The pain of a six-day race, running 'Once Around the Planet' and the Kenyan doping question
Five of the best - because six is passé. This is going to become a running joke. Get it?
Good morning/afternoon wherever you are in the world!
Whether you’re getting your run on today or taking a well earned rest day, it’s time for our weekly round-up of five of our favourite articles and podcasts from the running world.
I’d love it if you could add your recommendations in the comments section below or on our Chat page, and we build up a virtuous circle of the best running content.
So, without further ado and in no particular order, here are my fab five suggestions…
The slow running revolution: how to move at a ‘sexy’ pace
Not bothered about the clock? Is the journey more important than the time? Would you be the first person to like those ubiquitous Facebook posts saying ‘a 12-minute mile is just as far as a 6-minute mile’?
Then you might be interested in this article in the Guardian.
It looks at those runners who are ignoring personal bests, don’t care for what their Garmin says and just want to enjoy running.
One of those is Martinus Evans, who runs the Slow AF Run Cub, and who told the newspaper: “My message is that running is for anyone and that you can do it in the body you have right now.”
(He’s right by the way).
The Way of the Runner: Tales from a six-day race in France
Welcome to a world where six-day running was the biggest sport in the world!
Adharanand Finn starts this episode of his podcast ‘The Way of the Runner’ by looking back to the late 19th century when multi-day runs were the pinnacle of sport across the globe.
Featuring stories from his own six-day race round a 1km loop in France, the podcast also includes a conversation with race winner, Bob Hearn.
If it sounds hard, it turns out to be even harder!
BBC Sport: The Kenyan doping question
"I'm trying to tell everyone: 'Don't be surprised. Don't be shocked'. This is what needs to happen to get this under control. It's now or never."
Those were the words of Brett Clothier, head of the Athletics Integrity Unit, which was created five years ago to combat athletics’ doping problem.
In this article, the BBC looks at why positive tests involving Kenyan runners may actually be the start of the solution.
You can read the piece here: Kenyan doping: Why positive tests are the start of the solution
Doug Richards: Once Around the Planet
This recommendation is not for an article or podcast, but a book.
Doug Richards’ ‘Once Around the Planet’ is the latest chronicle of his running adventures, following on from the success of ‘Running Hot & Cold’ and ‘Can We Run With You, Grandfather’.
It it, Doug shares his latest adventures on the way to clocking up a lifetime total of 24,902 miles - the same distance as the circumference of the Earth’s equator.
Along the way, he recounts how he ran among ancient Moai statues on Easter Island, across volcanic rim trails in the Azores, and even ventured into the Bermuda Triangle.
Doug was a recent guest on the Running Tales Podcast, and you can listen to our chat here…
Courtney Dauwalter’s Hardrock and Western States double
The idea of running 100-miles is mind-blowing to most normal runners, let alone normal (non-running) people.
So imagine running - and winning - two of those races within three weeks, smashing records and boundaries along the way.
That’s what ultra runner Courtney Dauwalter did in becoming the first runner ever to win the Western States 100 and the Hardrock 100 in the same year – breaking the course record she set in last year’s race.
You can read about her incredible achievement here: Courtney Dauwalter makes trail running history with Hardrock and Western States double
Running Tales on YouTube - Tom Mulchinock: How one runner went from alcoholic to running 10 marathons in a year
The Running Tales Podcast can be found everywhere from Apple, Google Podcasts and Spotify to iHeartRadio, Audible and CastBox - basically anywhere you can listen to podcasts.
But did you know we also publish our podcast episodes in full on YouTube?
Subscribe to our channel by visiting @RunningTalesPod, where you can listen to the stories of runners such as Tom Mulchinock, who is currently taking on a challenge to run 10 marathons in 10 different countries in a year.
After Tom left school with little more than an addiction for video games and a 'class clown' nature, he found himself numbing real world pressures with increasingly heavy drinking.
Nights out turned to day drinking - to avoid hangovers it was better to just not stop.
It wasn't until he reached 30 that Tom realised he needed to get help. After seeking therapy and moving to Iceland, he started practicing mindfulness, going on walks, listening to podcasts - and running.
Our channel also features short video clips from all of our podcast guests, including Tom talking about how running helped saved his life.
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