Five of the best: It's time for us to pan for Insta running gold again...
There's a lot of rubbish on social media, but these posts will hopefully brighten your day and inspire you to go out running (part 3)
Our increasingly regular trawls through Instagram to find some of the more inspirational reels and posts still seems to be garnering some attention, so we’ve taken another look so you don’t have to spend hours scrolling through.
Here’s five more inspiring and funny posts. Enjoy… or just go for a run!
Road runners versus trail runners:
How can you not love a reel that includes the line, “you’re just an overdressed pedestrian” to insult a road runner.
This post from Harrier Trail Running revisited the age old debate over trail versus road racing through the power of runners’ roasting each other.
Have a watch… and then let us know what you prefer in the comments below (hint: the answer is trail running!).
Follow Harrier Trail Running on Instagram at @harrier_trail_running
Revenge of ‘The Race that Eats it’s Young’:
In a parallel universe, we might be refreshing our screens constantly, desperately awaiting a Keith Dunn update on how the remaining runners on the fourth and fifth loops of the Barkley Marathons are soldiering on.
But this was the year the course bit back.
After last year’s five runner finish - including the first ever women’s finisher in Jasmin Paris, organiser Laz Lake upped the ante this time around resulting in three time finisher John Kelly being the only entrant to complete the event’s three lap ‘fun run’.
If you’re new to all things Barkley’s, check out the brilliant The Race that Eats it’s Young documentary (trailer above), which explains everything you need to know about this crazy, epic race in blow-by-blow detail.
Follow trail running and ultra running Bible, iRunFar, on Instagram at @irunfar
Put some punk into your running day:
The Running Punks are one of the coolest running groups around, so their Insta content is always worth a look.
The brainchild of running buddies Jimmy Watkins - included previously in this feature - and Rhodri Morgan, Running Punks was formed in 2019 in Wales and has become an international phenomenon.
Mining the power of running and music, the group has followers from all over the world and combines remote conversations with real life runs.
The post below features a recent group run - which are always supported by superb photographs - in the Penarth area, including stunning views of Sully Island.
Follow Running Punks on Instagram at @runningpunks
Our articles on just some of the Running Punks with extraordinary stories:
Start with “stupid” and end in success… What does it take to complete a 145-mile race?
How one man's 'fever dream' saw him run five marathons in five weeks
Don’t let anxiety beat you:
Our friend Carole James was one of the first ever guests on Running Tales, back in our pre-Everyday Athlete Podcast Network days.
Carole was left wheelchair bound after a car accident and now suffers from constant pain, PTSD and depression.
Her competitive streak has never allowed life to keep her down and after trying a host of sports, she found a passion for wheelchair racing.
In this post, she explains how an anxiety attack almost stopped her attending a recent Northampton parkrun.
But Carole dug deep, embraced the helpful sounds of her favourite playlist and came away from the day with a new PB.
If that’s not everyday racers doing extraordinary things, I don’t know what is.
Follow Carole James on Instagram at @carole_james_wheelchair_racer
Further reading:
The new running awards set to stun the racing world:
The super talented Joe Hardin - currently preparing to take on the 100-mile distance again - is also a woodworking genius.
I’ve been an admirer of his beautifully produced race awards for a while now. These are proper pieces of art.
Joe, under the banner of HT Hardwood Designs, has now joined forces with Run, Tri Bike to create the RTB Awards.
Their belief is that the medal, buckle or award earned by runners taking on epic races should “also tell a story and remind them of the work they’ve done, not just for one day but for a lifetime”.
All that’s left for me to do is to find a way of getting over to America to enter one of the races they are partnering with… did I mention you can support Running Tales by buying me a coffee!!
Follow RTB Awards on Instagram at @rtb_awards
Further reading:
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