for all Mile. We are told that a team of
of fun that includes a parade. The run levels of running ability, is untimed WE ASKED YOU: firefighters do the run in full kit, which
takes place away from the crowds on and is all about having fun – which weighs up to 30kg, and they do it
Timberhonger Lane and those who means plenty of mud, foam, water Has your level of more than once, which seems both
survive its infamous hill are rewarded and bouncy inflatable torments competitiveness deeply admirable and quite insane.
with a medal and a bottle of beer. to negotiate. Proceeds go to The changed over time London, July 20, totalmotionevents.co.uk
Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, July 13, Children’s Hospital Charity and
timberhonger10k.co.uk kids aged five and over are welcome
‘I’ve never been a
to take part. Remember to bring a
competitive runner,
change of clothes because you are
I just enjoy the run,
going to get dirty. Just accept it.
fresh air, scenery,
Sheffield, South Yorkshire, July 13,
WHEN THE SUN GOES DOWN the physical and
tchc.org.uk
mental health
benefits and just
The Twilight Marathon feeling alive.’
Running lap after lap of the 2.1km
– Angela Bailey
Redbridge Cycle Centre to complete
a half marathon, marathon or 50km HIGH RISE
ultra might not sound so enticing, ‘When I first started,
but the consensus among those who The Broadgate Tower Run Up and was always at
have taken part is that this is a great We have all at some point resolved the back, I was never
introduction to ultras: it has a low-key, to take the stairs rather than always competitive. When
friendly atmosphere, small running getting the lift…but somehow we I started improving JOIN THE PACE RACE
field and a generous time allowance still end up in the lift. The Broadgate and had even one
(ultrarunners start at 10am and can Tower Run Up is just the sort of person behind me
keep going until 9pm). challenge you need to ensure you it made me more Immortal 10K
Ilford, London, July 27, nice-work.org.uk take the right step. The tower has determined to keep No one could accuse the organisers
them there.’ of the Immortal 10K of not being
– Janis Smith ambitious: they claim that this race
is ‘possibly the fastest 10K in the
universe’. You should take advantage
‘Yes it’s increased
of the flat course around Farmoor
– I started slow,
Reservoir to shoot for the stars and
so there was only
grab yourself a PB. Failing that, keep
one way to go. A
an eye out, as this is a birdwatching
lot of training and
hotspot. The Egyptian goose, rock
patience and I see
pipit, little stint and little ringed
improvement
plovers have all been known to
every year.’
make an appearance.
– Becky Selvey
Farmoor, Oxfordshire, July 20,
immortalfarmoor.com
Waddesdon Manor
Summer 5K
If you do your best running in the
RW ONLINE pristine gardens of a sumptuous
French Renaissance chateau, you’d
RACE LISTINGS best find your way to Waddesdon.
Thirsty It was built in the late 19th century
for more? for Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild
Simply go to as a weekend residence for grand
runnersworld. entertaining – and while he served
MAKE THE MOST OF THE COAST com/uk/events, his guest the finest of culinary
the UK’s most delights, the man himself apparently
comprehensive dined on cold toast and water.
Rat Race Man vs Coast race database, There’s a bit of a hill near the
Ever been out on a coastal run and thought it would be handy if you could just where you can beginning of the course but that
cut across a bay? This race offers just that chance. The route winds for 23 miles search over hasn’t stopped it being blisteringly
along the stunning Cornwall coast from St Michael’s Mount in Marazion to 4,500 races quick in recent years, and a mug
Land’s End, and you’ll run along beaches, atop cliffs, across moorlands and by location, instead of a medal for finishing is a
over rocks. This is not, we assure you, a swimming event, but the organisers terrain, nicely eccentric touch.
promise that you will still definitely get wet. distance Waddesdon, Buckinghamshire, July 17,
Marazion, Cornwall, July 6, ratracemanvscoast.co.uk and more. voaac.org.uk
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Runner’s Collection
FEET FIRST INTO RACE RECOVERY
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THE RUGBY LEAGUE LEGEND, 38, ON RACE BLING AND CHEEKY POSTRUN TREATS
MY PLAN IS TO DO A COUPLE of
marathons a year. I fancy the big city I N T E R V I E W: A D R I A N M O N T I . P H OTO G R A P H : DAV I D TOW N H I L L