Runners World UK 11.2020

IN THIS ISSUE NOVEMBER
2020
REGULARS WARM-UPS HUMAN RACE FEATURES COACH GEAR RACE
TOP MAN
Jesse Owens salutes after winning
gold in the long jump at the 1936
Berlin Olympics. It was one of his
four golds in the Games, but his
great victories did not change his
life as he might have expected
ON THE P11 This Simple Trick Speeds P58 Power And Glory How Jesse P80 Find Your Perfect Shoe Fit Life
Recovery Make it easier to get Owens amazed the world (and is so much better in the right
COVER your breath back after a run really annoyed the Nazis) shoe. Just ask Cinderella
Photograph: P48 Fitter In 30 Days Get fast and P68 What’s Your Running DNA? P94 28 Awesome Autumn Races
Sean Laurenz
strong with our full-body plan. This test unlocks your potential. We know you want to get out
One month: you can do this No Who Do You Think You Are? and race. We can feel it
revelations involved
P54 How Running Boosts Your
Immunity Has there ever been a P72 The Ultimate 10-Minute
better time to protect yourself Workout You really do not have
from illness? We didn’t think so the ‘pressed-for-time’ excuse
004 RUNNERSWORLD.COM/UK NOVEMBER 2020

WE’RE
WITHIN REACH AGAINST
Build strength THE GRAIN
to get faster Beware of
FIRST FOR
hidden sugars
NEW GEAR
For news and reviews
on the latest running
shoes, tech, apparel
and accessories, visit
runnersworld.com/uk.
Here’s what’s hot on
the site right now
REGULARS FEATURES
P06 Rave Run Pentire headland, P30 Empty Promises How running
Cornwall helped four people recover from SHOE GUIDE
their eating disorders
P98 I’m A Runner TV weather Best running shoes
presenter Clare Nasir P38 Inside Gore’s Brutal, 2020: the top men’s
Relentless, Undeniably and women’s running
Effective Research Lab trainers, tested in the
WARM-UPS The story behind the brand lab and on the roads.
bit.ly/2Zh9Q5U
P13 Fitness Marathon training is P44 Friendly Fire The inside scoop
worth the effort, even with on your metabolism
no race at the end of it
Fast fuel, p82 COACH
P15 Injury Failing to fuel correctly
P H OTO G R A P H S : G E T T Y I M AG E S , G R E G M I O N S K E , K E N J I AO K I / T R U N K A R C H I V E , L I S A S H I N E , L U C K Y I F S H A R P, N I K E
can lead to serious problems

P71 Ask Jo Five-time Olympian
P17 Nutrition Too much sugar can Jo Pavey on good cadence
increase fat around the heart
P76 Egg To Differ Four great egg BABY STEPS
P19 Mind+Health Can you outrun recipes and that’s no yoke
air pollution on your route? Nike has announced
P79 Heavy Hitters How to load up its first ever maternity
on powerful antioxidants collection, Nike (M),
HUMAN RACE for women at all
stages of pregnancy.
P21 Rock The Camera The day Clash GEAR bit.ly/3bGGkeX
frontman Joe Strummer ran the
London Marathon P82 Shake It Till You Make It The
RW review of meal replacements
P24 Murphy’s Lore The relationship
between stress and running is P86 On Test The Coros Pace 2
complicated, says Sam
P25 Social Movement Black Do the egg work, p76 RACE

Girls Do Run UK is inspiring
women of colour to lace up P90 Race Lead The Adidas City SPEED MERCHANT
Run Fulham 10K
P26 Your World Your views Sure, it’s pricey, but
P92 Route Recce The South Downs the Nike Air Zoom
P28 Tonky Talk Paul takes a break Offroad Half Marathon Tempo Next% is as
impressive as you
P29 The Flamingo Diaries Lisa P93 Race Comp RW readers’ top might expect.
Jackson goes racing, virtually three races, plus the bling thing bit.ly/337zU4L
RAVE RUN
PENTIRE HEADLAND,
CORNWALL
THE LOCATION
The coastline around
Cornwall is a dream for
runners. There are miles
and miles of glorious
coastal paths, beaches
for barefoot sessions and
the views as you pick
your way along the
varied terrain are enough
to make you stop and
stare in wonder. Though
you should probably
keep moving.
THE RUN
From Fristal beach, you
can head south up to
Pentire headland, on a
mixture of coastal paths
and road. On one side
you can enjoy marvellous
views of the beach
(about a half mile of it
at low tide) and on the
other side, the Gannel
estuary and Crantock
beach offer equally
spellbinding vistas. If
you go north from the
beach, you can follow
the coastal path up to
Towan headland. At
the lookout hut, take a
moment to admire your
efforts. Then down you
go to Newquay, where a
sumptuous lunch awaits
your close attention.
JULY 2020 RUNNERSWORLD.COM/UK 007
NOVEMBER
Andy Dixon
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF EFFIE KANYUA Director of PR &
Communications
CALUM FORBES PR and
EDITOR’S
JOE MACKIE Deputy Editor
KERRY MCCARTHY
Commissioning Editor
Communications Manager,
Health and Wellness LETTER
RICK PEARSON Senior Editor
JOHN CARROLL Chief Sub Editor
SHIRIN NAZEMZADEH MOST OF US KNOW
Are you big Partnerships Director, Hearst Live the broader details of Jesse
on cross- ALICE MATTHEWS Sponsorship
Owens’ historic achievements
Executive, Hearst Live
WAYNE HANNON Creative Director training and MEGAN DUFF Event Marketing in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin
JACK TENNANT Art Editor
what’s your and Campaign Manager – a Black man winning an
XT of unprecedented four gold
BEN HOBSON Digital Editor choice? medals was a powerful
JANE MCGUIRE Deputy Digital ROGER BILSLAND rebuttal of Hitler’s racist
Editor Production Manager
‘I use the elliptical
PAUL LOCKETT
ideology of Aryan superiority. But what’s
trainer (when I
want to pretend Senior Ad Production Controller perhaps less well known are the struggles with
to be a discrimination the African-American endured
marionette),
JO PAVEY Contributing Editor
swim (when I in his still-segregated homeland after the Games
KIERAN ALGER, KIRSTI BUICK,
PENNY CARROLL, KIERA
want to alarm – even having to use a service lift to attend a
lifeguards) and
CARTER, TOM CRAGGS, use the rowing DEBI CHIRICHELLA Acting reception held in his honour in New York’s
President
MATILDA EGERE-COOPER, machine (so I Waldorf-Astoria hotel. Our feature on Owens
ANDREA GAINI, STEPHEN can say things KIM ST. CLAIR BODDEN SVP/
GLENNON, MARTIN GRUNING, like, ‘We should Editorial & Brand Director on page 58 is a fascinating portrait of a man
make landfall CHLOE O’BRIEN Deputy Brands who made things look easy on the track, but
LISA JACKSON, ALYSSA JUNG, before dark.’).
CINDY KUZMA, HEATHER Director experienced more hardships off it.
Keeps things
MAYER IRVINE, ADRIAN MONTI, interesting, SHELLEY MEEKS Executive
which is Director, Content Services On page 21, there’s the story of a more
SAM MURPHY, KIM PEARSON,
SAMANTHA REA, MARK important.’ unusual running hero, about when The Clash
– John Carroll
SANSOM, PAUL TONKINSON, frontman Joe Strummer ran the London
SCOTT YORKO ‘I try to make sure Marathon in 1983. He looks every inch the
that my cross- Runner’s World is a member of
training is as the Independent Press Standards
rocker with his mohican, DIY Clash vest, what
different from Organisation (which regulates the UK’s look like Adidas Gazelles on his feet and...gasp
JAMES WILDMAN CEO, Hearst running as I can
make it, as much
magazine and newspaper industry). We – no watch! It does seem suitably punk not to
UK | President, Hearst Europe abide by the Editors’ Code of Practice and
CLAIRE BLUNT Chief Finance,
for the mental
are committed to upholding the highest
worry about your pace or finishing time.
switch-up as for
Operations & Data Officer the physiological standards of journalism. If you think that However, if time is an issue for you, we’ve
ROBERT FFITCH Chief Strategy differences, so I we have not met those standards and got workouts you can fit into anything from
Officer do boxing want to make a complaint, please email
MATT HAYES Chief International training. 10 minutes to two hours (page 72). On page 48,
complaints@hearst.co.uk or visit www.
Battering a meanwhile, there’s an expert cross-training
Brand Officer heavy bag or hearst.co.uk/hearst-magazines-uk-
BETSY FAST Chief Content some pads is complaints-procedure. If we are unable plan that promises to make you fitter and faster
Development Officer enormous fun, to resolve your complaint, or if you would
SURINDER SIMMONS Chief good stress
in 30 days – enough time to have you feeling like
like more information about IPSO or the
People Officer release and Editors’ Code, contact IPSO on 0300 123 a rock star. Tatty band vest optional.
SOPHIE WILKINSON Head of builds speed,
2220 or visit www.ipso.co.uk
elastic energy
PMO & Operations and power in
STEVEN MILES Group brand your legs.’ RUNNER’S WORLD is published in
Director – Kerry McCarthy the UK by Hearst UK. Copyright ©
All rights reserved.
‘Unfortunately my RUNNER’S WORLD is printed and bound
cross-training of by Walstead Bicester, Chaucer Business
Park, Launton Road, Bicester, Oxon
JANE WOLFSON Chief
Commercial Officer
choice – five-
a-side football
– vastly increases
OX26 4QZ
RUNNER’S WORLD is distributed by
CONTRIBUTORS
MARK McCAFFERTY Head my injury risk Frontline Ltd, Peterborough.
rather than Tel: 01733 555 161
of Partnerships
reduces it, so in
OLLIE LLOYD Head of Clients recent years I’ve
JONI MORRISS Head of embraced the
Digital Sales gentler charms
of cycling. I’ve House of Hearst,
ALI GRAY Branded Content Director 30 Panton Street,
always been a
NATASHA BAILEY Client Director, reluctant London SW1Y 4AJ
Wellness gym-goer, but Editorial enquiries
LEE RIMMER Head of working from editor@runnersworld.
Classified and Independents home has also co.uk
020 3728 7707 allowed me
to slip in some Advertising enquiries
daily planks, 020 3640 2220
General enquiries MATILDA A D RI AN M ONTI
press-ups,
squats and even
020 7439 5000
PR enquiries
EGERE-COOPER Investigating what
some use of my media@hearst.co.uk The award-winning happens when the
REID HOLLAND MD, Consumer comically light Subscriber enquiries
Revenues & Marketing dumbbells!’ 01858 438852 journalist, runner and relationship between
JAMES HILL Circulation & – Joe Mackie (Lines open weekdays, founder of Fly Girl diet, weight loss and
8am-9.30pm; Saturdays,
Subscriptions Director 8am-4pm) Collective tells the full exercise turns toxic, the
JUSTINE BOUCHER Head of
Subscriptions, Marketing and
Visit hearstmagazines.co.uk/ story of how Jesse RW regular spoke to
managemyaccount to update
Circulation your contact details, renew your Owens’ four Olympic leading experts, as well
SEEMA KUMARI Digital Marketing subscription and find out when
your next issue is due to be
gold medals at the 1936 as runners who have
& CRM Director delivered. Please note You can Games in Nazi Berlin battled debilitating
also contact us regarding back
issues and special editions. shone as a Light in the eating disorders, in
Darkness on p58. Empty Promises on p30.
NOVEMBER 2020 RUNNERSWORLD.COM/UK 009

FITNESS INJURY NUTRITION MIND+
HEALTH
WARM-UPS
The TIPS YOU NEED to GET UP to SPEED
WO R D S : R I C K P E A R S O N . 1. T R A N S L AT I O N A L J O U R N A L O F T H E A M E R I CA N CO L L E G E O F S P O R T S M E D I C I N E . I L L U S T R AT I O N : I N F O M E N
BEND WITH
YOU’ VE PROBABLY HE ARD you will recover faster from a
hard effort by standing tall, hands behind your head,
rather than bending over, hands on knees. It opens
BENEFITS
your chest so you can breathe easier. And it looks
dramatic. But it’s not true. ‘When your hands are on
your head and you’re standing straight up, your lungs
are in a hyper-inflated state,’ says Rondel King, an
exercise physiologist. ‘It’s like trying to fill a balloon
The surprising truth about the that has air with more air.’ With your hands on your
quickest way to get your breath back knees, your body is in a better position for your
diaphragm to function. A 2019 study1 found the hands-
on-knees position resulted in a faster decrease in heart
rate between intervals than the hands-on-head position.

WARM-UPS FITNESS
JOSHUA
C HE PT E GEI
Lessons from
the 5000m
and 10,000m
record holder
HIT THE HILLS

Kapchorwa, where
Cheptegei trains, is
surrounded by hills
LONG VIEW
that play a big part in
Keep training, his training, including
even without a a 30-35km weekly
race to aim for long run. Add hill
work to your training.
Try 8×1 min uphill
(walk recoveries) and
longer runs that take
GO THE DISTANCE
in multiple climbs.
FAST 400S
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 T R A P P E , G E T T Y I M AG E S 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
Cheptegei’s leg speed

Why training for a 26.2 is worthwhile – even if your race doesn’t go ahead is honed through
400m reps. Before
the 2019 World
IF YOU’RE FINDING IT HARD TO TR AIN for a marathon before the planned race. The participants in the Championships, he
because you are concerned it might be cancelled study, who had all been averaging more than posted an 8×400m
at the last minute, here’s some good news: getting 30 miles a week for the three months before the session on Instagram
ready for a 26.2 results in significant physiological study, were already aerobically fit and training hard. (he ran every rep in
improvements – even in experienced runners. Nonetheless, on the second test, the participants under 60 secs). Try
A study, published in the Journal of Human Sport showed increases in their VO2 max and decreases 8×400m, with 2 mins’
and Exercise, measured the VO2 max and body in their BMI, suggesting that a block of marathon- recovery.
mass index (BMI) of runners 10 weeks before their specific training can make fit runners even fitter –
goal marathon and then again a couple of weeks whether a race goes ahead or not.
100
THE KENYAN EASY RUN
Kenyan runners are known to start % OF
many of their runs at a very easy RUN
COMPLETED
0 20 40 60 80 90
pace before building the intensity
– a method that boosts endurance
and mental strength without leaving
them knackered the next day. The
table (right) can be used for runs of PERCEIVED
EFFORT
all distances, but if you’re starting
off, it’s most easily applicable to a (RATED 2 3 4 5 6 7 For every 100g added to shoes, runners
OUT OF 10) slowed down by roughly 1% over 3,000m.
10K distance. Resist the temptation
to go off too fast – or you’ll pay later. Want a 5K PB? Try lighter shoes.1

WARM-UPS INJURY
LET FOOD
B E YO U R
M E DI C I N E
FEMALE RUNNERS are at altogether, these are
Sports dietitian higher risk of being all signs that you’re
Renee McGregor’s sidelined through a under-fuelling.’
advice on how stress fracture – and When women are
to get the right that’s even more the on the pill, it can hide
amount of fuel before, case when they don’t the problem, says
during and after runs fuel or fail to recover McGregor. Then when
adequately. A recent they come off it,
1 / Don’t fear 4 / Eat on the study1 found that perhaps in their
carbs. Having run. Lots of underweight female early-to-mid-thirties
a carb-based runners like runners were more when they’re trying
snack before to eat nothing likely to suffer stress to have children, they
and after on the run, fractures, alongside find they don’t have
training but fuelling on other health issues. a period.
helps to keep the move is a Renee McGregor, And this also has a
the body smart idea. a sports dietitian who knock-on impact from
adequately specialises in eating an injury perspective.
fuelled. 5 / Your body disorders, and who is ‘When you don’t
is a garden. also co-founder of ovulate, you don’t
BREAKING
2 / Refuel on It needs to Train Brave (trainbrave. produce oestrogen,
rest days. Too be tended. org), says: ‘When you which protects
many runners It’s not a are under-fuelled, your bones,’ she
think they machine, like the body prioritises says. ‘Low oestrogen
POINT
have to earn a car, that you movement – such as levels also mean you
food. That’s can switch running – but shuts won’t get an adaptation
nonsense. You on and off. down other biological from training, as you
need to eat functions, such won’t be producing any
enough on If you think Failing to fuel correctly can lead to as periods. If your growth hormone, so
your rest days that your period becomes you can’t create lean
to support relationship
health issues such as stress fractures, erratic, lighter, more muscle mass. Injury is
your training. with food or particularly in female athletes frequent or stops often the result.’
exercise has
3 / Turn down become
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 I M AG E S 1. A M E R I CA N J O U R N A L O F S P O R T S M E D I C I N E
the intensity. unhealthy,
TWENTY
The more you can find
intense your support at The risk of developing a dysfunctional relationship with food
training is, beatingeating and training is 20 per cent greater among athletes of all ages
the more disorders.org.
stress it puts uk. See our
and abilities than among the general population, according to
on the body. feature, p30. a study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine..
F U E L F OR YOU R F I R E
Under-fuelling yourself may lead to some short-term
performance gains, but eating enough to power your
training is the far better, and safer, strategy in the
PERFORMANCE
long term, for both body and mind (see table, right).
In extreme cases, not consuming enough calories to
match activity levels can trigger a condition called ENERGY-BALANCED ATHLETE
Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (Red-S) Syndrome,
RED-S (RELATIVE ENERGY
which can affect many physiological systems, such DEFICIENCY IN SPORT) ATHLETE
as metabolism, menstrual function, bone health,
immunity, and cardiovascular and psychological
health. It tends to affects women athletes but has TRAINING LOAD (INTENSITY X TIME)
also been documented in men.

WARM-UPS NUTRITION
VICE CUBE
A little too sweet
for its own good
– and ours
3 SWEET
ALTERNATIVES
TO SUGAR
As recommended
by RW nutritionist
Kim Pearson
Stevia
A sugar- and calorie-free
sweetener extracted
WO R D S : R I C K P E A R S O N . P H OTO G R A P H : K E N J I AO K I / T R U N K A R C H I V E 1. JA M A I N T E R N A L M E D I C I N E . 2 . WO R L D H E A LT H O R G A N I Z AT I O N
from the leaves of a

native South American
plant species known
as Stevia rebaudiana.
Works well as a sugar
GRAIN
A SPOONFUL OF SUGAR may indeed help diabetes and heart disease. Study author replacement in tea and
the medicine go down, but it can also So Yun Yi said, ‘Fat tissue that is located coffee. truvia.co.uk
increase the amount of fat around your around the heart and in the abdomen
CHECK
heart. That’s according to a new study, releases chemicals into the body which
published in the European Journal of can be harmful to health’.
Cardiology. The study looked at 3,000 The government recommends adults Xylitol
healthy participants aged 18-30, consume no more than 29g of free A type of sweetener
Added sugar can lead focusing on their food and beverage sugar a day. Free sugar refers to added known as a polyol,
intake over 20 years; scans of the chest or hidden sugars, as well as sugar found typically produced from
to heart problems and abdomen were also examined. The in honey, fruit juices etc. For reference, birch trees or corn cobs.
researchers found higher sugar intake a 500ml bottle of Coke has 29g of added Good for baking or
was linked with higher fat volumes later sugar and many flavoured yoghurts can sprinkling onto porridge
in life, which were linked to the risk of contain up to 30g of the sweet stuff. or pancakes, but may
cause digestive upset if
used in large amounts.
totalsweet.co.uk
TEN
Bread often gets a bad and found that simply
press, but a recent swapping eggs for
study1 suggests it may plant protein led to a Inulin
be time to love the 24 per cent lower risk This is an
loaf. Researchers of death in men and 21 oligosaccharide, known
found that the protein per cent in women. For as a fructan, that occurs
in bread (and some bonus bread points,
THE SLICE
naturally in a variety of
other plant-based opt for sprouted whole plants. Although less
IS RIGHT
foods) has been linked -grain varieties, which sweet, it can be used
to a lower risk of early are usually higher in Maximum percentage of your as a sugar substitute in
death. The data looked fibre and protein than baking. bulk.com
at 416,104 men and refined breads, making
daily calories that should
women over 16 years them more filling. come from added sugar. 2

WARM-UPS MIND+HEALTH
OUTRUN AIR POLLUTION

How well you are dodging the various nasties lurking in the air around you depends on where you
live, when you run and the routes you choose to take when you get out there
REGUL AR EXERCISE , even in

areas with high levels of air
pollution, can help prevent
high blood pressure, says
a new study.1 However,
the research also noted
YES NO
the correlation between
air pollution and high
blood pressure. The
researchers classified
levels of exposure to fine
particulate matter (the
standard indicator of air
pollution) as low, moderate
or high. For each increase
in the level of air pollution,
there was a 38 per cent
greater risk of high blood
pressure. ‘Physical activity,
even in polluted air, is an
important high blood YES NO NO YES
pressure prevention
strategy,’ said study
author Xiang Qian Lao.
Try this
TENZING CLEAN
AIR TRACKER
This platform helps runners
to find and create clean-air
routes, and offers challenges YES NO NO YES
to find the cleanest routes
in London. These are
WO R D S : R I C K P E A R S O N . P H OTO G R A P H : G E T T Y I M AG E S 1 .C I R C U L AT I O N
given a score out of 100,

based on their clean-air
credentials. Only available
in London at the moment. POOR AVERAGE GOOD
tenzingcleanairtracker.com
C ONTROL
To get more from yourself, you need to feel that you’re the master of your feet, the
captain of your sole. When runners have a perception of being in control, they
can stretch their physical limits further, according to elite-running coach Steve
YOU RS E LF Magness (scienceofrunning.com). In a VO2-max treadmill test, runners produced

significantly better results when they were allowed to choose their speed and how
fast they ramped it up than when researchers were in control of the pace. What are
You’ll run harder the implications for everyday runners? When a feeling of control fades away, we
if you’re in charge quit early. What can you do to prevent this? Run your own race, at your own pace.

ROCK THE CAMERA
The incredible story of how Clash frontman
Joe Strummer ran the London Marathon,
as told by friend and photographer Steve Rapport
INTERVIEW RICK PEARSON

PHOTOGRAPHS STEVE RAPPORT
‘AS I WAS ABOUT TO LEAVE, I SEE JOE TRUNDLING ALONG
WITH HIS BANDY LEGS AND ADIDAS SHOES. I GOT MY
CAMERA OUT, SHOT A FEW FRAMES AND THAT’S IT’
Clockwise from top left:

The Clash: Joe Strummer,
Paul Simonon and Mick Jones;
not the face of a man who
trained in vain; waving
to the crowd at mile 21 and
looking very comfortable
– and, somehow, cool; Joe
Strummer was a frontman
who knew how to connect
with a crowd; all attitude, all
the time; the truly iconic cover
of the band’s third album,
London Calling
The story goes back to 1982, when I
went to LA with [music journalist]
Johnny Waller. We were sent by
Sounds magazine to do a feature on
Bow Wow Wow, who were finishing
their US tour. They were staying at
the Sunset Marquee in Hollywood, a
bit of a rock’n’roll hotel. The Clash were also staying
there, so I got to meet Joe Strummer and we went out
drinking. I’m not much of a drinker, but we went to a
place called Barney’s Beanery. We had a drinking
contest where you had to name the first album you’ve
ever bought. Mine and Joe’s was Every Picture Tells a
Story by Rod Stewart, so we bonded a little over that. I
was a bit starstruck, as I’d been a huge Clash fan ever
since I was a student, and this was only my second year
of being a full-time professional photographer.
I lived in Clapham, southwest the internet. People were fairly

London, and, out of the blue, I familiar with it, although some THE LIFE
got a call from Rolling Stone, who thought it was from the Paris
I’d never worked for. They said, Marathon rather than London.
OF JOE
‘Joe Strummer’s running the There was this story about him STRUMMER
[1983] London Marathon on being told to disappear by [record
Sunday. Can you get a picture of producer] Bernie Rhodes, as pics. I was in tears when I saw
him for us?’ I don’t know if I was tickets weren’t selling well for them. I scanned them, got them
that naïve, but I said, ‘Yes.’ They some Clash gigs in Scotland. So cleaned up and put them up on 1952 Born John
didn’t give me his PR’s or Joe went off to France, hooked Twitter and Instagram. The one Graham Mellor in
manager’s number to arrange up with a woman and together of Joe waving at mile 21 just took Ankara, Turkey, the
a meeting spot, so I drove they ran the Paris Marathon. off. It’s had 900,093 impressions son of an English
from Clapham to Blackheath I’m from east London and ran on Twitter. I’m hoping it will get diplomat and
that Sunday morning. It was the marathon in April 1992. In to a million but I put an ‘F word’ Scottish nurse
drizzling and there were about June that year, I moved to San in it, so Twitter won’t allow me
20,000 people there. I parked at Francisco and have been there to promote it. 1976 The Clash
Blackheath, got out of the car – ever since. My library stayed at I put a few of the pics on play their first gig,
and there was Joe Strummer my friend’s garage in Oxfordshire, Instagram. I know everyone’s in Sheffield
warming up – 10 metres from my so I didn’t have my old pics, and skint through the lockdown, so
car. If you look at the pictures, I stopped being a photographer I said, ‘I’ll make this picture 1978 Strummer and
everyone else is wrapped up in in around 1994. Years later, I got available for a reduced price, co headline the Rock
rain jackets and then there’s Joe a call from a fashion label called I think it was $115, including Against Racism
in a Clash vest. Legend has it, Satisfy, who wanted to use my shipping anywhere in the world.’ carnival in Victoria
someone said, ‘Nice T-shirt, Strummer picture on a T-shirt. I said I’d offer that to the first Park, London
mate,’ not realising it was him. I used to syndicate my images 20 people but I did about 60.
I got a couple of frames before through London Features Why did Joe want to run a 1979 The Clash release
he went off to run the race. I International. They went out of marathon? Apparently, he was their third album,
thought I should get a few pics of business and I think were taken a cross-country champion in London Calling
him running, so I drove over to over by Photoshop, who, let’s say, school and it sounds like the
Tower Bridge and ended up on weren’t the best people to deal kind of thing he’d do. He wasn’t 1982 Strummer
Lower Thames Street, which is with. So earlier this year I gave one to follow an expected path. supposedly runs the
around mile 21. I waited in the up on them and said, ‘You must Joe was the son of a diplomat, Paris Marathon after
rain and thought I must have have some of my cull that you but he lived the punk life. Quite ‘10 pints of beer’ the
missed him, or that he wasn’t got from LFI – can you ship it to a few of the punks following me night before the race
going to finish. As I was about to me?’ They shipped four boxes are runners. I don’t know if it
P H OTO G R A P H S : G E T T Y I M AG E S
leave, I see Joe trundling along of colour transparencies to me. has anything to do with Joe, 1983 Runs the London
with his bandy legs and Adidas It cost me $200. Mostly, it was but any self-respecting punk Marathon in 4:13
shoes. I got my camera out, shot junk: pics of bands no one would knows Joe ran marathons.
a few frames and that’s it. be interested in. But among the So they know it’s cool to run. 2002 Dies, aged 50,
I processed the film, sent the pics of obscure bands were shots of an undiagnosed
black-and-white off to Rolling of Joe running the London heart defect.
Stone, which I think NME also Marathon – in colour. I have no See more of Steve Rapport's images of
used. That pic lived on through recollection of taking colour Joe Strummer at sr-photo.com

Murphy’s Lore
BY SAM MURPHY
RUNNING LOWERS STRESS,

BUT ONLY WHEN YOU LET IT
quality of life and negative mood states,
including being irritable, jittery and
WHAT SAM... nervous, were significant predictors of
injury. In other words, running when
Learned... you are stressed may increase your
Box breathing. risk of injury.
It’s a breathing ‘We tend to put physical and mental
technique things into two separate boxes,’ says
designed to make Alex Hutchinson, author of Endure:
you feel focused, Mind, Body and the Curiously Elastic
yet relaxed. Limits of Human Performance. ‘“My
You breathe in knee hurts because these shoes are
through your worn out.” “I’m feeling sad and
nose for four lethargic because I’m mostly running
counts, hold alone these days.” But that’s a little
for four counts, too simplistic. What’s going on in
exhale through your mind affects how your body
your mouth for feels and vice versa.’
four counts and It’s still not clear what the link is
then pause with between stress and injury. It could be
your lungs empty that stressed runners push themselves
for four counts, harder, in search of that soul-soothing
before beginning nirvana. Or it could be that, when
B
again. Go for five stressed, we are distracted and fail to
repetitions. pay attention to the early warning
eing a runner can put you in stressful situations. Donning I imagine each signs of injury. Either way, we’d do
your trainers to head out in public for the first time can have four counts as well to remember that if our stress
your heart racing and your palms sweating before you’ve one side of a levels exceed our current running-
even taken a step. Finding yourself pursued by a barking dog square box, bestowed capacity to cope, increasing
can turn a Sunday jaunt into momentary terror. Battling to which helps mileage or intensity may backfire.
the finish line, neck and neck with an opponent, can send the with rhythm. That’s not to say you should
stress dial spinning into the red zone. abandon running in the face of high
The act of running places ‘stress’ on the body – triggering Started levels of stress. But it might mean you
physiological responses, including the release of hormones work on... need to find other avenues for relieving
associated with stress, such as cortisol and adrenaline. But just as regular running stress alongside running. It might
A new running
triggers adaptations to your fitness level, so does it temper the stress response. mean you need to switch your focus
book. Only
And that goes for not just your stress response to running, but to life in general. – maybe giving races, virtual or real –
69,999 words I L LU S T R AT I O N : P I E TA R I P O S T I . 1. P S YC H O N E U R O E N D O C R I N O LO GY
A 2005 study1 measured levels of cortisol in fit, active women versus untrained, a miss and leaving your watch at home
to go!
inactive women when they were faced with a socially and psychologically for a while. Running with others can
stressful situation, and found they were significantly higher in the latter group. be helpful. A 2017 study found that
In another study, researchers measured ‘negative affect reactivity’, which
Held... working out in a group reduced stress
refers to how someone perceives their experience of unpleasant stressful events. My first running by 26 per cent; working out alone
They found exercisers’ negative affect was 14 per cent lower than that of non- retreat of 2020, showed no such stress reduction.
exercisers. It wasn’t that fitter people didn’t notice the stressful events; they just thanks to Covid-19 Hutchinson admits his running
weren’t floored by them in the same way, and when asked to recall the stressful putting the performance has taken a nosedive
situation later on, they didn’t remember it as negatively as non-exercisers did. dampeners on during the pandemic. ‘I’m pretty sure
In such a bumper year for stress, this is good to know. But it does not mean those scheduled it has more to do with what’s going on
running can or should inoculate us against the effects of stress. Believing so can for earlier in the in my head than what’s happening in
be a dangerous game. Why? Well, let’s say you’ve been running as much as ever, year. It was my muscles,’ he says. Just knowing
but it’s just not taking the edge off in the way it usually does. So you step up your action-packed that one affects the other is reason
training. The next thing you know, you’ve got an injury and you can’t run at all. and socially enough to cut yourself some slack.
In a study by Wake Forest University, North Carolina, US, researchers distanced.
observed 300 runners over two years to see what factors predicted who would
get injured. There were some physical factors, but poorer mental health-related runningforever.co.uk
.

H R
Tasha Thompson (left) and a fellow member of
Black Girls Do Run UK clearly having a ball running
the Harrow Half Marathon in 2019; (below) for
Tasha and her community of runners, the emphasis
is on encouragement and a lot of fun on the run
‘Initially, it was just an Instagram VOICES

page where I was posting inspiring FOR
quotes and photos documenting my CHANGE
runs, encouraging other women to do
the same with me,’ says Thompson.
‘But then I started receiving messages
of people who felt inspired and wanted ‘My experience
to keep in touch and so I created with Black Girls
WhatsApp and Strava groups to chat Do Run UK has
about our runs, organise meetups and been amazing,
keep each other accountable.’ inspirational and
After running the Harrow Half encouraging. This
Marathon in 2019 dressed in their is a lovely group
branded T-shirts, Thompson and the
of runners and it
group gained an even bigger following.
helps me stay
‘It felt great to be meeting up to run
races together wearing the same focused’
T-shirts, and people started noticing – Asher Drayton
us more,’ she explains.
Since then, the running group has ‘It’s a really
SOCIAL taken part in many races, including the supportive,
NT
MOVEME Fulham 10K and the Vitality 10K. But friendly running
there’s one event Thompson holds dear: group that keeps
the Vitality Big Half, held last March. me accountable
CHANGING
‘That was a great moment for the and helps me to
group. There were eight of us running,
improve my
some who hadn’t ever met before and
PERCEPTIONS
some who were running their first half speed and
marathon, so it was a strong cocktail distance’
of emotions,’ she says. ‘But we stuck – Melanie Folkes-
together, ran our races and waited for Mayers
Black Girls Do Run UK is inspiring women of each other at the finish line to celebrate.’
colour to lace up their running shoes Being a member of Black Girls Do ‘It has challenged
Run UK is a bit like hanging out with a and inspired me
bunch of sisters, says Thompson. The to increase my
JUST OVER A YEAR AGO, Tasha which encourages black women to atmosphere is electric and supportive. speed and never
Thompson was midway through a be active. Surprised by the lack of an ‘Everybody is so friendly and loving.
give up’
race when she asked a course marshal equivalent group in the UK, Thompson We run because it’s good for us and
which way the route turned next. The decided to create her own community because we have fun together, which – Maranda Ikpeba
attendant, seemingly oblivious to of runners, encouraging black women always makes the whole experience so
Thompson’s large, rectangular running to embrace running. Soon after, Black carefree and cheerful.’
bib asked, after a moment of silence, Girls Do Run UK was born. The
‘Are you running the race?’ community has now created a network
Speaking with her friend later, of over 60 women who support each For more on Black Girls Do Run UK, visit
Thompson expressed her incredulity other on their running journeys. their Instagram page, @blackgirlsdorunuk
WO R D S : A N D R E A G A I N I P H OTO G R A P H S : B L AC K G I R L S D O R U N U K
that the marshal had not believed she

was racing. It remains unclear if the
marshal asked the question because of
Thompson’s ethnicity. But the reality
for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic
(BAME) women participating in sports
such as running or swimming is that
there are often few of them involved.
‘I started running because I liked it
in school and because I enjoyed racing,’
says Thompson. ‘But the more I ran,
the more I realised that I was often the
only black woman in races, and that
can start to feel a bit lonely.’
During a holiday to see her parents
in Jamaica, Thompson discovered a US
running community, Black Girls RUN!,
YO U R SNAP CHAT
LETTER OF THE MONTH WORLD
#THETIMEIMET
ACTIVE SERVICE Send us a pic of you
with a famous runner
I enjoyed your article on running to work
(RW September). Harry Badham’s initiative
to build more runner-friendly office space
put me in mind of when I worked in The
City. I was in a modern office block with no
showers or changing facilities. As a runner
who fitted in the odd lunchtime run or ran
home, this was a nightmare. I joined a gym
for its changing facilities, but it was no
help for run-commuting, as you couldn’t
leave stuff in the lockers overnight. How
about a network of active hubs funded by
a mix of central and local government, ‘Me and the legend, Eliud Kipchoge’
commercial providers and users? All that Rob O’Halloran
would be required would be showers,
lockers, changing space and storage for STREETWISE
bikes. If you build it, they will run! I am also Ian Keith
has some
signing up to your #runsome campaign. good ideas
Ian Keith

We completely agree with your suggestion, Ian – indeed, our launch partner
for the #runsome campaign, Active Things (activethings.io), specialises in
working on just that. The more run-commuters we have, the better.
A TIMELY REMINDER SPREAD THE CONCERN ‘When Kelly Holmes came to our running
I just wanted to put a big thank you I’m as concerned as the next runner club in Liverpool’
out to Sam Murphy for her article about the environment, mental Neil Tabor
in this month’s issue (October) of health and racial equality (all ‘issues
Runner’s World. I’ve found myself in an issue’ tackled this year), but don’t
constantly in the doldrums when I want to read pages and pages about
take a break from running, but this them and feel harangued by my
article reassured me that this is magazine! Personally, I think it will
perfectly acceptable and a common have more impact if the magazine
thing to do among the elite and addresses some/all of these topics
experienced. I will definitely be now monthly (in line with the excellent
giving myself a break when I feel the racial-equality editorial aims outlined
doubt in my side of not running for in your introduction last month)
long periods, which can be more rather than a single focus in only
painful than that midrun stitch! one particular month.
Glen Baker-Adams, Mountsorrel, David Bilton, by email ‘Starstruck with Usain Bolt, Gatwick airport’
Leicestershire. Laura Praeger
GO BIG, THEN GO HOME

I have been running for almost a year
THE POLL now, stealing my friend’s editions of
Runner’s World magazine where I can.
When I run,
Recently, I have been so inspired by all
17%
I normally
the FKTs [fastest known times] that
listen to…*
have been happening across the UK
and the world during lockdown! After
reading about Damian Hall’s incredible
MUSIC
44%
achievement on the Pennine Way, I
had to do some research into other
THE SOUNDS
2% 37%
records and ended up spending the ‘With Joyce Smith, winner of the first
OF NATURE entire afternoon looking at all these London Marathon’
amazing achievements. I’ve been Doug Richards
so inspired that I signed up to the
PODCASTS Glencoe Marathon Gathering in May.
I’m really excited! Next month: #FancyThat. Send us a pic
AUDIOBOOKS Elvisjake Birrell, by email of you in your best running fancy dress

H R
FROM ZERO TO 60 WE ASK, YOU ANSWER
Towards the end of lockdown, I started
the Couch to 5K app. Each week it
become a little harder, but I enjoyed
it a little more, having a 0k fitness WHAT’S YOUR BIGGEST
RUNNING REGRET…TO DATE?
level from road riding. The sense of
achievement finishing 5K running and
not stopping was amazing, I thought,
Could I do more? So now I have hit
10K. I plastered it all over my social- ‘Not running when I injury. Now that I am in I wanted. Wished I had
media accounts and someone said, was pregnant (I went a my 40s I have to be done it earlier and
‘Why not try a triathlon or a marathon?’ bit mental and thought careful and put in the made the most of it.’
I liked the idea and came across a my baby would fall out other training around it.’ Laura Ebbs
certain running magazine. It was if I did).’ Chris Yeomans
perfect for me, as there was a brilliant Hannah Nayak ‘Thinking I needed to try
article and tips on how to get into Chris George ‘Forgetting the “small” to run fast all the time.’
running, and budget kit. I have entered is a bit of a hero ‘Strava. My running was achievements. At the Roger Markendale
two beginner races for next year, more carefree before it, beginning, I was so
have taken out a gym membership but I can't bring myself pleased to just be able
with use of a swimming pool and, to not to use it!’ to run; now, it’s all
most importantly I have now got a Desra Barrett about time.’
subscription to Runner’s World. Ali Murray-Brown
Chris George, by email ‘I wish I was more
sporty as a kid. I think ‘Not running a race
if I had a more solid from the end of
THE SELF-HELP POWER OF RUNNING foundation from my school till I was 37
After the explosion that shattered teens, that would have with two kids, and
Beirut in August, I felt that my world made it easier to start didn’t have the
itself collapsed. Having friends and when I was 29.’ freedom to race
family there meant that the crisis hit Émilie Fournier as much as
home. I could no longer focus, work
or sleep. I felt numb. While I drifted ‘I took it for granted
away from normality, I realised there when I was healthy. A
was one thing I could not stop doing head injury has reduced
– and that is running. I could not how much I can push it
imagine a better way to channel but I have a different
my grief, shock and frustration. level of appreciation on
And that’s what I love about running. my road to recovery.’
It’s a powerful medium for channelling Karen Henderson
negativity. I know that by continuing
to run, I may not have changed the ‘That I stopped in
world, but I certainly changed mine. It my 20s when I could
P H OTO G R A P H S : B E T T M A N N A R C H I V E /G E T T Y I M AG E S * BA S E D O N A N R W T W I T T E R P O L L W I T H 8 7 2 VOT E S
was my way of telling my head, heart do anything without

and soul to keep going, keep living and
keep hoping.
Lara Ghaoui, Milton Keynes
study had shown that vegans were DON’T FORGET THE SUPINATORS

Well done, Lara, for keeping found to have the highest iron intake. I love the Runner’s World shoe guide
going during such a hugely However, the RW article in question – it’s my favourite feature in the
difficult time. We send you, made it clear that absorption was the magazine. But can I make a super-
your friends and family our best for important factor, not intake. The humble plea that more feedback
a swift return to normality. volume of iron consumed is irrelevant from supinators is included in future
if that iron is not being absorbed guides? I supinate fairly badly and
effectively by the body. Low iron am never sure what to buy – true
CAST-IRON FACTS is a risk for all runners, particularly neutral shoes never quite do it
Mark Gregory’s letter regarding iron menstruating women, and so we and stability shoes are built for
(RW October) was perhaps misleading should be mindful of the health overpronators, not supinators.
for anyone consuming or considering advice we give – particularly if it I would love it if a genuine supinator-
a plant-based diet. He argued that results in a plant-based runner giving friendly shoe could be found for my
plant-based readers need not worry so up their iron supplements. stupid flipper feet!
much about their iron levels because a Craig Hughes, Edinburgh C L Denning, by email
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, House of Hearst, 30 Panton Street, Leicester Square, London, SW1J 4AJ
Email letters@runnersworld.co.uk Tweet @runnersworlduk Facebook runnersworlduk

Tonky Talk
BY PAUL TONKINSON
A CHANGE IS AS GOOD AS A REST,

SO LET’S PUT THEM TOGETHER
The holiday was doing its work. I was
unwinding, sleeping loads, losing myself
in bizarre dreams, napping constantly.
I was feeling my way towards that
profound reset that only a good break
gives you. It’s bizarre that I needed a
holiday after months of doing nothing,
but it was obvious that I did. Maybe not
running was part of the holiday? Maybe
the running that had been so necessary
during the previous months was not as
necessary here? Maybe that, too, was
THE BIG something I needed to escape from?
At home, running is a release, a
QUESTIONS respite from the daily stress of life. Here,
by John Carroll it felt a bit of a harsh endeavour to put
myself through. So I didn’t bother. But
Q. I recently ran by the end I found it nagging at me a bit.
my fastest ever There would be a reckoning, and it
5K time. This is all would be my first run back. The truth, I
well and good, quickly realised upon my return home,
you might think, is that running is not only a release for
but I wasn’t even me; it’s also a spring, a platform. The
1
wearing my lucky hour in the woods is a physical and
running top at mental boost, but also the fuel I need to
turned 51 recently. It’s a strange milestone. A friend said, ‘51 is a rubbish the time. What's live the life I want to. If I want to do
birthday. All it does is confirm that you really are over 50.’ He’s right. It going on? nothing, I don’t need it. But if I want to
all left me a feeling bit flat and compromised, on the slide. Vaguely old write and think and communicate in
and stupid. A. You have a way that’s more profound than the
These feelings are exaggerated at the time of writing because, out of learned a crucial odd grunt towards a packet of crisps,
nowhere, I’ve gone 10 days without running. No excuses. lesson: a good run running is as vital to me as ever.
No injury. Just laziness. or race never So I set off, vaguely grumpy and
It was the holiday that did it. Yes, I was one of those who dared depends on lucky portly, into the woods for a comeback
to dream of foreign beaches and held steadfastly to that vision pieces of kit, tying run. Slow and stiff at first, lots of
as quarantines spread. Greece had always seemed a safe bet, and so it proved. your shoes in a veering off route, stopping to stretch,
In terms of running, I started off with decent intentions. First day at the villa, I particular order, shaking of the upper body. Towards
woke early, slightly hungover, and immediately took to the rolling, empty roads of having the same the end, I was tired but feeling my way
Paxos for a 30-minute loosener in the heat. It felt good, although it was boiling by pre-run meal to some form of smoothness.
8am. The best window would be early evening, about 7pm, I reckoned. every time, always As I burst back through the door,
But then the holiday took over and the rhythms of the days seemed to establish using the same I was making plans again. Order was
themselves – without the run. Morning was out. I’d wake up too late, the sun safety pins on returning. After a few months of no
would be baking and, when push comes to shove, I’m no fan of real heat. I can do your bib or turning gigs and race cancellations, there are
the British stuff, that non-confrontational mid-20s gentle glaze. I love to work up around three a few gigs in the calendar and a real,
an honest sweat on a long, lazy summer run. But this heat was different, more of times and spitting. non-virtual race that seems to be
your mid-30s vibe – searing, dry rays that could scorch your skin in minutes. It’s Touch wood. still taking place.
one of life’s ironies, isn’t it? We go to the beach, but we don’t like sand. We go away I’m calculating now. Ten days off –
for good weather, but we can’t stand the heat. it takes twice as long to get the fitness
I L L U S T R AT I O N : P I E TA R I P O S T I
So I couldn’t run in the morning, and the afternoon was out of the question. back you’ve lost. As luck would have it,
I rarely even went outside. This left early evening, which had been the plan all my first race back is in 20 days’ time.
along. But it just never materialised. The magic seven-till-eight running slot became
the everyone-getting-ready-to-go-out slot, or the we’re-all-cooking-together slot.
I never put on my trainers. You’d find me tucking into crisps, nursing a prosecco, Paul is a stand-up comedian and co-host of
gazing out at all the pinks and purples as the sun set, marvelling at the clear, the Running Commentary podcast. His book
smooth ocean, or taking in the aroma of oregano from the garden. 26.2 Miles to Happiness is out now.

The Flamingo Diaries
BY LISA JACKSON
COMRADES FROM ALL OVER THE

WORLD COME TOGETHER TO RACE
you’d get a prized Comrades medal
even if you only did 5km, 10km, a half
marathon or 45km, and not the 90km
the race usually requires. So I invited
my dad and three of my neighbours to
enter with me, along with my Canadian
running buddy, Bridget, and my friend
Kathrine Switzer, who’d had the race
on her ‘wanna do’ list since 1968, the
year after she became the first woman
to run the Boston Marathon.
WORDS TO GIVE Race day was unusually hot, but my
neighbour John worked out a route
YOU WINGS around a local country park that was
both shaded and scenic. To fit us all in
‘If you want to go the frame for the start-line photo, my
fast, go alone. If husband had to go halfway across our
you want to go far, street – we couldn’t hang our arms like
go together. scarves around each other’s shoulders
– African proverb like we usually would; we had to stand
two metres apart. And then we were
One of the things off, our home-printed race numbers
this pandemic pinned to our chests, my flamingo-hat’s
T
has taught us is wings once again flapping away.
how essential Racing again felt glorious – and when
his has been the Year of Living with Loss. As Covid-19 raged togetherness is a dog-walker who admired my hat
across the world, snatching away lives and livelihoods, it took – pulling together asked if I’d pose for a photo, it felt just
so many things we used to take for granted, but still hold by staying home like a real race.
incredibly dear, such as being able to hug an elderly parent and staying alert Afterwards, we retired to my garden
and share a bottle of wine with friends. Having been fortunate has undoubtedly for post-race pizza and to celebrate my
enough not to lose anyone I loved to the virus, I nonetheless saved lives and neighbour Dragana’s PB. And then the
felt a private sorrow as Covid-19 stripped me of two of the not being able to ‘race reports’ came flooding in: my
activities I enjoy most: travel and racing. It forced me to cancel meet in person has Dad had completed the 5K, Bridget
the trip to Belarus and Ukraine that I’d spent weeks putting shown us just how ran eight miles in Winnipeg, having
together, and then it necessitated the postponement of the Brighton Marathon, much we crave transferred her number to a friend
followed by the Inflatable 15K I’d entered with a dear friend to celebrate her connection. after not feeling well, and Kathrine,
recovery from breast cancer. Virtual races offer who suffered an injury in 2019, posted
Every email I sent to friends around the world during lockdown, enquiring us the unique this from New Zealand: ‘I used this
after their wellbeing, inevitably included the line ‘…but at least we’re allowed to chance to safely once-in-a-lifetime moment to very
go outside and run; can you imagine what it’s like when you can’t even do that?’ run with strangers carefully and slowly run my first 5K
For most people, this idea was purely theoretical, but for me it was all too real. and those we in eight months...hey! I clocked in at
My thrice-weekly Skype calls with my dad, who lives in South Africa, kept me care about; let’s 42:37, a personal slowest time, and let
informed of the draconian lockdown imposed by the government there: not only embrace them me tell you, I’ll take it with joy!’
were cigarette and alcohol sales banned, but also people weren’t allowed to leave until we can Virtual racing enabled me to join
their homes except to buy food or visit a doctor. Running was out of the question. again embrace 40,000 runners from 86 countries –
Undaunted, my dad told me proudly that he’d kept up his running routine and, in real life. and a few from my neighbourhood –
aged 81, was doing a daily 5K inside his house! ‘I’ve worked out a little indoor in a day of celebration. Like Kathrine,
I L LU S T R AT I O N : P I E TA R I P O S T I
route for myself that includes my corridor and patio,’ he told me cheerfully. ‘It’s I’ll take it with joy.
a bit boring, as I don’t get to chat to the people I usually bump into on my runs,
but I’d go stir-crazy if I couldn’t do it.’
I also started to miss the sense of connection running brings – Zoom is no Lisa is the author of two bestselling running
substitute for hugs and handshakes – which is why I was so thrilled when a books, Running Made Easy and Your Pace
friend alerted me to a virtual run hosted by South Africa’s Comrades Marathon, or Mine? The audiobook version of the
the world’s largest ultra. Not only could you do it anywhere in the world, but also latter is now available.

Empty
Promises
i
What happens when the symbiotic relationship between running, diet
and maintaining a healthy weight becomes disordered? Here, four
runners share their stories of debilitating illness and slow recovery
O
NE OF THE MANY benefits of running is charity Beat estimates that when this gets out of control, it
that it helps to control body weight. about 1.25 million people in the can lock runners into a cycle of
Anything from a couch-to-5K UK have an eating disorder. declining weight, performance
programme to a marathon will Unfortunately, it’s also and health.
burn extra calories, which means common for people with these However, while running can
many of us use running to stay – or conditions to look for another become part of the problem, it is
“
get – in shape. For others, fuelling way of controlling their body also, often, part of the solution
our runs helps us to both value a shape – excessive exercise, and for many who find their
nutritious diet and enjoy loading up often involving running. In a lives in a downward spiral
the tank, guilt-free. study published at the start of because of disordered eating,
For some, however, it isn’t that simple; this year, researchers from running can play a key role in
the balance between what they eat and
how much they exercise can become badly
I WAS CONVINCED Anglia Ruskin University, in
Cambridge, concluded that
recovery. Here, with the help
of four runners who have been
skewed. Instead of running for enjoyment
and fitness, the overwhelming reason to
THAT IF people with an eating disorder
are almost four times more
courageous enough to share
their stories, we examine some
clock miles becomes to shed more pounds.
Or, rather than using their diet to properly
I LOST WEIGHT, likely to become addicted to
exercise. The study found that
of the sensitive issues around
eating disorders and running;
fuel their runs, they limit what they eat to
shave weight in pursuit of performance.
I WOULD a high percentage of those
who exercised obsessively –
to help you spot warning signs
in yourself or someone close
Taken to extremes, this may become a
RUN FASTER meaning it was extreme enough to you; to offer guidance on
”
full-blown eating disorder. to have a negative effect on finding a way through; and to
You’ll know something about anorexia, their health and social life – did let you know that if you are
bulimia and binge eating, even if you’re not so because they were focused suffering, you are not alone.
completely familiar with their symptoms on avoiding weight gain.
and manifestations. All three – along For some runners who suffer
with other, not-so-easily-classified eating from disordered eating, the Extreme measures
disorders – are linked with an abnormal focus is not merely on body
preoccupation concerning food. And, sadly, shape, but also on how losing KEEN, DEDICATED AND FAST, REBECCA
they are disorders that many people are weight will improve their Quinlan discovered her running
struggling with. The eating-disorder running performance. And talent early. After she joined her

E AT I N G D I S O R D E R S
local club, when she was 13, her

ability as a sprinter won her
numerous regional honours
and she reached the national
championships while still in her
teens. ‘I trained almost daily
from an early age,’ says Rebecca.
‘I was ranked in the UK top 30
and I dreamt of becoming a
professional athlete.’
Fast forward six years and
Rebecca was in a much darker
place. Weighing close to 5st and
with a body mass index (BMI)
of 11 – below 18.5 is considered
underweight – her ambitions
were in tatters as she struggled
to walk, never mind run. ‘My
eating disorder started when
I was around 14,’ she recalls.
‘I was convinced that if I lost
weight, I would run faster.’
When Rebecca went to
university, things rapidly spun
out of control. ‘I hugely cut back
on what I ate,’ she says. ‘Soon,
I was eating only one small
meal a day, of vegetables. I was
training with elite runners, so
my training was incredibly
intense, meaning even more
weight dropped off. But rather
than making me faster, the
more weight I lost, the worse
my running became. I could
feel my athletics dream was
slipping away. It got so bad that
I couldn’t run at all, so, instead,
I totally focused on losing
weight. But after eight months
at university, my body began to
shut down. I was seriously ill.’
Rebecca’s flatmates were so
worried they secretly contacted
her parents, who were ‘horrified’
when they saw their emaciated
daughter. Rebecca immediately
went into intensive care, as her
These days, kidneys, liver and heart were
Rebecca Quinlan
runs because
failing. She spent most of the
she wants to next three years in hospital
eating-disorder units, where E
WO R D S : A D R I A N M O N T I . I L L U S T R AT I O N S : AYS E K L I N G E
SPOT THE SIGNS

1. Changes in weight social situations, even if they are ill with your body image or 6. Changes in attitudes
– either sudden or low mood or anxiety, or injured. your sense of self. to food – this might
gradual loss, or difficulty concentrating. include cutting out
unusual fluctuations. 4. Changes in the 5. Changes in health major food groups,
3. Changes in activity reasons why you run – it – increased vulnerability going for long periods
2. Changes in mental – in runners, this might may be running becomes to illness, niggly injuries, without eating anything,
health – being more include more frequent a way to manage difficult fatigue, inconsistent bingeing, or vomiting
withdrawn, avoiding or rigid exercise patterns, emotions or unhappiness performances. after eating.

For Alex Staniforth,
running has become
part of the solution
she was tube-fed. ‘I’d dropped out of

university, lost touch with friends and SEEKING HELP
my life was taken over by anorexia.
I couldn’t see a way out of it,’ she says.
Rebecca’s story is far from unusual.
Growing numbers across all age ranges
– and a quarter of them male – are being
BEAT Orthopaedic Hospital.
diagnosed with eating disorders. According
The UK’s eating nidms.co.uk/red-sclinic
to NHS Digital data released in January,
disorder charity offers
there has been a 37 per cent increase in
support to anyone with YOUNG MINDS
hospital admissions for these disorders
issues around food. A national charity
over the past two years.
beateatingdisorders. helping children
Beat’s data shows that eight per cent
org.uk and young people
of those with an eating disorder have
with mental health
anorexia – the most dangerous of the
TRAINBRAVE issues, including
illnesses because of its high mortality rate
A campaign to raise eating disorders.
owing to suicide and fatal complications
awareness about eating It offers 24/7
caused by low weight. Bulimia accounts
disorders and RED-S in crisis support.
for 19 per cent of all eating disorders and
athletes of any ability. youngminds.org.uk
binge eating, 22 per cent.
trainbrave.org
Sobering as they are, those figures
RETHINK MENTAL ILLNESS
don’t tell the whole story. ‘There’s a much
ANOREXIA & BULIMIA CARE Covers all mental
larger group of people who experience
Offers help and illnesses, including
disordered eating,’ says Dr Carolyn Plateau,
support for those eating disorders, and
senior lecturer in sports psychology at
with eating disorders offers a comprehensive
Loughborough University. ‘Research
and their families. advice service.
suggests around 20 per cent of young
anorexiabulimiacare. rethink.org
females fit into this category. While not as
org.uk
severe as clinical eating disorders, it can
SAMARITANS
still significantly compromise quality of life
NHS RED - S Can offer support
and can quickly escalate into more severe
The country’s only NHS at any time if you’re
problems.’ Disordered eating can include,
specialist RED-S clinic, struggling or have
for instance, orthorexia, where someone
based at London’s suicidal thoughts.
will only eat so-called ‘clean’, healthy foods
Royal National Samaritans.org
regardless of calorie content.
It’s a huge problem, then, and one that
runners may be more vulnerable to than
most. Plateau says several studies in the
past 20 years have shown that athletes – factors. It’s very unlikely that
notably those associated with so-called sport is ever the sole cause.
‘lean sports’ such as long-distance running In some cases, something
or cycling – are at a higher risk of disordered about running may trigger
“
eating than the general population. Most an eating problem that may
of these studies were focused on club, have developed anyway.
county or elite runners, but Plateau says Alternatively, some people who
similar trends can be detected among are, perhaps, more vulnerable
recreational runners. may turn to running because
Rebecca’s eating disorder developed in
her teens, but experts stress it’s not just MY LIFE WAS this environment may help
to normalise what might be
TAKEN
adolescent females who are affected, as is considered disordered. For
sometimes believed. Problems occur in example, people with eating
OVER BY ANOREXIA
much older people and, according to problems often exercise to cope
research last year from King’s College with negative emotions, have
London, in younger people, too. Its findings very rigid exercise routines
showed a doubling of the rate of anorexia
in pre-teens (those aged between eight
I COULDN’T even when injured and feel
guilty about missing a session.
and 12) in a 10-year period, to 3.2 cases per SEE A WAY OUT And if a running environment
”
100,000 children. endorses these behaviours
and/or an individual becomes
obsessive or compulsive
Cause and effect towards training, then it might
be an indicator of a potential
THE UNDERLYING CAUSES OF EATING DISORDERS eating problem.’
are, of course, complex. ‘It’s important to Sports and eating disorder
recognise that eating disorders do not specialist dietitian Renee
stem from one factor,’ says Plateau. ‘They’re McGregor, who runs the
often the result of an interplay between Bath-based EN:SPIRE clinic
biological, genetic and environmental and has worked with both E

Olympic athletes and everyday runners, Alex has also suffered from always been my way of coping
agrees. ‘Most people with an eating disorder depression from a young age with all sorts of issues. The only
are using food as their coping mechanism and, since 2012, bulimia and downside is when I can’t run.’
rather than, say, alcohol,’ she says. ‘They’re binge eating. ‘A long-term
using food as a way of defending themselves shin injury first stopped me
from the emotions they don’t want to running for a long time and In the RED
experience or explore.’ the frustration made me focus
McGregor has also seen how the instead on food as a way of FOR TOM FAIRBROTHER, HIS EATING
relationship between eating less and controlling things,’ says Alex. disorders were also rooted in
chasing performances can become toxic. While researching healthier his running, but, like Alex,
‘In my clinic, I often see runners who are eating choices, he began running eventually offered him
cracking the whip with their training and obsessing about everything he a way back. After showing
will eat only as a reward,’ she says. ‘They put into his mouth. ‘I started potential in his 20s, he decided
might start by thinking that shedding some cutting out all the so-called to step up his running, so he
weight will make them quicker, but when “bad” foods,’ he says. ‘I thought travelled to the high-altitude
“
this leads to an obsession that being even I would come back a stronger Kenyan training camp at Iten,
lighter would make them even faster, things runner. I didn’t realise it was where Mo Farah was then
can quickly unravel.’ probably the worst thing I could based. But his plans were
Various studies have highlighted the have done, as it dominated scuppered when he arrived
prevalence of this damaging pursuit of everything. I wasn’t fixated on for his three-month stay with
weight loss for performance gains. A study
by sports scientists at Leeds University, for WHEN I CAN RUN, looking thin – it was to be more
like the top runners I admired.
a calf injury. ‘It was a culture
shock being at the camp where
example, which looked at 181 elite female
distance runners, found 29 had an eating MY EATING I began binge eating thousands
of calories and it got worse
you just ran, ate and slept,’
says Tom. ‘My injury meant
ISSUES ARE
disorder (seven had anorexia). And McGregor when I realised I could have my I couldn’t run at all and with
says the issue is not the preserve of the cake and eat it, because, after all these elite runners about,
elite-running world, but is common among eating all this food, I would I felt a fraud.’
runners at all levels. KEPT make myself sick. I knew this A coach suggested that if
In many cases, the root cause has been “solution” was totally wrong, Tom lost a few kilos he would
hidden for many years, only for running to MORE IN CHECK but my eating disorder had me run faster. So, while unable to
”
bring these issues to the surface. ‘Often, trapped in a dangerous cycle train, he began skipping meals.
runners have an eating disorder as a that became wired into my Though he returned home after
teenager that was never resolved,’ says brain. At its worst, food became only a month, Tom continued
McGregor. ‘As adults, it instead becomes a everything, and I would agonise to drastically restrict his
way of coping. So while they run, they’re for hours over what to eat.’ food intake and his weight
able to eat more freely, but as soon as they’re Alex, who is 6ft 4in, was plummeted. When he could
injured, the wheels come off and they down to 10st (65kg) at his finally run again, he lost even
realise they haven’t dealt with it in the past.’ lightest. But once he recovered more weight. ‘I would run
from his injuries, he returned to before my breakfast, which
running and instead of being I would throw up in the
Positive steps part of the problem, his running bathroom, go to work, not eat
is now part of the solution. all day, run a second time and
FOR SOME, RUNNING CAN APPEAR TO BE AT THE ‘When I can run, my eating again throw up my evening
centre of their eating issues, but it can also issues are kept much more in meal,’ says Tom. ‘As I got
help them find a way out. At 25, Alex check,’ says Alex. He has also thinner, I felt I had to run so
Staniforth, from Kendal, in Cumbria, has undergone counselling and much to hide my weight loss. I
already packed an incredible amount into learnt techniques to manage had a mental health illness with
his life. He has attempted to climb Mount his eating disorder. He is now a really destructive behaviour I
Everest twice and taken on several other more in control, but he believes couldn’t stop. I was trapped in a
gruelling endurance challenges, with it will always be lurking in the cycle of overexercising and not
running always central to his training. But background. ‘Running has eating enough. I had anorexia
DEFINING THE PROBLEM

ANOREXIA NERVOSA actually underweight, using laxatives or of control and might OTHER SPECIFIED FEEDING AND
Sufferers keep their often dangerously so. exercising excessively. regularly eat large EATING DISORDERS (OSFED)
weight low by limiting Often, their weight quantities of food Although the symptoms
their food intake; BULIMIA NERVOSA looks normal, which in a short period. may not be clear-cut,
they often have a People with bulimia are in hides this illness. Unlike bulimia, they they can include
distorted body image, a cycle of eating before don’t purge themselves, elements of the three
perceiving themselves regularly ‘purging’ by BINGE EATING so obesity can become main disorders or other
as fat when they’re making themselves sick, Sufferers often feel out an issue. abnormal eating patterns.

and then bulimia, and today I
would be seen as textbook
example of RED-S.’
Relative Energy Deficiency in
Sports, or RED-S, is a new term
used to describe a long-standing
condition. It develops when
someone has insufficient
energy to cover the ongoing
process of keeping their body’s
metabolism functioning, while
also adding exercise into the
mix. When you don’t consume
enough food to fuel both of
these demands, the body goes
into an energy-saving mode
– like an electronic device with
a low battery – and begins
switching off some of its
essential metabolic functions.
In women, this could mean
disrupted periods (because the
production of the oestrogen
hormone is affected) and
bones weakening (owing to
the reduction in new bone
forming when existing bone
suffers microfractures during
running). The digestive system
can be affected, too. The
condition was known as ‘the
female athlete triad’ because
it was more identifiable in
women, but now men are
increasingly being diagnosed.
Signs that someone is
suffering with RED-S include
an increase in injuries, fatigue,
recurrent illness and mood
changes. In the long term, it
can have serious consequences
on the cardiovascular system,
immunity and, in women,
fertility. ‘Insufficient fuelling
can make it harder for your
body to repair and recover
between training sessions, thus
increasing the risk of illness and
injury,’ says Plateau. ‘RED-S
has been widely demonstrated
Tom Fairbrother is
to negatively impact a wide now chasing a 2:30
range of body systems, thereby marathon time
compromising health and
performance.’
The bad news is RED-S is
becoming an issue in runners of
all abilities. As an early warning you should contact your GP. For Tom’s symptoms included poor sleep,
flag, look for performance both sexes, think about whether hormone disruption, lack of energy and
stagnating or declining even you’re experiencing constant low mood. And despite being lighter, his
though training volume is niggles or illnesses, or have increased mileage didn’t help his running.
increasing. ‘In females, the noticed changes in your For a while, he was able to hide the problem.
menstrual cycle is a good coordination, concentration or ‘As runners are seen as skinny, no one
marker to indicate whether wellbeing. Make a conscious questioned why I was so stick-thin because
you’re getting sufficient energy,’ effort to increase your energy of all my training,’ he says. But, in December
adds Plateau. ‘If your cycle has intake if you’re upping your 2014, after a routine dental check-up,
recently lengthened or stopped mileage or intensity, to make his dentist asked him if he had an eating
altogether, this may be a sign sure your body benefits from disorder. He saw how damaged Tom’s teeth
you’re experiencing RED-S and your training.’ were from stomach acid eroding the E

Running has
become an
escape for
Andrea Sexton
hospitalised. Her anorexia

FINDING THE BALANCE TO RECOVER AND RETURN TO RUNNING meant that she didn’t have
enough strength for the two
things she loved – running and
horse riding. But, ultimately,
running was her salvation.
‘When I was 21, I went to
1. Have someone you you trust and can food rather than as half of my workouts university, which gave me more
are accountable to. speak openly with.’ headspace.’ with friends, so I’m structure,’ she recalls. ‘There,
‘This is essential in running and chatting I met my future husband, Andy,
recovery and will ease 2. Listen to your body, 3. Rest. ‘Learn not to rather than always who did triathlons; he got me
some of the guilt you and your brain. ‘When feel guilty if you don’t pushing myself hard.’ interested in how nutrition
might feel around recovering, begin exercise, fearing you fuels the body. And this
running, eating and listening again to your will instead turn to 5. Add variety. ‘I do encouraged me to run again
food. When I started body, especially how it food. I simply go for a more strength training. and I completed some races.’
back, I had no idea how feels when you run. walk on my rest days.’ It was hard at first, as it She also discovered cognitive
much running was too Work out if you’re wasn’t the same sort of behavioural therapy and yoga.
much. Have someone running to punish 4. Make running fun. energy-burner, but it’s Five years ago, she joined her
to check in with whom yourself to “earn” your ‘I committed to doing helped my running.’ local running club and now
enjoys the trails around her
Cotswolds home. ‘I’ll always
fixate on food but it’s something
I’ve learnt to live with. Even
now, I follow a strict timetable
enamel after vomiting. This confrontation ‘It can be a really helpful in my head of when I eat, as my
was a turning point. coping strategy if done safely, way of dealing with it. But I no
As Tom began eating more – only small but it’s important to weigh up longer feel guilt about what I eat
amounts, at first – he was rewarded with the risks,’ says Buckland. compared to when I was younger.
improved running performance, which ‘Running can be helpful, but Running is my escape, and it’s
helped to kick-start a positive cycle. ‘I won also potentially dangerous for the wind on my face and the
a 10-mile race and had much more energy,’ those suffering with an eating fresh air in my lungs that I love.’
says Tom. ‘It reinforced to me that I needed disorder, depending on the After her final hospital
to eat if I wanted to run better.’ As his nature and severity. For discharge, Rebecca Quinlan
weight crept up, his running became more example, someone struggling began rebuilding her life. She
consistent and his performances improved with anorexia or bulimia may completed her degree and now
“
greatly. He set PBs in various distances, find they have developed a talks to university students
including 2:34 at the Berlin Marathon. heart condition or are prone about eating issues. ‘After
He’s now chasing a 2:30 marathon finish. to weakened bones, which hitting rock bottom, I realised I
Tom’s guilt about his secret eating disorder running can exacerbate. So it’s wanted more out of life,’ says
eased when he told his parents and friends, important that if someone has Rebecca, now 32, who returned
RUNNING CAN KEEP

who were all supportive. He also benefited an unhealthy relationship with to running in 2016. ‘Running
from NHS counselling sessions. ‘I still food, weight or body image, was a major player in my eating
PEOPLE
struggle to justify eating some foods if I they should consult an eating- disorder, as I was feeling a bit
don’t feel I’ve earned them with a run, so disorder specialist to ensure left out at school. I was also
rest days are hard,’ says Tom, now 32, who running is safe for them.’ apprehensive about running
hasn’t relapsed in almost six years. ‘My wife GOING BY GIVING For mother of three Andrea
Sexton, from Dursley, in
again, as it could really help or
send me down the same path as
makes sure I don’t restrict foods and eat more
normally. It still makes me angry that our
sport believes being lighter makes runners
THEM A Gloucestershire, running was
a major source of help in coping
before. But training in a group
at my old club has helped me
faster – it’s false. That wasn’t the case with HEALTHIER TARGET with the anorexia that she recover. I’m now more flexible
”
me and we need to change that message.’ developed at 17. ‘It was probably and run because I want to, not
a reaction to being partially because I have to.’
deaf, which meant I struggled Like many people who have
Taking control with friendships,’ says Andrea, experienced eating disorders,
now 44. ‘Feeling under pressure Rebecca now feels more in
AWAY FROM THE DRIVE FOR BETTER PERFORMANCE, with my schoolwork, food control of the forces behind it
running can be a positive force in coping became my way of controlling and that progress is, she says, at
with disordered eating and the underlying my life when I was feeling least partly due to reconnecting
psychological issues that may cause it. overwhelmed. By restricting with running. ‘My eating
‘Running can keep some people going what to eat, I felt that I was disorder will always be there
through life by giving them a healthier achieving something. Back because it has been in my life
target rather than an obsessional goal of then, people didn’t talk about for so long, but I’m aware of the
losing weight,’ says Dr Christian Buckland, eating disorders so much. triggers and how to manage it.’
professional adviser to the UK charity I remember seeing my former For anyone who is struggling
Anorexia & Bulimia Care. But he adds the GP, who recommended I simply with an eating issue, Rebecca’s
warning that our physical health can be eat a couple of Mars bars.’ story shows that, however dark
damaged if we exercise at a high intensity Andrea lost so much weight and scary things may seem at
while also coping with an eating disorder. that she came close to being times, recovery is possible.

PHOTOGRAPHS: EMILIANO GRANADO
THE TEST ZONE
WORDS: SCOTT YORKO
INSIDE GORE’S
BRUTAL,
RELENTLESS,
UNDENIABLY
EFFECTIVE
RESEARCH LAB
MY JOB
IS TO
MAKE SURE
NO ONE
IS EVER
T R U LY
COMFORTABLE”
THE TEST ZONE
PUSHING THE
BOUNDARIES
OF COMFORT
‘My job is to make sure no one
is ever truly comfortable,’ says
40 -yea r- old R ay Dav is, t he
“comfort technician” in charge
of the test lab. When it comes to
developing outdoor gear, Davis
regularly pushes testers close to
their physical limits.
In fact, the Environmental
Chamber where Walter and his
human counterpart are running
can replicate 85 per cent of the
earth’s weather. The lights on
the ceiling can mimic a full solar
cycle from sunrise to sunset,
while humidity can range from
five to 98 per cent. Wondering
how a garment will fare in the
rainforest in the rainy season? The
chamber can show you. How about
against solar radiation reflecting
off snow on Mt Everest? Just
let Davis crank up the 72 lights
overhead. The chamber needs
just two hours to go between its
maximum temperature (50C) and
its minimum (-50C wind chill
INSIDE GORE’S ENVIRONMENTAL TESTING CHAMBER, THE AMBIENT AIR ABOVE: THE R AIN -65C in full blizzard conditions),
temperature is a balmy 35C. Huge lights on the seven-metre-high domed ceiling ROOM IS CAPABLE although it uses about two-thirds
beat down. Near one of the treadmills, a tester named Walter is running on the spot. OF REPLICATING of the building’s power capacity
Walter is an integral part of the research team, here every day helping scientists test UP TO THREE INCHES to make this temperature change.
new outdoor apparel. Sensors on his body measure sweat rate, skin temperature and ( 7.62CM) OF Perhaps the most surprising
range of motion. There are hoses coming out of his eye sockets. PRECIPITATION aspect of the lab is that it tests
Walter, as you may have guessed, is not actually a human. He’s a $400,000 PER HOUR. for something we notice only the
(£300,000) mannequin with more than 100 sweating pores on his fibreglass and LEF T: R AY DAVIS absence of. ‘The body doesn’t
carbon-fibre body. And he’s just one of the high-tech tools used in the fabric and IS IN CHARGE OF know when it’s comfortable,’ says
manufacturing company’s biophysics lab at its Elkton, Maryland, US, R&D facility. GORE’S TEST L ABS Davis. ‘It only knows when it’s
Next to Walter, a human college student from nearby University of Delaware uncomfortable. We don’t have the
jogs on an inclined treadmill, wearing sunglasses and a lightweight wind shell. He’s ability to sense when we’re wet
strapped with a heart-rate monitor and has swallowed a thermometer the size of – we just notice the loss of heat.’
two paracetomal gel capsules that’s measuring his core temperature and sending The best outdo or g ea r i s
real-time readings to the lab’s computers through a radio signal. Gore’s technicians actually the stuff you don’t even
will use this and other data to develop some of the most technologically advanced think about while you’re wearing
outdoor apparel on the market. it. That’s why input from both
The company has been innovating like this since the 1950s and is best known Walter and human test subjects is
for its namesake fabric, Gore-Tex, invented in 1969 by Bob Gore, the son of the so important. ‘Mannequins give
company’s founder, when he accidentally discovered that stretching a piece of more reliable info than human
polytetrafluoroethylene created tiny air pockets in the material. The resulting subjects,’ says Davis. But feedback
breathable waterproof textile transformed the outerwear industry. And it’s in this lab on how things feel is important,
that the company builds on that legacy, testing fabric innovations for apparel used in too. ‘We might have the most
industrial and recreational settings – fighting fires, tackling chemical spills, running waterproof and durable garment
in the desert or riding a bike in the rain. The process involves highly proprietary in the world,’ notes Davis, ‘but if
systems and methodology, many details of which the company won’t divulge. But we it feels like sandpaper, you’re not
got a peek behind the curtain to see how Gore puts its apparel to the test. going to want to wear it again.’ E

9,000,000,000 6 72 $7,200 –65C 2
Pores per square Number of rain Number of Cost of each Lowest wind-chill Hours it takes to go
inch in a Gore-Tex rooms Gore has in overhead lights in Environmental temperature from –50C to 50C in
membrane the US, the United the Environmental Chamber light replicated in the the Environmental
Kingdom, Germany Chamber Environmental Chamber
and China Chamber
T U R N S O U T,
DRYNESS
INVOLVES A
LOT OF WATER
If you’re wondering how Gore-
Tex keeps rain from seeping
into a jacket while also allowing
moisture to escape, it has to do
with the fabric’s pore sizes—
they’re large enough to let heat
and water vapour out but small
enough to keep external moisture,
such as raindrops and snow,
from entering. ‘If a water-vapour
molecule is the size of a football,’
the pores are the size of a stadium
and a raindrop is the size of the
earth,’ says Davis.
Inside the Rain Tower, Gore’s
lab techs run garments through
a series of tests to determine how
much water they keep out, as well
as how much vapour they allow (or
don’t allow) to evaporate. When a
piece of apparel holds moisture, it
has what’s known as evaporative
resistance; it’s one of the most
sig nif ica nt readings the lab
measures. The more water vapour
that stays inside a jacket from
sweat and other moisture, the
clammier you’ll feel. So the lower
the evaporative resistance of the
test subjects’ garments – meaning,
the more vapour they allow to
escape – the more breathable the
apparel will be and the longer it GORE’S Davis can even bend the direction of the water to simulate rain in wind speeds up
will take the subjects to overheat. ENVIRONMENTAL to five metres per second. In the rain test, both human subjects and mannequins wear
‘Nothing goes to market until it CHAMBER CAN a grey cotton T-shirt or long johns beneath rain garments while walking or standing
passes the rain test,’ says Davis as MIMIC 85 PER CENT in simulated downpours. The amount of visible moisture on the undergarments
he walks through the Rain Tower. OF THE E ARTH’S indicates not just the membrane’s effectiveness in sealing out water, but also how
With six different overhead water WE ATHER seam tape, pockets, zips and design all work to keep water out. To simulate extreme
nozzles positioned 10 metres high, CONDITIONS conditions such as open-water sailing and riding a motorcycle in driving rain, there’s
this approximately 3x3 metre glass an additional rain room in which technicians can set up a horizontal spray that
and stainless steel room is capable douses test subjects head-on with the equivalent of up to 56cm of rainfall per hour
of replicating any rainfall on earth while they ride a stationary bike.
that occurs between 4C and 26C at The floor of the Rain Tower is dotted with several drains and is measured into
up to three inches per hour, from 25 square sections that all receive different rainfall velocities and raindrop sizes –
a light mist to a hurricane when it values that Davis mapped out with a laser disdrometer. (‘That’s two months of my
makes landfall. life I’ll never get back,’ he says.)

THE TEST ZONE
$400,000 138 500–1,500 $76 700 $5,000,000+

Cost of Walter, the Number of washing Hours a garment The cost of a Number of water- Cost of the entire
apparel-testing machines testing fabric will spend single-use Core vapour molecules Biophysics Lab
mannequin fabric durability in a washing Temperature Pill that could fit inside
machine to test a single Gore-Tex
fabric durability membrane pore
DURABILITY
EQUALS
COMFORT
When you have to worry about
whether your paper-thin
outerwear layer will rip on a
tree branch or wear out in the
wa sh, you’ll feel dist racted
wea r ing it –not to ment ion
uncomfortable, should a tear in
your shell let in rain. Durability
is an underappreciated factor of
comfort, says Davis, and that’s
where Gore’s Wash Machine Area
comes into play. On a large factory
f loor, 138 standard washing
machines a re rumbling like
the engine room of a transatlantic
cargo ship.
This is where Gore simulates
the real-life wear and tear that
its performance garments go
through in everyday use. None
of the machines have lids or use
detergent and they’re all modified
to run the agitate cycle in eight-
hour intervals, which is tracked by
a computer for each machine and
piece of material. Only fabric – no
actual garments – goes into these
machines because buttons, zips
and other features can damage
the equipment over time. The
fabrics go through various tests
in other parts of the lab and then
get washed in the machines in
tap water for 500-1,500 hours.
If they’re not frayed or worn out
by then, they go back through
the original tests again. Gore has
40 years of data using this method
to compare with the results of FABRICS ARE WASHED one of our new products, that’s when we really start to nerd out,’ he says. And when
newly developed fabrics. IN TAP WATER FOR Davis and his colleagues nerd out, the technology gets better and better. And so the
Balancing all the factors that 500-1,500 HOURS washers spin. Down the hall, Walter runs on his treadmill. The lights in the
ma ke outdoor appa rel more TO TEST DUR ABILIT Y Environmental Chamber pump up the temperature. The data keeps pouring in.
effective and comfortable is a Together, these unique testing facilities work to push fabrics to their limits and help
t r ick y proposit ion , but it ’s scientists find out what makes even better outdoor apparel. Because the more Gore
one that Davis enjoys. ‘When I see understands what makes us wet and cold and uncomfortable, the more we can forget
a large performance difference in about what we’re wearing – and the further and happier we can run.

FRIENDLY
FIRE WHAT
YOU REALLY
NEED TO KNOW
ABOUT YOUR
ME TABOL I S M
You probably have a vague notion that your metabolism is a key
player in whether or not the calories you take in stick around
where you’d rather they didn’t. You probably also have a friend
who’s white-hot internal furnace you credit for the contradiction
between their lean physique and supersized appetite. But aside
from notions about ‘revving it up’, what’s going on in there? What
determines how fast your engine burns what you feed it? And how
do the miles on your feet and the food on your plate affect your
metabolism? Here’s your insider’s guide to what’s going on inside
M E TA B O L I S M
Burning question No.1 ‘Metabolism is the process by which your body converts
W H AT E X A C T LY what you eat and drink into energy – known as “burning
D O W E M E A N B Y calories”,’ says research dietitian Dr Gina Cleo. ‘That
M E TA B O L I S M , energy is used for all the natural functions that go on in
A N Y WAY ? your body – eg breathing, heartbeat and digestion – as
well as exerting energy through exercise and movement.’
Burning question No. 2
HOW IS IT Burning question No.3
ME ASURED?
What determines the speed
‘The total amount of
calories your body uses
each day is called your
of your metabolism?
total daily energy
expenditure (TDEE),’
says Dr Hazel Wallace,
founder of The Food
Medic. The calories
adding up to your
TDEE are attributable
to four factors: your
basal metabolic rate
(BMR – the rate at
which your body burns
calories at rest); your
exercise levels (such
as running); non-
exercise activity
thermogenesis (NEAT
– incidental exercise –
WO R D S : P E N N Y CA R R O L L A N D K I R S T I B U I C K . P H OTO G R A P H S : J O H N R O S S /G E T T Y I M AG E S , DA N I E L L E DA LY.
more on this later); and

the thermic effect of
food (also more later).
‘Your body burns
calories in so many ways
and it’s part nature
[genetics], part nurture,’
says Cleo. ‘The energy
just to keep your body
functioning at rest
(BMR) uses between
50 and 75 per cent of
your calories for the
day. Your digestion uses The idea of a ‘fast’ or ‘slow’ metabolism is a the energy burn,’ says Miller. This is known
about 10 per cent of the myth, says Rick Miller, principal independent as non-exercise activity thermogenesis
calories you eat; then dietitian at King Edward VII’s Hospital, (NEAT); it includes anything from walking to
there’s your physical London. ‘Unless you have an overactive or work and gardening to typing and fidgeting.
activity.’ BMR varies, underactive thyroid, BMR is quite consistent While BMR is quite fixed between people of
with factors like muscle between people with similar muscle mass.’ similar builds, NEAT can vary by as much as
mass, age and gender What you burn off and store is mostly down 2,000kcals a day in people of similar sizes. It
having a big impact. to daily activity, he says. ‘A lot of people who accounts for between six and 10 per cent of
Roughly speaking, are naturally quite slim are active all the time daily energy expenditure in those with a
average daily BMR is – eg constantly moving and fidgeting; this mainly sedentary lifestyle and up to 50 per
1,450kcals for women lack of sedentary behavior helps to increase cent in highly active subjects. E
and 1,650kcals for men.

Burning question No.4
H O W D O E S
M Y R U N N I N G
A F F E C T I T ?
While exercise burns calories, it’s
the results – building muscle mass
– that really make a difference in
terms of your metabolism. ‘The
amount of muscle mass you have
is the biggest factor determining
your BMR,’ says Professor Grant
Brinkworth, principal research
scientist at CSIRO, Australia’s
national science agency.
‘BMR contributes the greatest
proportion of TDEE, so adopting
strategies that improve it will have
the biggest impact on increasing
energy metabolism.’ Your body
has to work harder to maintain
muscle tissue when you’re at rest
than it does fat tissue.
You naturally begin to lose
muscle mass after the age of 30,
but you can prevent and even
reverse some of that loss by doing
regular resistance workouts,
embracing strength-building hill
repeats and eating enough protein.
Better yet: all movement will
hike your metabolism by varying
degrees, but high-intensity
interval training keeps it elevated
for up to 48 hours after you finish
your session. If you do an intense
workout, where your heart rate is
between 85 and 90 per cent of its
maximum, your body has to work
hard to replenish glycogen and
rebuild muscle proteins damaged
during exercise to return your
body to its resting state. This is
called excess post-exercise
oxygen consumption (EPOC), but
it’s no reason to skip your strength
work in favour of an interval
session: ‘Weights workouts can
produce a good EPOC effect,
especially if done for 45 minutes
to an hour,’ explains exercise
physiologist Drew Harrisberg.
‘Of course, it’s worth noting that
building muscle requires more
fuel in the first place,’ adds Miller.
‘This is part of the reason why, if
you undereat in terms of overall
calories for the day, you won’t
build muscle anywhere near as
fast as you will if you fuel properly
for your training, even if genetics
are on your side.’
M E TA B O L I S M
Burning question No.6
AND HOW
D O E S W H AT ’ S
ON MY PL ATE
FIT INTO
IT ALL?
What you eat provides

energy, but digesting
it requires energy, too,
which is known as the
thermic effect of food.
And different types
of food have different
thermic effects. Protein
has a double metabolic
effect in that it both
builds muscle and gives
your digestion a workout.
‘Compared with fat and
carbohydrates, protein
requires more energy to
digest and absorb and,
therefore, increases the
overall thermic effect of
food,’ says Brinkworth.
Burning question No.5 their appetite adjusts,’ fatty acids that optimise He adds that emerging
says Miller. Furthermore, metabolic function, while research suggests
DOES THE a University of Iowa, US, bad bacteria consume the consuming at least 25g
GUT PL AY study suggests unhealthy same fatty acids, slowing of high-quality protein
microbiome [microbes in it down. ‘This may in each meal can help
A PA R T ? the body] shifts could indicate that looking after build muscle mass, so
Research is showing the slow your BMR – adding your microbiome by that could be a good
major influence the gut up to an average weight feeding it prebiotic fibres figure to aim for. ‘This
has on our metabolism. gain of 13kg a year. from plant-based foods amount could promote
‘When gut bacteria from A study from Boston might not just be useful a higher level of energy
lean mice is transferred to Children’s Hospital, US, for keeping you regular, it expenditure from
overweight mice, they found that friendly gut may also be keeping you increased metabolism,
lose weight quickly and bacteria may produce slim,’ says Miller. both at rest and while
you’re eating,’ says
Brinkworth.
P H OTO G R A P H S : LO O P/G E T T Y I M AG E S , A DA M VO O R H E S .
Burning question No.7 ‘Your body interprets a lack of food as reducing your calorie consumption in a
starvation and so, in response, it slows healthy and moderate way, advises Cleo.
What is the metabolism, which means you burn

fewer calories over time,’ says Cleo. ‘Just
by reducing how much you eat, you can
Weight-loss lore tells us that eating several
small meals across the day beats three bigger
ones, as it keeps the metabolism revving. But
the impact decrease your metabolism by up to 10 per
cent.’ It’s why crash diets can leave you tired
what really matters is the amount of food. ‘If
you’re eating three bigger meals a day, your
of dieting? – your body slows its processes to preserve

fuel. ‘You feel more tired, your breathing is
slower, you just don’t feel motivated to get up
metabolism will significantly increase three
times,’ says Cleo. ‘If you’re having six small
meals, it’ll increase slightly six times.’ If
and move.’ If you’re trying to lose weight, grazing works for you, keep it consistent.
prevent your metabolism from nosediving by ‘Your body likes a predictable rhythm.’

Chris Lee’s 30-day
workout programme
combines strength
and mobility moves
to supercharge
your speed
UP TO SPEED
This man has the
SECRET
TO SPEED
He trains some of the finest runners in
the US – and he can make you faster, too
WORDS: KIERA CARTER
PHOTOGRAPHS:
GREG MIONSKE
CHRIS LEE MAY train some of the biggest names in running, but his career started in the pool. Before he was head strength
trainer for Tinman Elite running team in Boulder, Colorado, US (see RW July 2020) – counting among his athletes
Olympic-hopeful triathlete Morgan Pearson; Reed Fischer, who ran this year’s Houston Half Marathon in 1:01:37; and
long-distance runner Laura Thweatt, who placed fifth at the 2016 US Olympic trials– he was a collegiate swimmer at
Montclair State University in New Jersey, specialising in the breaststroke.
‘I was getting incredibly strong for a swimmer, yet none of my times were improving,’ he says. ‘I sat back one day at
the end of my collegiate career and realised that we never worked on mobility.’ That’s a problem, Lee says, ‘because if
you increase your force output with strength training but your range of motion or stride length decreases or stays the
same, then you’re not moving forward’. In effect, you are wasting your strength.
But if he wasn’t moving forward in the pool as fast as he would have liked, Lee was certainly making progress on his
CV. Shortly after college, he became the head swimming coach at the University of Colorado-Boulder, where he put
this epiphany into action and had his athletes work on their mobility before they hit the pool, every single practice. The
result: ‘In the three years I worked for the university, we won three national club titles and broke 19 school records.’ So
it makes sense that he would apply the same method to his own training programmes when he started competing E

Chris Lee is the head there: Sam Parsons, Reed Fischer… ‘Then, they signed
strength coach of
Tinman Elite running
me on full-time working with the team.’
team in Boulder, Now, each athlete goes through a rigorous assessment
Colorado, US when they start working with Lee: ‘I run them through
a series of exercises – squats, lunges, things that show
me a lot – then, we move on to smaller movements that
test alignment and hip flexion, like high knees.’ Coupled
with a running-gait analysis, via slo-mo video, and a five-
year injury history, Lee puts together a four-week plan
targeting weaknesses and preventing the most likely
injuries, continually revamping it every month based on
their progress.
‘Some of the changes are pretty incredible,’ he says,
using the single-leg step-down as an example. ‘Some
athletes will literally fall over at first, but four weeks
later, they’re not wobbling at all.’ The most common
review from his athletes: I feel smoother when I run.
You can, too, with the three crucial principles Lee
brings to his training plans:
Strength + mobility = better running / And by ‘better’,
we mean more powerful (thanks to strength), with a
longer stride (thanks to mobility). Strength without
proper mobility propels your body up in the air, not
stretching forward, thereby wasting your energy,
says Lee. Mobility without strength isn’t so great,
either: ‘This can lead to injury because the body can’t
handle the impact, leading to overuse injuries that
could completely derail your running.’ (Lee likes to
incorporate some light plyometrics and muscular
strengthening into his training plans.) He sees Usain
Bolt as the ideal example of strength and mobility
combined: ‘He puts out a ton of power and he’s literally
flying forward.’
An order of operations / If you’re new to running
or weight lifting, strength-train after your runs so you
don’t tire your legs out before you hit the pavement. But
more-experienced athletes can lift first to prime the
muscles they need to move well. Either way, resistance
training should be a major priority, which is why his
cross-training plan includes a mix of plyometric strength
workouts (featuring exercises such as split jumps
and single-leg hops) and classic stability work (with
exercises such as squats and single-leg dead lifts), three
times a week, at about 20 minutes a session.
A focus on rest / ‘Proper recovery is the difference
between an Olympic competitor and someone who’s
not quite at that level,’ says Lee, noting that you should
take an impromptu day off if you’re experiencing any
symptoms of overtraining – extreme soreness or fatigue,
in triathlons, after a friend encouraged him to sign up for one during his an injury or poor sleep – even if the programme suggests otherwise.
senior year. He focused on strength and mobility work, not just putting ‘Missing a few workouts is not a big deal,’ he says. Just hop into the next
in time in the pool, on the bike and on the track. But if Lee was a natural one and don’t overthink it. If your symptoms are mild, feel free to skip
cyclist and a seasoned swimmer, running was his clear weakness. the cross-training and just log an easy run (less than 40 minutes, at a
‘It felt awful when I first started,’ he says. conversational pace).
Still, Lee knew how to train, if not run, and he dived into the To avoid the rest days’ lazy reputation, Lee thinks of them as ‘gain
biomechanics of running much like he had done years before with days’, because that’s when the gains happen. ‘Anything you do to
swimming. ‘If you’re an inefficient swimmer, you drown,’ he says. But stimulate circulation and give your brain a rest, like yoga, is amazing.’
lots of people make do with inefficient running at first, only to learn
they’re holding themselves back. ‘Running is much more technical than THAT’S THE OVERALL approach Lee took when developing the 30-day
people think,’ says Lee. ‘Learning how to go slow and be efficient, not cross-training challenge on the next page. Each week, you’ll do one
just powerful, was a slow learning curve for me.’ mobility workout and three strength-training sessions, plus three to
But learn he did. ‘I talked to and studied many running experts and five runs, depending on how you’re feeling (read: recovering). If it seems
trained with great runners to better understand what makes them so like a lot of work to cross-train and run on the same day, remember:
good,’ he says. ‘Then I mobilised my restricted areas, such as my hips, the cross-training workout is less than 20 minutes, you can take an
and strengthened my hip and posterior line stabilisers.’ easy or rest day whenever you’re feeling low on energy and there’s a
Little did he know that this – plus his degree in exercise science larger purpose. ‘Cross-training allows you to address your weaknesses,
– would set him up for a career training some of the best runners increase your power and reduce your risk of injury,’ says Lee. And of
in the US. Lee first started working with middle-distance runner course, each week will become progressively harder to build on all
and Tinman athlete Drew Hunter, and his roster expanded from those gains. ‘Consistent practice pays off,’ Lee promises.

UP TO SPEED
Chris Lee’s unique cross-training programme consists of mobility and strength workouts in addition to your regular running sessions. The workouts
feature strategically sequenced exercises in which the first move functions as preparation for the next, to increase effectiveness. This means you’ll get
better results in less time and decrease your risk of injury overall. The strength-based workouts should be done with one day of rest in between, and
the mobility sessions can be done after a long run or on rest days. You’ll complete all four workouts at least twice over the first two weeks, take two
rest days and then move on to an advanced version of each workout for the final 14 days. E
D AY 1 D AY 2 D AY 3 D AY 4 D AY 5 D AY 6
Moderate/Easy
Hill Run
Long Run Optional Run Fartlek Run
and Optional Run
and Rest and/or and
Plyometric and/or Mobility 1
Mobility 1 Mobility 1 Stability
Strength
Strength
D AY 7 D AY 8 D AY 9 D AY 1 0 D AY 1 1 D AY 1 2
Moderate/Easy
Hill Run
Tempo Run Long Run Optional Run Fartlek Run
and
and and Rest and/or and
Plyometric
Hybrid Strength Mobility 1 Mobility 1 Stability
Strength
Strength
D AY 1 3 D AY 1 4 D AY 1 5 D AY 1 6 D AY 1 7 D AY 1 8
Tempo Run
Optional Run Long Run
and
and/or Rest Rest and Rest
Hybrid
Mobility 1 Mobility 2
Strength
Moderate/Easy
Hill Run
Fartlek Run Tempo Run
and Optional Run Optional Run Long Run
and and
Progressed and/or and/or and
Progressed Progressed
Plyometric Mobility 2 Mobility 2 Mobility 2
Stability Hybrid Strength
Strength
Strength
Hill Run Moderate/Easy

Tempo Run
and Optional Run Fartlek Run Optional Run
and
Rest Progressed and/or and and/or
Progressed
Plyometric Mobility 2 Progressed Mobility 2
Hybrid Strength
Strength Stability Strength
YOU CAN FIND FULL INSTRUCTIONS FOR ALL THE WORKOUTS LISTED IN THIS PLAN FROM CHRIS LEE AT RUNNERSWORLD.COM/UK/XTCHALLENGE

TRY IT NOW: MOBILITY Add this routine, based on Lee’s Mobility 1, to your weekly workouts.
WINDMILL HIP MOBILITY
Start in a kneeling position with your left knee on the floor, right foot forward and arms by your sides (rest your
knee on a folded towel for added support, if needed). Shift your weight forward as you press your hips forward
and raise both arms overhead, keeping a straight back. You should feel a stretch in your left hip flexor. Slowly
lower your arms as you return to the starting position. Complete 5 reps, then repeat on the other side.
ADDUCTOR MOBILITY
Start on all fours, knees under your hips, shoulders over your wrists. Place a towel under your right knee, if needed.
Extend your left leg to the side, planting your foot flat. With a flat back and neutral neck, rock back by sending your
bum towards your right heel, then rock forward to return to the starting position. Complete 5 reps. Repeat on other leg.
ANKLE MOBILITY
Take a wide stance, arms extended straight out from

your sides. Send your hips back to hinge your torso
forward as you bend your left knee and rotate to
touch your right fingers to your left toes as your left Kneel with your left knee on the floor, right foot forward. Place your left hand on the floor, right hand on your right knee.
hand reaches up. That’s one rep. Return to the starting Hinging forward at the hips with a flat back, drive your knee forward over your big toe. Return to starting position, then
position and repeat on the opposite side. Continue to drive your knee over your second toe and back, working your way toward your little toe. Reverse from little toe to big
alternate. Complete 10 reps on each side. toe for a total of 10 reps. Keep your back flat, hips centered and your heel on the ground throughout. Repeat on left leg.

UP TO SPEED
QUADRUPED TO DOWNWARD -FACING DOG A LT E R N AT I N G R E V E R S E

FOUR-POINT BRIDGE
Start on all fours, knees under your hips, shoulders over your wrists. Tuck your toes and lift your knees off the
ground as you push back through your hands to lift your hips up and back into downward-facing dog. Lengthen your
spine and relax your neck. Straighten your legs as much as you can without feeling uncomfortable tightness in your
hamstrings. Keeping your back flat, lower back down to return to the starting position. Repeat. Complete 10 reps.
HAMSTRING STRETCH
Lie face up with your legs at a 45-degree angle. Place your hands behind your left thigh. Extend your leg straight
up, gently pulling the leg and toes toward you at the top. Complete 5 reps. Repeat on the right side.
L U N G E T O R O TAT I O N
Start seated, with your feet planted, knees bent at a

45-degree angle and your hands planted behind your
hips, fingers pointing out. Bridge up from your hips,
Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Step your left foot forward and drop into a lunge. As your left knee bends, engaging your glutes as you open to your right side by
hinge forward at your hips and plant your right hand on the ground. Rotate your torso to the left as you extend your extending your right arm to the sky, pressing your hips
left arm up towards the sky. Bring your left arm back down to the outside of your left leg, stand up and return to the up. That’s one rep. Return to the starting position and
starting position. Repeat on your right side. Continue to alternate, completing 10 reps total (5 on each side). repeat on the left side. Do 10 reps on each side.

IMMUNITY
Does running too

much, too hard or too
far compromise your
immune system? RW
looks at the science
THERE’S NO QUESTION THAT running
offers a range of health benefits – it keeps
your heart and lungs strong, helps you drop
pounds or maintain a healthy weight and
is a great way to de-stress. But when it
comes to supporting your body’s defences
against infection, experts are still debating
whether exercise can suppress the immune
system, making runners more susceptible to
infection after a workout.
Researchers look at the effect of exercise
on the immune system in the short term (a
single bout of exercise) and the long term
(days, weeks, months and years of regular
exercise), says exercise physiologist Dr James
Turner, a senior lecturer at the University of
Bath and a specialist in immunobiology.
When you start your run, your heart rate
increases because of adrenaline and more
blood moving through your body. Your body
calls on certain types of white blood cells –
your body’s immune-system cells – to race
around and fight off potential pathogens.
‘Within seconds of starting to exercise, your
immune cells increase, double, triple and
some even increase tenfold,’ says Turner.
So far so good, and about 10-15 minutes
after finishing a workout – whether it be
low- or high-intensity – that immune cell
count goes back to normal. But then, Turner
says, some of those immune cells decrease
to below normal levels – sometimes by half
or more – for hours before returning to the
normal baseline level.
This is what’s known as the ‘open
window,’ says Dr Caroline Jouhourian,
a gastroenterologist at Lowell General
Hospital in Lowell, Massachusetts, US.
And, until recently, it was widely accepted
that during that open window, the immune
system was suppressed, leaving people –
that’s us runners – more susceptible to
picking up an infection. E

IMMUNITY
But researchers, including Turner and his

colleague Dr John Campbell, point out that
those immune cells haven’t disappeared
IMMUNE-BOOSTING
POWER PAIRS
during that open window, they’re just in the
bloodstream looking for infection – which
is, Turner says, what they should be doing.
That process is called immune surveillance,
and exercise such as running can make it
happen more quickly and efficiently. Certain foods support a healthy immune system, thanks
to specific nutrients; and when you combine them, their
immunity-boosting powers become even stronger
THE LONG GAIN
When it comes to the effects of exercise
on the immune system over the long term,
there is an advantage to lacing up regularly. PAPAYA SMOOTHIE / In a
‘Long-term exercise and training encourage Your gut houses an estimated blender, purée 600g papaya cubes
a healthy, anti-inflammatory environment 70 per cent of your immune (frozen), 1 banana (cut up and frozen),
[in the body],’ says Turner. There’s no system. That’s why it’s important 350ml light coconut milk and 1⁄4 tsp
question that the immune system weakens to feed it foods that keep it ground cinnamon until smooth.
with age, but running might slow down the happy, such as yoghurt and
ageing process. Specifically, it seems to fermented fare such as kefir,
strengthen the adaptive (or acquired) says nutritionist Elizabeth Shaw.
immune system, says Jouhourian. The bacteria in these foods may
The adaptive immune system is learned help keep your gut bacteria in Oranges are touted as vitamin C
over time, meaning it creates antigens to balance. Adding turmeric, which superstars, but red peppers
fight specific infections. A 2018 study, has anti-inflammatory and deserve the title, because they
published in Aging Cell, found that cyclists antioxidant properties, may help contain nearly double your daily
between the ages of 55 and 79 had less to further boost your immunity. recommended intake, says Shaw.
immunosenescence – the medical term for Vitamin C aids the production of
immune-system deterioration associated SAVOURY YOGHURT DIP / white blood cells, and garlic can
with ageing – than adults in the same age Combine 75g plain Greek yogurt, amp things up – it has long been
group who did not exercise. What’s more, 2 tsp finely grated lemon zest, used in naturopathic medicine to
the researchers found that the older, more 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 spring onion help fight infection.
active subjects produced the same number (finely chopped), 1 tbsp chopped
of immune T cells (a type of white blood fresh mint, 1⁄2 tsp ground turmeric, GARLIC-MARINATED PEPPERS /
cell) as a 20-year-old. That means, Turner 1⁄4 tsp salt and a pinch of pepper. Quarter 2 large red peppers
says, older adults who are regularly active Serve with cucumbers for dipping. lengthwise and discard seeds.
might respond better to vaccines. A paper Arrange, skin-side up, on a baking
published in Brain, Behavior and Immunity sheet and grill until blistered and
supports this idea: Short workouts and blackened (5-7 mins). Transfer to a
long-term exercise significantly augment bowl, cover and let sit 5 mins, then
the immune response to vaccination. The tropical fruit is loaded with use a paper towel to remove skins.
But can you have too much of a good vitamin C, an antioxidant that In another bowl, whisk 1 tbsp each
thing? Overtraining can lead to a host of helps to keep your immune sherry vinegar and olive oil, 1 garlic
problems, including injury and burnout. But system strong. Pair it with clove (chopped) and ½ tsp each salt
while the received wisdom has been that it cinnamon, another antioxidant, and pepper. Cut red peppers into
can leave your defences weakened, whether for an extra infection-fighting pieces and toss with vinaigrette; let
WO R D S : H E AT H E R M AY E R I R V I N E A N D A LYS S A J U N G . I L L U S T R AT I O N S : D U S H A N M I L I C
it actually makes you more susceptible to punch, suggests Shaw. sit 10 mins before serving.
SHOULD I KEEP RUNNING IF THE COVID NUMBER SPIKES?

In two words: Yes, but... a high level of anxiety,’ but have it, and then In the long term, running touch your face or
says Dr Jouhourian. ‘Just you’re infecting other can bolster your immune surfaces,’ says Dr Adalja.
Running may not the stress can increase people if you go running.’ system, but as it pertains
suppress the immune your risk of infection.’ to preventing the spread And the big question…
system, but other factors Dr Turner says its of this disease, take ‘Will running save you
can, including increased Jouhourian advises best to avoid outdoor the advice of experts from Covid-19? No,’
stress, poor sleep and avoiding crowded roads, exercise if you have and health officials: says Jouhourian.
eating habits, and, of tracks and trails: ‘The symptoms: ‘The best ‘Maintain social ‘Are you more likely
course, exposure to problem with Covid-19 is advice is just rest and distancing, wash your to survive if you do
Covid-19. ‘Everyone has that you might feel fine stay at home.’ hands frequently, don’t get it? Yes.’

illness is still up for debate and, in fact, possibility that elite athletes are at greater immune function as potential culprits.
recent evidence suggests that it doesn’t. risk [for developing illness], but that’s ‘What is now very clear is that it’s not
But how you recover is key, says probably not because their immune exercise suppressing the immune system;
Jouhourian, pointing out that refuelling systems are suppressed.’ it’s thousands of people taking part in a
properly plays a key role in staving off In a debate paper published earlier marathon and inhaling droplets, touching
illness and injury. ‘Nutrition is really this year in Exercise Immunology Review, surfaces and not eating or sleeping well,’
important,’ she says. ‘Your immune Turner and Campbell point out that while says Turner.
system requires vitamins and minerals to athletes participat ing in a large marathon, The number-one risk factor for coming
function properly.’ Rest is important, too – for example, might report experiencing down with an illness is exposure, says
if you only slept two hours, exercise is higher levels of URI symptoms, these cases Adalja. ‘Remember, a virus has to get to
probably not beneficial, she adds. are often not confirmed with laboratory you from somewhere,’ he says. ‘Any type
tests. People may think they have a cold of social interaction in which you’re in
when it’s actually allergies or some other contact with a virus – travel, other people,
RISK AND REWARD noninfectious issues that have similar improper hygiene during a race like spitting
You may have read that elite athletes – who symptoms, says infectious-disease specialist or sharing water bottles – makes it more
undergo intense long-term training and Dr Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar with likely for you to come into contact with it.’
competition – might suffer from increased Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Keeping these factors in mind when you
rates of upper respiratory infections (or Health in the US. return to organised running events is key to
URIs), but experts are now also calling When infections do occur, experts now reducing your risk of infection, but in the
that thinking into question. ‘We’re still not point to other factors – some of which we meantime, the good news is that the latest
100 per cent sure if you can exercise too have all become very keenly aware of in science shows clocking the miles will boost
much,’ says Turner. ‘We don’t dismiss the recent months – besides compromised your body’s defences.

LIGHT
IN THE
DARKNESS
W O R D S : M AT I L DA E G E R E - C O O P E R
OLYMPIC

P H OTO G R A P H P R E V I O U S S P R E A D : B E T T M A N N /G E T T Y I M AG E S
IT WAS A TYPICALLY modest response from Jesse Owens as, days appearance would come at one of the most appalling periods in history,
before the beginning of the 1936 summer Olympics, he entertained a and it would be more momentous than even the spectacle of the Games.
young reporter who inquired how he’d react at the sound of the first Like his performances at meets across the US, Owens’s first Olympic
starter pistol. Going fast was hardly in doubt: it was all the sensational outing, on August 2, 1936, was a stunner. He effortlessly won his first
track and field athlete had done since his youth, leaving onlookers 100m heat by more than six metres, equalling his own world record of
bewildered whenever he graced a track meet. His astonishing speed 10.3 seconds. Later, in the afternoon’s quarter finals, he’d knock this
had earned him enough accolades to guarantee a spot – in fact, three down to 10.2 seconds – though officials disallowed it as a new record
– at the 11th Olympiad in Berlin. because of the tailwind. The next day, his semi-final heat drew him
He was the only US team member who qualified for multiple events: against Wykoff, who’d won gold in the 4x100 relays in 1928 and 1932. He
the 100m, 200m and long jump (then known as the broad jump). He’d overtook the Iowan at 80m to beat him by a tenth of a second, in 10.4.
be among other notable African-American teammates, including However, gold in the final, as ever the centrepiece of the Games,
revered sprinters Ralph Metcalfe and Frank Wykoff, but the 22-year- was by no means guaranteed. To claim it, Owens needed to ensure
old ‘one-man track team from Ohio State’ would affirm what everyone his unpredictable starts – his only flaw – didn’t allow the formidable
expected: he would be the highlight of the Games and the world would Metcalfe, his closest rival and 1932 Olympic silver medallist in the
be eagerly watching. But as a Black man headed to Nazi Germany, his 100m, to take the prize.

OLYMPIC
Previous page:
Jesse Owens
on the podium
To add to the tension, Owens was positioned in the inside lane, which after his long-
a 7.94m effort the German couldn’t match. For
was particularly muddy in the poor weather. However, a perfect start jump gold. good measure, Owens smashed Long’s briefly
propelled him down the track and he won gold in 10.3 seconds, again Left: After held Olympic record with his third jump,
P H OTO G R A P H S : U L L S T E I N B I L D/G E T T Y I M AG E S ,
equalling his world record. ‘This is the happiest day in my life,’ he said winning 100m a staggering 8.06m.
gold; Owens
afterwards. ‘I guess it’s the happiest I will ever have.’ (far right) and
Owen’s third medal should have been his
By the time he scooped medal two, for the broad jump, he was elated. others recover last. In the 200m final, he ran 20.7 seconds,
He wasn’t expecting to meet Germany’s Carl Ludwig ‘Luz’ Long, the after a heat; annihilating the world record to match ‘Flying
European record holder who had set a new Olympic record in the German long Finn’ Paavo Nurmi’s three golds in 1924. But
B E T T M A N N /G E T T Y I M AG E S
jumper ‘Luz’
preliminary rounds. ‘I was told Hitler had kept him under wraps, Long and
Owens was on a high, and told reporters
evidently hoping to win the jump with him,’ Owens revealed in 1960. Owens. he wanted to run the relay on August 9.
He later admitted that Long intimidated him, so much so that he fouled Above: The original relay team comprised Marty
on two of his qualifying jumps. But his rival gave him some advice that Winning his Glickman, Foy Draper, Sam Stoller and Frank
100m heat
would cement their friendship: if he jumped further back from behind Wykoff. The coaches intended to preserve the
the board, he’d avoid a foul and still meet the qualifying distance of best sprinters for the individual events, and
7.15m. The tip worked and in the final that afternoon, Owens jumped give the other runners a chance of medals. E

OLYMPIC
Left: Owens
Controversially, Glickman and Stoller were sets an OR in
replaced by Owens and Metcalfe. The media the long jump.
Right: Tommie
speculated the two, who were Jewish, were Smith (centre)
dropped to appease the Nazi regime. But as and John Carlos
African-Americans, Owens and Metcalfe (right) at the
weren’t exactly the favoured alternatives. 1968 Games
Hitler made no secret of his feelings about
black people; in Mein Kampf, he wrote: ‘The
Jews were responsible for bringing Negroes
into the Rhineland, with the ultimate idea of bastardising the white
race which they hate and thus lowering its cultural and political level
so that the Jew might dominate.’
US head coach Lawson Robertson insisted he made the switch not
because of anti-Semitism, but because he’d heard the German team
would pull out their best runners for the relay. That threat never
materialised, however, and in the final, Owens and Metcalfe built a
significant lead that helped Wykoff cross the finish line in 39.8 seconds
– a world-record time that stood until 1956.
For any athlete, winning four gold medals in an Olympics was
an extraordinary feat, but for Owens, a Black man in Nazi Berlin, it
transcended sport, demolishing Hitler’s agenda, which was to showcase
his warped ideology of Aryan superiority. Yet considering the runner’s
experiences in the United States, it was also deeply and painfully
ironic. His Olympic glory did little to diminish the prejudice in his own
country, a grim reality he’d faced since his birth in the Deep South.
A HARD ROAD
Born James Cleveland Owens in Oakville, Alabama, in 1913, Owens knew
STAND
extreme poverty; he was the last of 10 siblings, the son of sharecroppers, Three other moments when the Olympics
and the grandson of a slave. The emancipation President Abraham were used as a platform to highlight injustice
Lincoln proclaimed in 1863 to grant slaves freedom in the Confederate
States hadn’t translated into economic liberty for the Owens family. In
1922, they relocated to Cleveland, Ohio as part of the Great Migration, THE BLACK POWER two months prior to the
in which over six million African-Americans moved from the rural SALUTE, MEXICO / 1968 Games. Her protest made
south to the north, midwest and west, fleeing the harsh Jim Crow As Tommie Smith and John her an outcast in her own
laws and the ever-present threat of lynch mobs. Things were more Carlos received their medals country while it was under
progressive in Ohio, but only just. for the 200m in Mexico Soviet rule. But when the
A lthough his strong southern accent caused a teacher to City, the pair took a defiant Communist government
mispronounce his initials as ‘Jesse’, there was no confusion about his stance. Wearing black gloves, was ousted in 1989, she
natural running ability. A liberal PE teacher and track and field coach, the African-Americans found favour again, and
Charles Riley, noticed the young sprinter and took him under his raised their fists in the Black later became the President
wing. They trained together daily right through to Owens’ high school Power salute to express of the Czech National
years. Several ‘Big Ten’ US universities attempted to recruit Owens, their disdain towards the Olympic Committee.
but segregation hampered his eligibility for a college scholarship. He inequality they faced at
opted for the best offer, from Ohio State University, where he could home during the civil rights THE AFRICAN BOYCOTT,
pay his tuition fees by working part-time as a lift operator at the State movement. They were MONTREAL / 1976
House, while training and attending classes. expelled from the Games, In the summer of 1976, South
But he wasn’t allowed to live on campus and had to share a boarding but 40 years later, there were African police murdered
house with other Black students. He was often refused service in no regrets. ‘It was a cry for hundreds of anti-apartheid
restaurants and couldn’t visit movie theatres. Despite this, he became freedom and for human protestors in the Soweto
the first African-American captain of the Ohio State Buckeyes track rights,’ Smith said in 2008. uprising. In the same period,
team, where he was called the ‘Buckeye Bullet’. He flourished under the ‘We had to be seen because the New Zealand national
tutelage of Larry Snyder, a coach influenced by the running style used we couldn’t be heard.’ rugby team toured South
P H OTO G R A P H S : B E T T M A N N /G E T T Y I M AG E S , A L A M Y
by Nurmi and the Flying Finns in the 1920s. Snyder particularly wanted Africa, a move seen as
to help Owens improve his race starts and broad-jump style. In 1935, THE SOVIET FLAG SNUB, a tacit approval of the
their work paid off at what’s often regarded as the greatest 45 minutes MEXICO / 1968 apartheid regime. South
in the history of sport. At the Big Ten Intercollegiate Championships At the same Games, Czech Africa had been banned
in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Owens set three world records and tied a gymnast Vera Cáslavská from the Games since 1964,
fourth in less than an hour – with a back injury. made her own statement. but 28 African countries
The day would immortalise the 21-year-old in the public eye and, in an When she took to the podium boycotted when the IOC
ideal world, it would also have changed the way he was treated. Though with Soviet gymnast Larisa refused to exclude New
his reputation grew, he didn’t enjoy the privileges his achievements Petrik, she turned away as Zealand in 1976. The move
should have afforded him, and he faced implicit bias and overt racism. the Soviet flag was raised. raised awareness of the
Publications consistently framed him by his race, and epithets ranged It was her way of standing anti-apartheid movement
from ‘the Brown Bullet’ and ‘the ebony gazelle’ to ‘Ohio State Negro’ against the Soviet-led which New Zealand would
and ‘One of God’s chillun with wings’. Elsewhere, writers obsessed E invasion of Czechoslovakia later support.

over his physiology. Braven Dyer from the LA Times wrote: ‘The negro
star’s limbs are as shapely as those of a Follies girl. In fact, there is
further evidence of the feminine touch about Owens, who, however,
CAST
is an athlete of exceptional strength, in addition to speed. The boy’s The other African-American Olympic medallists
skin is almost silky and he wears a small shoe, size 7½. His feet are who rewrote the script in the 1936 Olympics
neither flat nor abnormally large, as is the case with many Negroes
and his heel does not jut out to any noticeable extent.’
Though Dyer may have been well intentioned, he played right into DAVID FREDERICK POLLARD JR /
the myth that Owens’ athleticism was an advantage of his race. This ALBRITTON / The son of an American football
had disturbing parallels with the way traders measured up slaves by Albritton took pioneer, Pollard initially followed
their physical attributes at auction blocks in the 19th century. Even silver in the high in his father’s footsteps, but his
Dean Cromwell, who coached Owens and other sprinters on the 1936 jump at the Berlin talent for the hurdles earned
Olympic team, claimed ‘that the Negro excels in the events he does Games. He later him a place on the 1936 Olympic
because he is closer to the primitive than the white man’. became a successful track team. At the Games, he won
These theories of black athletic superiority were refuted by and field coach. bronze in the 110m hurdles.
Dr William Montag ue Cobb, an African-A merican physical
anthropologist who concluded they were unfounded, much like the JAMES ELLIS LUVALLE / The RALPH
rationale behind the athletic success of Irish-Americans and the Finns, track star took bronze in the METCALFE /
which also suggested racial superiority. ‘Industry, training, incentive 400m final. He later became Metcalfe won
and outstanding courage, rather than physical characteristics are renowned for his scientific 100m silver at the
responsible for the young Negro sprinter’s accomplishments,’ wrote career. He graduated with a PhD 1932 Games and
Cobb. It was also more likely that black competitors were becoming in chemistry in 1940, and was the did the same in
more prominent as the barriers to their participation were lowered. first African-American to work Berlin, before joining Owens to
Issues of racial inequality may have stopped Owens from even at the Eastman Kodak Company. secure gold in the 4×100m.
competing in Berlin, however, as many groups called for the US
to boycott the 1936 Olympics. Involvement could be seen as an CORNELIUS ARCHIE WILLIAMS / He set
endorsement of Hitler’s ideology, said Judge Jeremiah Mahoney, JOHNSON / the WR for the 400m in 1936
president of the Amateur Athletic Union and a devout Irish-American After a fourth before heading to the Olympics;
Catholic. Black publications, such as New York’s Amsterdam News, also place in 1932, the despite running 0.4 seconds
discouraged Black athletes from taking part, convinced this refusal Los Angeles-born outside his PB, he took gold and
would support the African-American fight for equality. high jumper set an OR of 46.5 seconds. Later,
Owens wasn’t one for rocking boats. ‘I wanted no part of politics,’ struck gold in Berlin with an he became one of the first black
he said of his feelings at the time. ‘And I wasn’t in Berlin to compete Olympic record 2.03m. pilots in US military history.
against any one athlete. The purpose of the Olympics, anyway, was
to do your best. As I’d learned long ago from Charles Riley, the only
victory that counts is the one over yourself.’ He signed a letter along a Finn who won the first medals, but left the stadium when Cornelius
with several other athletes expressing their desire to go – and even Johnson, an African-American, won gold in the high jump. Hitler then
when the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People declined to meet any winners thereafter. Owens himself pointed to
(NAACP) wrote to him to reconsider, he didn’t change his stance. issues closer to home: ‘When I came back, after all those stories about
The efforts made by Avery Brundage, president of the US Olympic Hitler and his snub, I came back to my native country and I could not
Committee, to counter the boycott proved fruitful. Brundage, who was ride in the front of the bus. I had to go to the back door. I couldn’t live
an anti-Semite and admired Hitler, won key votes on the decision at the where I wanted. Now what’s the difference?’
AAU convention in 1935, which led to Mahoney resigning. But while
the boycott bombed, there were merits to the concerns about Berlin.
On the first day of the Games, Hitler congratulated the Germans and BROKEN DREAMS
He had a point. Owens didn’t receive a telegram of congratulations or
an invitation to the White House from President Franklin D Roosevelt
– unlike the white Olympians. And when invited to a reception held in
his honour at the Waldorf Astoria hotel, he had to use the service lift.
Still, he hoped the Games would be his ticket to fulfilling the American
Dream, as he struggled as an amateur athlete with a young family to
support, and wouldn’t get a chance to finish his degree. After the Games,
he sent out this statement: ‘I am turning professional because, first of
all I’m busted and know the difficulties encountered by any member of
my race in getting financial security. Secondly, because if I have money,
I can help my race and perhaps become like Booker T. Washington.’
Owens subsequently dropped out of a European exhibition tour
P H OTO G R A P H S : A L A M Y, G E T T Y I M AG E S
organised by the IOC and AAU. As a pro, Owens had the chance
to follow up on several lucrative offers back in the US, including
$40,000 (£30,000, or £600,000 in today’s money) to appear with
entertainer Eddie Cantor. The decision led Brundage to suspend him
from all amateur athletic competitions, killing his athletic career.
‘This suspension is very unfair,’ Owens told the Chicago Defender. ‘All
we athletes get out of this Olympic business is a view out of a train or
airplane window. It gets tiresome. It really does. This track business
is becoming one of the biggest rackets in the world. The AAU gets
the money. It gets all the money collected in the United States and

then comes over to Europe and takes half the
OLYMPIC
proceeds here. A fellow desires something
for himself.’
His move into entertainment did not work
out, and the offers dried up. He resorted to
stunts to make ends meet, racing trains, cars,
baseball players and even a race horse in Cuba.
‘People said it was degrading for an Olympic
champion to run against a horse, but what was
I supposed to do?’ he said later. ‘I had four gold
medals, but you can’t eat four gold medals.
There was no television, no big advertising,
no endorsements then. Not for a Black man,
anyway. Things were different then.’
In 1939, Owens filed for bankruptcy when
his attempt to launch a chain of dry-cleaning
businesses failed. He’d take on a variety of
roles over the next decade and a half – from
heading up fitness and education programmes
to working at the Ford Motor Company and,
later, setting up his own PR agency. But when
President Dwight Eisenhower appointed him
as a US goodwill ambassador to tour Asia in
1955, his fortunes improved; the well-paid gig
lasted right into the 1970s.
PLACE IN HISTORY
While things improved in his personal
life, how he perceived himself as a Black
man remained puzzling to many. For some
time, he appeared to endorse the tenets
of respectability politics – the idea that
an oppressed group could receive better
treatment by behaving in a way that conforms
to the dominant standards in society. This
beca me appa rent in h is 1970 memoir,
Blackthink: My Life as a Black Man and White
P H OTO G R A P H S : G E T T Y I M AG E S , A L A M Y, B O B T H O M AS S P O R T S P H OTO G R A P H Y/G E T T Y I M AG E S , A P/S H U T T E R S TO C K
Man, where he criticised Tommie Smith and

John Carlos, the two athletes expelled for
raising their fists on the podium in a Black
Power salute at the 1968 Olympic Games.
‘These kids are imbued with the idea that
there’s a great deal of injustice in our nation,’
he wrote. ‘In their own way, they were trying
to bring out what is wrong in our country.
I told them that the problem certainly
belonged in the continental borders of
America. This was the wrong battlefield.
Their running performances would have done
more to alleviate the problem.’
This reprimand would tarnish his reputation
in the Black community. Many saw him as a
hero and expected him, a son of the Jim Crow Clockwise from
South, to have stronger views on racism. But in top: Owens in a
parade held in New
his 1972 book, I Have Changed, he re-evaluated
York after the 1936
his stance. ‘I realised now that militancy in the Games; 1976, First
best sense of the word was the only answer was always judged by the colour of his skin. But before he died from Lady Betty Ford
where the black man was concerned, that any cancer, in 1980, at age of 66, there was some attempt at redress. An admires Owens’
Medal of Freedom,
black man who wasn’t a militant in 1970 was honorary doctorate from Ohio State University and an appointment
while President Ford
either blind or a coward.’ to the US Olympic Committee felt like atonement for the premature looks on; Owens
Jesse Owens spent his life striving to be end of his athletic prospects in the 1930s. He was also inducted into at home in 1975;
defined by his merits, not his race. He was a the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1974 and received the in 1942, when he
was US national
proud American who felt indebted to his Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1976. His long road didn’t pay off
coordinator of
country, but he was also a Black man whose with an abundance of wealth, but his legacy as one of the greatest racial activities
extraordinary athletic accomplishments could athletes of all time, a man who defied Hitler and the Nazi regime,
only take him so far in a country where he remains untouchable.

Find your running DNA..................p68
Jo Pavey on good cadence.............p71
Make the most of every run...........p72
Easy egg recipes............................p76
The power of antioxidants.............p79
REACH your PERSONAL BEST
Find the running shoe for you........p80
P H OTO G R A P H : T R E VO R R A A B, L I S A S H I N E
SOLE MATES
You can have a GPS watch with
its own satellite and clothes made
from the wings of mayflies, but if
you don’t have the right running
shoes, you’re going nowhere.

STRONG
WE ALL RESPOND TO and enjoy your physiology and preferences, your
different types of training. strengths and potential weaknesses.
Some of us love the feeling Rarely will a runner bend the plan
and thrill of going fast, towards her or his needs.
RUNNING IS
while some of us shy away from the It is easy to fall into the trap of
quick stuff and trust in our ability assuming there is one ‘correct’ plan.
P H OTO G R A P H : J O R DA N S I E M E N S /G E T T Y I M AG E S
to endure. But how should these You might swap days around a bit here
instincts and preferences influence and there, but otherwise you try to
IN YOUR DNA
the way you train? stick to it, or you find yourself falling
When presented with a training off the plan as the weeks go by.
plan, more often than not you will try There might be a few essential
to bend your mind and body to every ingredients you want to include, but
session in that plan. However, unless how these are incorporated can look
Know your basic running makeup that plan has been specifically designed very different from one runner to the
for you, it only considers one piece of next. Determining your ‘running DNA’
to unlock your best training the training puzzle – the demands of and individualising your training is key
the event you are training for. The to sustaining your enjoyment and
other essential ingredient is you, progression over the long term.

ARE YOU AN ENDURANCE
MONSTER OR SPEED DEMON?
Having a sense of your ‘running DNA’
is a good starting point if you want to
individualise your training. In his book
The Science of Running, running coach
Steve Magness makes a distinction
between ‘fast-twitch’ and ‘slow-twitch’
runners. I’ll use the terms ‘speed
demon’ and ‘endurance monster’
because, for me, your ‘running DNA’
is more than just muscles – it’s what
you enjoy, what motivates you, what
you can recover from and what you
believe works for you. It’s not defined
by an event, meaning you can have
endurance-monster 5K runners
and speed-demon ultrarunners. E

TRAINING
ADAPTING THE SESSIONS

Here are a few examples of how different sessions can achieve a similar
Being aware of and responding to physiological response for different types of runners
where you fall on the scale between
the two extremes can help you shape
your training plan. Or you might just
need to know why you struggle in ENDURANCE MONSTER SPEED DEMON
some sessions more than others.
15-20 x 75 secs at 10K pace or
The endurance monster
LACTATE a little faster, with 20-30-secs’
As an endurance monster, you can 20-25 minutes at 10-mile effort
THRESHOLD rest or very slow jog
regularly cope with higher volumes
between efforts
of training and will often feel that
you recover quite quickly between
your runs and sessions. You are the
sort of runner who can tackle quite 3 sets of 4 x (400m) with 60 secs’
INTERVAL 14x400m, with 45-60-secs’
a few races close together, including rest between efforts and 2-3
SESSION jogged recovery.
longer events. Often, you might find minutes between sets
that you can run a bit quicker on your
easy runs and long runs than your
training partners and you will respond
quite well to running ‘steady’ as well as
Continuous hills between Shorter, harder hills between
‘easy’. Because your body tends to be
HILLS 5-10 minutes running up and 30 and 120 seconds, with slow
quite good at burning stored fats, you
down at 7/10 effort jog or walk recovery
find you are often quite strong towards
the end of longer runs.
Sometimes you feel that you will
struggle for gears in shorter intervals Steadier long runs with blocks of
– you might find that your paces don’t Slower long runs with a gradual
race pace towards the end; try
change hugely between a 60-second LONG RUNS progression in pace if you
2:30 with the final 60 mins at
effort and a four-minute effort, for feel good
marathon pace
example. If you’re an endurance
monster, try jogging your recoveries
in an interval session rather than Will often respond well to adding Keep the sessions run at
stopping to recover. marathon pace at the end of marathon pace to 10-mile pace to
MARATHON
It’s good for you to keep doing interval sessions or long runs. the minimum necessary. Try
PACE
strides after your easy runs to keep Tempo runs at marathon pace 8-10 x 2km at marathon pace,
some feeling of speed in your legs. between 10 and 15 miles with 60-90-secs’ jog recovery
If you use an online race-pace
calculator, you often beat their
predicted times over long races but
over short distances of 3-5km, you Efforts of 3-6 minutes, with faster Efforts of 45-120 seconds, with
FARTLEK
might be a bit slower than others. -paced ‘steady’ run recoveries easier run recoveries
The speed demon

The speed demon needs to be more
aware of good recovery between
Strides run progressively over Short sprints on a hill or flat
sessions. If this is you, you might
SPEEDWORK 15-20 seconds, aiming to reach terrain, between 8-10 seconds,
need to run fewer miles in your
maximum pace in final 5 seconds with very long recoveries
week and consider extra rest or some
more cross-training to supplement
your running.
In an interval session, you might
find you respond better to static
recoveries if you break that session bullet. The basics – sensible balance of endurance-monster approach. It’s going
into sets with longer recoveries volume and intensity, good recovery to be a bit of a blend for most runners.
between each than you are used to. and good nutrition, and making sure However, taking the time to reflect
Because your body burns glycogen your training is specific to your goal and respond to the type of training you
at faster rates, you should try backing event – still need to be in place. know will work best for you, as well
off to easier-paced recovery runs and Of course, we also sometimes need as thinking about the event you are
slowing the pace of your long runs, and to work on our weaknesses as well as training for, will see you respond
you might not respond as well as other being aware of our strengths, so none better to your training and enjoy
runners to adding harder efforts into of these are hard and fast rules. It’s not the process that bit more.
your long run. a binary choice between one training
approach or another. You might have
MAKING IT WORK IN PRACTICE times when you feel you are better Tom Craggs is an England national team
Taking time to individualise your suited to more of a speed-demon coach and owner of Fast Running Coaching
training in this way is not a magic approach; at other times, more of an (fastrunning.com/frc)

TRAINING
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

BY OUR RESIDENT OLYMPIAN What’s a good exercise
that strengthens your
BY JO PAVEY core for running?
A basic plank is a great
core exercise; it’s not
complicated and it’s
possible to add variations
once you’ve mastered it.
Lie face down with

your weight through the
balls of your feet and
Jo’s tip: your forearms, and your
Don’t elbows bent and under
neglect your shoulders. Keep
your core
your back, hips, head
and neck in alignment.
Aim for 3 × 15-20 secs
hold with 15 secs’ recovery.
Core-stability You may be able to hold
workouts are an the exercise for longer
important part but this is not necessary.
of a runner’s A progression is to lift
schedule. So one foot slightly off the
even if you find ground, then repeat
yourself pushed on the other side. Side
for time in a busy planks (face to one side
week, don’t with your weight on one
neglect this forearm and the side of
aspect of your feet) work the
training. Even a lateral abs and gluteus
few minutes of medius, important for
core exercises pelvic stability.
(such as the
OUT FOR plank, right), two Is it OK to take walk
THE COUNT or three times breaks as I increase my
Knowing your a week, at mileage? I run around
cadence can
improve stride
home, will pay two 5Ks and one or two
efficiency dividends. The shorter runs per week but
pandemic has am feeling a bit stuck.
P H OTO G R A P H : G E T T Y I M AG E S . * P L E A S E N OT E : J O PAV E Y I S U N A B L E TO R E S P O N D D I R E C T LY TO Q U E R I E S
also led runners Yes. You’ll enjoy your

who may running more and feel
previously have more motivated if you feel
How important is my cadence? gone to a gym to
find inventive
you’re coping well with
mileage increase. To go
ways of doing further than your 5km
Is it an aspect of my running strength-and-
conditioning
run, take the walk breaks
before you start to feel
that I should try to improve? workouts at
home. It’s fine
too tired. Try walking for
3-5 mins every 1-2.5km,
for most runners depending on how you feel,
Cadence (how many strides or steps you focus on landing with your foot below to carry out and only increase the
take per minute) varies from runner to your bent leading knee while shortening functional length of your longest
runner, and is affected by your mechanics, your stride; this increases your cadence. exercises using run by a maximum of
height, fitness and the speed at which It’s useful to occasionally assess your their own body 10 per cent each week.
you’re running. So there’s not an exact cadence and how it is affected by the weight, and Combining walking and
number that everyone should aim for. To type of run – ie it will be higher during a perhaps some running is really a type
improve your running, it’s best to prioritise speed workout than a recovery run. Then basic equipment of low-intensity interval
speed, endurance and conditioning you can get a marker for each workout (eg dumbbells session. If you take the
rather than counting your strides. type and note how it changes as your or a resistance walk break after every
However, cadence does have relevance fitness progresses. As you get stronger, band) at home. 1km, you’ll naturally be
in terms of achieving optimal running your cadence may be lower at a certain able to go a bit faster
economy and an efficient stride. A low pace because you’re exerting more power on the running sections.
cadence may be related to overstriding, with each stride, and your ground contact But don’t push too hard
which puts more stress through the joints time decreases too. Speedwork, hill work to begin with, and only
and reduces momentum by causing a and strength-and-conditioning sessions attempt the slightly faster
slight braking action. To address this, will help improve your leg power. pace on one run per week.

TIME WILL TELL
When it comes
to training, you
can make every
minute count

TRAINING
TIME IS ON YOUR SIDE

Whether you have 10 minutes or two hours to spare for your run,
here’s how to make the most of your available training time
A COMMON RUNNER’S QUESTION IS: how do I best use the limited time available in
between all the chores and tasks of daily life? The answer depends on how
much time you can spare for running – but also on the purpose of your training.
Here, we offer eight highly effective workouts with durations from 10-120 minutes
to help you use your time budget most efficiently. One or two of these workouts per week
should be enough to give your training a push in the right direction (see Advantages). On
the other days, you can do an easy run or some other type of training that suits your time,
desires and mood. Don’t let time be a tyrant when it comes to your training.
The 10-minute workout The 20-minute workout
Advantages / Quick and simple. Advantages / A cardiovascular

How to do it / There are two variants. workout that doesn’t take long. Great
The second is slightly harder. preparation for hilly runs, because it
Option 1 / Run faster than your usual strengthens the quads.
training pace (don’t sprint) for 10 steps How to do it / The basic principle is
on each foot. Return to an easier pace a sequence of steep hill runs of one
for the next 10 steps on each foot, then minute, alternating with recovery of
do 20 fast steps on each foot, followed one minute. There are 10 reps in all.
by 20 easy steps (count how often your Take a couple of minutes to warm up
right foot lands). Continue the increases and warm down. If you prefer to do the
by 10 steps each time until you have workout outside, you’ll need to find an
WO R D S : M A R T I N G R U N I N G . P H OTO G R A P H : G E T T Y I M AG E S
reached 60 quick and 60 easy steps. incline that will allow you to run up for
Then reduce by 10 until you’re back to a full minute. In the recovery break,
10 quick and 10 easy. In total, this should jog back to the start. You can reduce
take about 10 minutes. the training load by shortening the
Option 2 / The exertion curve for this intervals to 30 seconds and increasing
workout rises to the middle and then the reps to 20. This is a good option if
drops off. Start for one minute at an you can’t find a hill that is long enough.
easy pace, then start getting quicker You could also do this on a treadmill
every minute or two until you reach at that allows an incline of 12-15 per cent.
least your 5K race pace for minutes five It requires a little experimentation to
and six. Then slow down every minute find the maximum incline that you can
or two until the 10 minutes are up. tolerate for the 10 reps. In the recovery
Bear in mind / This is a short session, minutes, just jump off the treadmill.
but demanding. If you have time, walk Bear in mind / When you find the right
for a couple of minutes to loosen your pace and incline, this is a highly efficient
muscles before starting. and intensive training session. E

TRAINING
The 30-minute workout The 40-minute workout The 50-minute workout
Advantages / Improves performance Advantages / Better running economy Advantages / A classic combination
over all race distances by raising (thanks to more efficient oxygen of speed endurance and running
the lactate threshold (race pace at utilisation), increased cadence and economy for anyone looking to
which oxygen demand and oxygen improved ability to run at pace. improve their times for distances
consumption remain in balance). How to do it / Warm up for 10 minutes up to 10K. This session trains your
Improves ability to run comfortably on a track or measured section of path. concentration and the ability to
at a higher pace. Run 2x200m at a pace matching your maintain an even pace.
How to do it / After a five-minute best average pace for four laps (1,600m) How to do it / Warm up for 10 minutes
warm-up comes a faster 20-minute run of a track or a mile race. The second at a jog and then run 5x4 minutes at a
that should be around six seconds per 200m should begin two minutes after fast pace, with a three-minute jogging
kilometre slower than your current starting the first 200m. After two more break between each rep. Here, ‘fast’
10K race pace. This pace should be minutes (measured from the beginning means an effort that you feel you can
‘comfortably hard’, with the effort of the fast interval), run 400m at the maintain for 10-15 minutes, so at the
being between your easy training pace same pace as you ran the 200m section. end of the four minutes you should feel
and a harder interval-run pace. Finish Continue to jog until eight minutes as if you could keep going for a few
with five minutes of gentle jogging. after the beginning of the speed more minutes. End the session with
Bear in mind / The aim of a speed intervals (or four minutes from the start five minutes of jogging.
endurance run is not to exhaust of the 400m interval). That’s one set. Do Bear in mind / Here are some useful
yourself completely. You should feel two more sets and then warm down. guidelines for interval training: 1) The
quite tired at the end, but also have the Bear in mind / Stick to the timings. recovery phases should be the same
feeling that you could continue if you They are tailored to 5K and 10K length as, or slightly shorter than, the
had to. Because the goal here is to runners, but if you’re more at home running phase. 2) The total distance
maintain an even pace, a track is over middle-distance, you can increase of the hardest efforts shouldn’t exceed
the perfect place for this session. your pace in the 400m. 10 per cent of your weekly distance.
The 60-minute workout The 90-minute workout The 120-minute workout
Advantages / This workout is ideal if Advantages / Improves running Advantages / Helps your body get
you’re not focused on a specific race efficiency and increases lactate accustomed to conserving its energy
distance. It switches between paces and threshold. You also learn how to be supplies, raises the lactate threshold,
improves running efficiency, cadence more comfortable at a faster training improves efficiency and prepares you
and concentration. By switching pace. This provides the same aerobic for long runs at a relatively quick pace.
between long, brisk sections to even effects in 90 minutes and burns as many How to do it / Warm up for 10 minutes;
faster short ‘speed injections’, you will calories as a two-hour run (in addition then do 20 minutes at threshold pace
improve your ability to finish strongly. to the interval-training effect). and 60 minutes at long-run pace. Then
How to do it / After a 10-minute jog, do How to do it / Start by warming up for do 20 minutes at threshold pace before
three reps of six minutes at threshold 10 minutes; then run for 20 minutes at ending with 10 easy minutes. The first
pace (approximately six seconds per threshold pace (about six seconds per pace section can be split up into 2x9
kilometre slower than your 10K race kilometre slower than your 10K race minutes, with a two-minute jogging
pace), with a one-minute jogging break pace) and then for 60 minutes at your break, while the final quick section can
after the first two faster reps and three long-run pace. The 20 ‘quick’ minutes also be done as 3x6 minutes, with a
minutes of jogging after the third rep. can also be done as 2x9 minutes with jogging minute between each rep. The
Then run 3x1km at a fast pace. After two minutes of jogging, or 3x6 minutes intensity of this workout can be varied
the first 1,000m, jog for two minutes; each, with one minute of recovery by shortening or lengthening the quick
after the second, jog for four minutes. jogging. Another variation, which will sections, but make sure that the total
The workout is finished off with either further increase your staying power, time of the threshold-pace sections
4x200m or 2x400m at approximately is to do the 20 minutes at threshold does not exceed 50 minutes.
your mile race pace. The quick 200m pace after the 70 easier minutes. This Bear in mind / This is harder than
sections begin every two minutes, while workout is intended as preparation for your normal two-hour run and should
the quick 400m sections begin every a marathon or half marathon, but it can not replace it often – no more than
four minutes, each with jog recoveries provide a welcome change from tempo once every three weeks and not in
in between. Cool down for five minutes. runs for 5K and 10K runners. the two weeks before a marathon.

EGG TO DIFFER
What eggs lack in novelty, they more than
make up for in versatility and nutritional clout.
Here are four tasty new ways to dish them up
Green breakfast burrito

How do you like your eggs in the morning? With extra
protein? Good. Adding spinach to the protein from
the eggs makes this an excellent postrun brekkie.
473 kcals; 18g protein

28g carbs; 33g fat 1 Start by melting the butter
Serves 2 in a medium saucepan, then
stir in the eggs. As they begin
to set, add the spinach and
1½ tbsp butter the salt and pepper.
4 large eggs, beaten 2 Stir continuously until the
2 handfuls of spinach, eggs are softly scrambled
chopped – around 2 mins. Then pour
2 wholewheat tortillas the eggs into the wraps and
1 avocado, sliced top with the avocado slices
2 tbsp tomato salsa and the tomato salsa.
Salt and pepper
AIDS
RECOVERY
Polenta, kale and egg

Yellow may be the new green, says research in the Journal of
Agricultural and Food Chemistry, which found that foods made
from milled yellow corn (polenta) contain immunity-boosting
carotenoids that are easier to digest than those in spinach.

18g carbs; 22g fat; 1 In a saucepan, bring the
Serves 2 milk, water and 1 tsp salt
to the boil over a high
heat, then add the polenta
120ml milk and whisk.
350ml water 2 Meanwhile, fry the kale in
100g polenta the olive oil and crack in the
1 bunch of kale, chopped eggs. Season, then cover the
2 glugs of olive oil pan until the yolks are just
2 large eggs soft. Serve the egg and kale
Salt and pepper alongside the polenta.
BOOSTS
IMMUNITY

FUEL
BUSTS
HUNGER
Turkish eggs
Aubergine is a great source of dietary fibre. Combined with
the red pepper, also rich in fibre, this makes for a meal that
will keep things moving, if you follow. And we know you do.

5g carbs; 18g fat 1 Heat the oil in a large
Serves 2 saucepan on a high heat,
and add the aubergine and
pepper. Season, then fry for
1 tbsp olive oil 7 mins until softened.
½ aubergine, diced 2 Add the eggs and paprika,
½ red pepper, diced then season again. Stir
4 large eggs, beaten regularly until the eggs are
2 toasted wholewheat softly scrambled, then serve
pitta breads in the pittas with a dollop of
Pinch of paprika yoghurt and parsley.
Salt and pepper
Dollop of Greek yoghurt
Handful of parsley,
chopped
SUPPORTS
DIGESTION Egg drop soup
The protein hit from the eggs and spinach, combined
with the fibre-rich peas, makes for an easy-to-prepare,
ingredient-light meal that will fill you up for hours.
WO R D S : M A R K S A N S O M . P H OTO G R A P H S : L I S A S H I N E . F O O D S T Y L I N G : KA R E N E VA N S

17g carbs; 16g fat 1 Make your stock. Boil a
Serves 2 kettle, add a couple of stock
cubes to a jug and top with
boiling water.
950ml chicken stock 2 Simmer the stock, then add
100g frozen peas the peas, chilli and spinach.
1 chilli, sliced Once the spinach has wilted
1 bag of spinach and the peas are warmed
3 large eggs, lightly beaten through, add the eggs.
6 spring onions, sliced 3 Season and add the spring
1 tbsp soy sauce onions, soy sauce and
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil sesame oil. Done.
Salt and pepper

FUEL
NUTRITION ADVICE FOR

HEALTHY, HUNGRY RUNNERS
BY KIM PEARSON
What are free radicals? Therefore, it’s important to foods their colours are often
Before we get into minimise our exposure to also antioxidants. For
antioxidants and their free radical generators and example, beta carotene,
benefits, we first need to to understand how we can which gives plant foods
understand free radicals. combat their effects. their yellow, orange or red
HEAVY
These are molecules with colour, is found in carrots,
one or more unpaired What are antioxidants? sweet potato, butternut
electrons in their outer shell The good news is that we squash and peppers. This
(remember your chemistry can take action to protect is the reason for the ‘eat
HITTERS
teacher drawing these on ourselves from the effects of a rainbow of colours’
the blackboard at school?). free radical damage and this message, so eating a wide
To replace the missing is where antioxidants come variety of different-coloured
electron(s) – electrons in. Antioxidants are a type vegetables is a great way
like to be in pairs – they of molecule that can to up your intake. I advise
Antioxidants: what are rob other cells of their neutralise free radicals by my clients to aim for a
they and why are they so electrons, resulting in donating an electron to minimum of three portions
damage to the cells. stabilise the free radical of veg or salad with lunch
important for runners? This process is understood molecule and preventing and three with dinner.
to contribute to many the harm they cause. They Other sources include
diseases. And one scientific include vitamins C and E, the minimally processed dark
theory, known as the ‘free minerals zinc and selenium chocolate, unroasted nuts
radical theory of ageing’, and plant compounds such and red wine. Not that I
proposes that ageing is as proanthocyanidins in recommend relying entirely
the cumulative result of cranberries, blueberries on chocolate and wine for
oxidative damage to the and plums, catechins in your antioxidant intake.
cells and tissues of the green tea and lycopene Sorry about that!
body caused by free in tomatoes.
radicals. In short, while What about antioxidant
they are naturally occurring Why are they important supplements?
and unavoidable, it’s for runners? A variety of antioxidant
important to keep our free We all generate free radicals supplements are available
radical load in check. as a result of producing on the market and their
energy, but as runners, we quality varies hugely.
How are they are likely to be generating I always recommend taking
produced? more energy to fuel our runs a ‘food first’ approach to
The body compared with less-active nutrition, but you might
naturally individuals. More energy wish to consider a good-
produces free production equals more quality antioxidant
radicals when free radicals and, therefore, supplement if you feel you
P H OTO G R A P H : K R I S K I R K H A M
it converts more potential damage could benefit and would

food to usable to our cells. It’s important be missing out otherwise.
energy, in the that we counteract these Vitamin C is one of the most
same way that cars effects by ensuring that potent and well-researched
produce CO2 when turning we have a sufficient intake antioxidants. On the run,
petrol into energy. This is an of antioxidants. I take YourZooki Liposomal
essential metabolic process Vitamin C (£39.99 for
but there can be external Where can I get them? 30 sachets, yourzooki.com)
contributors, too. Free There are many dietary squeezed into water.
radicals are created through sources of antioxidants but,
smoking, drinking alcohol, unfortunately, we typically
eating fried foods and don’t eat enough of them. Kim Pearson is a qualified
the ingestion of certain Fruit and vegetables are nutritionist with more than
medications and among the best sources 12 years’ experience. Web:
pesticides, and from of antioxidants. The kim-pearson.com; Twitter and
inhaling polluted air. compounds that give plant Instagram: @kimmypearson

EYES ON THE SIZE
The fit of your shoe is critical to your stride – here’s how
to get it right so you can move with ease
ZERO-DROP, CARBON-FIBRE ways. Furthermore, trying on the shoe

PL ATES , minimalist or is the only way for you to know how
maximalist – runners love to comfortable it is. Go later in the day or
discuss and debate the latest after a run, when your feet are more
shoe types and features. Far fewer swollen, says Vincent. See the panel
long-run chats and online forums are (right) on what to look out for when you
dedicated to discussing running-shoe try on a shoe.
size. But how well a shoe matches the
length, width and shape of your feet What happens when you wear
may actually matter as much, if not the wrong-size running shoes?
more than, as the cushioning that goes If you wear shoes that are too short,
underneath them. ‘From a kinetic- your toes can butt up against the front.
chain standpoint, your foot is the first This, says Vincent, contributes to the
point of contact with the ground; your bane of runners’ existence – black and
whole skeletal structure is supported missing toenails. This contact can
by your feet,’ says exercise physiologist also damage toe ligaments and the
Allison Bowersock. Here’s how to find metatarsals, leading to deformities such
a shoe that fits – and what can go as hammer toes, he says. Over time, you
wrong when you wear one that doesn’t. can also develop Freiberg’s infraction
– a stress fracture of the second
How to find a running shoe that fits metatarsal – from repeated impact.
Conventional wisdom holds that your Plus, squeezing your toes together
running shoes should be about a size too tightly forces the muscles of your
bigger than your usual size. There’s a foot out of alignment, says Gray. As a
grain of truth to that – increased blood result, you might feel foot fatigue and
flow and swelling during and after develop pain in your arches, or bunions.
exercise do make your feet expand, so At the front of your ankle, there’s a
your running shoes tend to be larger. bundle of nerves, tendons and blood
However, because of sizing variations vessels, says Vincent. They’re secured
in all types of shoes, there are too many by a tight band of tissue, but running
variables to know exactly how the shoes that fit too snugly can compress FIT FOR PURPOSE
If you don’t have
numbers will align, says Kevin Vincent, them, causing pain around the top of
shoes that fit well,
associate professor at the University your foot or numbness and tingling you are asking
of Florida, US, and director of the throughout them. for trouble
UF Running Medicine Clinic. Going too big, meanwhile, means
So, start with some hard data: if you your foot shifts around in your shoe.
haven’t had your feet measured since If a shoe doesn’t lock down over your
you were at school, go for a fitting. navicular bone, your foot can move
The length and width of your feet
change because of factors such as
back and forth with each step. The
rubbing of shifting shoes and bunching ‘YOUR FOOT IS THE FIRST
ageing, injuries and pregnancy.
‘The size you wore when you were
socks against skin creates blisters, says
Vincent. Plus, you can end up with POINT OF CONTACT WITH
18 might not be the same size you bruised toes and toenails this way, as
THE GROUND; YOUR WHOLE
WO R D S : C I N DY KU Z M A . P H OTO G R A P H : T R E VO R R A A B
wear when you’re 42, just like you’re your foot bangs into the front of the
probably not wearing the same size
trousers,’ says Geoffrey Gray, a
shoe with each slide, notes Gray.
Finally, if you’re wearing stability SKELETAL STRUCTURE IS
physiotherapist, and the founder and
director of research at footwear-testing
shoes that have a rigid medial post
(a piece of EVA plastic in the midsole), SUPPORTED BY YOUR FEET’
company Heeluxe (heeluxe.com). getting the sizing wrong in either
‘And that’s OK. But we need to get direction can alter where it falls on
those measurements to know how to your instep. You may inadvertently put
change it.’ In fact, he recommends pressure on your plantar nerves, which
getting measured once a year. run across the bottom of your feet, says
Ideally, you’d have this done at Vincent. Constriction there can cause
a specialist running shop. Trained numbness, tingling, and pain on the
salespeople have a feel for which bottom of your foot that can mimic
brands run large or small and in which conditions such as plantar fasciitis.

TRAINING
FIT TO
BE TRIED
How to assess the
size of a shoe
Take the insole

out of the shoe
and stand on it – it
should match your
foot. Your toes should
not spill over the front
or sides and the tip
should come to a
point roughly where
your toes narrow.
Put the insole

back in and put
the shoes on. Lace
them tightly enough
to lock the shoe over
the top of your foot,
but not so tightly that
you constrict nerves.
You should be able to
slide a finger between
knot and shoe.
Stand up and
check the feel
and fit. You want
about a thumbnail’s
worth of width
between your longest
toe and the front of
the shoe (your longest
toe may be your
second toe). As for
width, check there’s
little to no pressure
on your little toe and
only slight pressure
on your big toe.
How often do runners wear the And women tend to have a greater Walk and, if
wrong-size shoe – and why? differential in width between heel and possible, run.
About three-quarters of the people forefoot, but are often squeezed into Check that your heel
tested in Gray’s lab are wearing the shoes that narrow near the toes for doesn’t slip and that
wrong-size shoe, mostly too small. aesthetic reasons, says Vincent. nothing pinches or
There’s no standard for what sizing Shoes in wider widths are marked rubs against your
numbers mean, says Gray, so sizing with letters, from B onward for women, ankle. Also, check the
can be inconsistent between brands. or D onward for men. Meanwhile, fabric of the upper –
Sizes can also shift when a company a few brands – eg Altra – have wider if it gathers, you might
releases a new version of a shoe. toeboxes even in regular widths. That’s need a smaller size
‘Sometimes it doesn’t fit the same often better for conditions like bunions, and if it bulges or
because the material changes or how where your forefoot needs more space. stretches, you might
they did the construction of the Given all these variables, finding the need to go bigger.
forefoot changes – and every time they right size in your ideal brand and model
change the forefoot, you can change can take some fine-tuning. You might Don’t buy tight
the length of the shoe,’ says Vincent. have to repeat the process each time shoes, thinking
And then there’s the question of you change shoes or your model gets you’ll break them in;
width. In general, our feet stay the an update. But it’s worth it for miles of they should fit well
same length but grow wider with time. comfortable and injury-free running. right from the start.

GEAR
GIVE YOURSELF the EDGE
BEST IN TEST
2020
SHAKE
IT TILL
YOU
MAKE IT
Fast, portable, fuss-free liquid
alternatives for pre-run fuelling

Gear
MEAL REPLACEMENTS
A
BREAKFAST FOLLOWED by a morning
run can be tough. Brutal o’clock starts
leave you little time to fix and eat your
usual repast, while rushing down a
solid meal can mean running the
gastrointestinal gauntlet. Modern
meal-replacement shakes could be
the answer. Designed to deliver complete
optimum nutrition, they’re quick, portable,
easy on the stomach and packed full of
runner-supporting nutrients. We put the
most popular options to the test to find the
liquid pre-run power-ups that work best.
LyfeFuel Essential Shake Mana
PR ICE £44.70 + £18 shipping for 24 shakes, lyfefuel.com PR ICE From €55 for a box of 35 shakes, drink-mana.com
TASTE 2/5 STOM ACH-FR IENDLY 2.5/5 ENERGY HIT 2/5 TASTE 3/5 STOM ACH-FR IENDLY 3/5 ENERGY HIT 3.5/5
A WELL-KNOWN US BRAND , Lyfe packs 50 per MANA’S BULK POWDERS (and the pricier
cent of your daily vitamin and mineral needs pre-mixed 330ml cartons) come in two
Filling the in a single shake, along with 12g of plant-
based protein. However, of all the shakes we
flavours: original – a sort of neutral, oat-milk
flavour – and chocolate. They’re satisfyingly
nutrition gaps tested, it left us longing most for a bowl of
porridge. Very sweet, it has a consistency and
creamy and thick, and easy to drink, though
we wouldn’t call them tasty. Each shake
flavour that are more ‘hold your nose and get packs a reliable 28g hit of carbs from low-GI
it down’ than an enjoyable pre-run meal. Its isomaltulose (a mix of fructose and sucrose)
Five nutrients found in most optimised low-carb content – just 5g – is designed to 17g of protein from six sources – soy and pea
shakes that will boost both your boost metabolism but on the run it lacked the protein isolate, oat protein, hemp protein,
running and your general health immediate energy supply of other shakes and brown rice protein and algae protein – along
it lingered longer in the stomach. with 14 essential vitamins and 24 minerals.
→ IRON
Iron helps red blood cells transport oxygen
around the body. It also plays a key role
in energy production. It is particularly
important for female runners who are
prone to low iron or anaemia because
of their menstrual cycle.
→ VITAMIN B12
B12 is used to keep the body’s nerve
and blood cells healthy; it also helps
prevent a type of anaemia that causes
tiredness and weakness.
→ VITAMIN D
Essential for bone health, because it
regulates the amount of calcium and Huel Feed
phosphate in the body.
PR ICE £37 for 12 bottles,uk.huel.com PR ICE £22.20 for 6 sachets, feed.co
WO R D S : K I E R A N A LG E R. P H OTO G R A P H S : LU C K Y I F S H A R P
→ MAGNESIUM TASTE 4/5 STOMACH-FRIENDLY 4.5/5 ENERGY HIT 4/5 TASTE 3/5 STOM ACH FR IENDLY 3/5 ENERGY HIT 3/5
This mineral is used in the process of

turning food into energy, and also plays THIS CONTAINS 33.9G of low-GI, slow-release IDEAL FOR TRAVELLING – or stashing in a desk
an important role in bone health. It also carbs from oats, tapioca and brown rice, 20g drawer – Feed’s 125g sachets just need
helps you drop off to sleep quicker and stops of plant-based protein, omega-3, omega-6 500ml of water and a good shake to mix into
that twitchy, ‘restless leg’ feeling many and monounsaturated fats, plus a blend of a drinkable meal. With 37g of plant protein,
runners experience after a tough session. 26 vitamins and minerals. Its creamy, thick there’s an unmistakable taste and powdery
consistency is slightly powdery but that texture of sports shakes, but that’s a decent
→ ZINC viscosity makes for bloat-free satiation along trade for the 43g hit of fruit purée and corn-
You sweat small amounts of zinc when you with steady energy. It comes in three subtle, based carbs that deliver plentiful energy on
run and studies estimate up to 40 per cent sweet-but-not-sickly flavours – vanilla, berry the run. It’s also the only brand to offer a
of runners may be zinc-deficient. It’s key for and chocolate. The unmixed powder bags truly savoury veggie option (peas and mint),
immune function, and also helps your body are cheaper but the pre-bottled drinks are though we preferred the classic red berries,
process carbohydrate, fat and protein. handier for travelling to early-race start lines. chocolate and hazelnut and banana. E

Gear
MEAL REPLACEMENTS
H I G H LY C O M M E N D E D
2020
Yfood
PR ICE £20.94 for 6 bottles, uk.yfood.eu
TASTE 3/5 STOM ACH-FR IENDLY 3.5/5 ENERGY HIT 4/5
YFOOD’S CHOCOL ATE , vanilla, banana, berry

and cold-brew coffee shakes are the closest
you get to classic Yazoo-style milkshakes.
By far the sweetest on test, the milk-like
consistency makes them drinkable and easy
on the stomach, but they don’t bring that
‘full’ sensation quite as well as Huel or
Saturo’s thicker drinks. The 500ml bottles
pack between 37-39g of carbs – the second-
biggest hit of energy of the shakes we tested.
You also get 34g of protein, vitamins and
minerals, omega fatty acids and fibre.
MyProtein WholeFuel Blend

PR ICE £16.49 for 10 shakes, myprotein.com
TASTE 3/5 STOM ACH-FR IENDLY 2.5/5 ENERGY HIT 4/5

HIGHLY COMMENDED
Saturo Coffee ANOTHER SELF-MIX POWDER, each WholeFuel

shake delivers 40g of run-sustaining carbs,
PR ICE £16.76 for 6 bottles, saturo.com
30g of vegan protein and approximately one
TASTE 4/5 STOM ACH-FR IENDLY 4/5 ENERGY HIT 4/5 third of your daily recommended intake of
essential vitamins and minerals. It mixes
WITH A SLIGHTLY creamier consistency than milk, Saturo’s subtle-flavoured, ready-to-drink well with 350-500ml of water to create a
shakes come in original, banana, chocolate, vanilla, strawberry and coffee. The drinkable thick but powdery drink. It’s sweet, like a
shakes slip down easily and bust that morning hunger while being brilliantly light on the lightly honeyed porridge. Unlike some we
stomach. Each carton packs between 27 and 29g of carbs, from isomaltulose – which creates a tested, it was drinkable even when mixed
lower blood-sugar rise and steadier energy release. Plus it provides 100 per cent of your daily warm but sat heavier in the stomach and
recommended intake of Vitamin D. The bottled-coffee option is perfect for a 150mg (double took a few miles to settle. It comes in vanilla,
espresso) hit of caffeine to start your engine. vanilla and raspberry or chocolate.

HOW WE TESTED
→ We tried each
shake 30 minutes
before a 90-minute
steady-paced
morning run. Then
we rated them on
how easy it was
to prepare, the
taste, texture and
drinkability, along
with how kind it
was to our sensitive
stomachs and
energy levels
during the run.
BEST IN TEST
Jimmy Joy Plenny Shake v3.0 33fuel Elite Shake Cocoa

PR ICE £12.84 for 10 shakes, jimmyjoy.com PR ICE £64.99 for 10 shakes, 33f uel.com
TASTE 3/5 STOM ACH-FR IENDLY 3/5 ENERGY HIT 4/5 TASTE 4.5/5 STOM ACH-FR IENDLY 4/5 ENERGY HIT 4/5
PLENNY’S POWDERY SHAKES come with a THE ONLY SHAKE with visible food chunks, this
prominent protein aftertaste typical of mix of 33 natural superfoods blends to a
classic recovery shakes. They were the least-
sweet option on test. Each serving delivers
smooth texture with milk, water or even
coffee (for a caffeine kick). You can also just
Fuel-good
a 43g mix of immediate and slow-release
complex carbs from oats and rice flour and
soak and shake to create a liquid trail mix
with crunchy walnuts and chewy dried factors
20g of plant-based protein from soy protein cranberries, for a sense that you’re eating
isolate, oats, soy flour and flaxseed. You also without overloading on solids. Each shake
get 20 per cent of your daily recommended packs 33g of carbs with low-GI sugars for How eating the right pre-run breakfast
micronutrients, including 110mg of choline, steady energy, 17g of protein from pumpkin, could help make you a better runner
which could help your running performance. sunflower, spirulina and almond, plus anti- and keep you in good health
Plus probiotics and prebiotics for gut health. inflammatories such as turmeric.
→ UP YOUR BURN RATE

In a 2018 study, researchers at the
University of Bath found that eating
breakfast not only increased the rate
at which the body burned carbs during
exercise, but also boosted the rate at which
the body digested and metabolised food
eaten afterwards, in effect priming the body
for rapid storage of nutrition. So it’s not
just about fuelling your run, but also about
ensuring your body remains in tip-top
shape for the rest of the day.
→ BOOST YOUR MOOD

Eating breakfast before exercise doesn’t
just fuel your efforts, it can also have a
Ambronite Balanced Meal Shake Queal Steady Shakes positive influence on your mood and help
with appetite control afterwards. A study
PR ICE £53.30 for 10 shakes, eu.ambronite.com PR ICE £8.57 for 3 shakes, queal.com
by Northumbria University found that a
TASTE 2/5 STOM ACH-FR IENDLY 3/5 ENERGY HIT 3/5 TASTE 4/5 STOM ACH-FR IENDLY 2.5/5 ENERGY HIT 4/5 pre-exercise breakfast of about 118kcal
was enough to positively affect both mood
AMBRONITE’S POWDER pouches mix with 500ml WITH A WHOPPING 80.4G of carbs and 30.4g of and appetite in female athletes.
of water, or the milk of your choice, to create protein – along with at least a third of your
a thick drink that’s prone to clumps and hard daily essential nutrients – packed into 350ml → PRE-RUN POWER UP
to guzzle. You can adjust the consistency to of self-mixed shake, we found Queal needed a Eating protein (with or without carbs)
your preference, and blending with ice and longer settling period between drinking and before exercise has been proven to increase
leaving in the fridge overnight made it more running. But for bigger-mileage runs, where muscle-protein synthesis – the production
palatable. With 32g of carbs and 20g plant- you have 90 minutes to digest, this delivers of protein for muscle repair. Separate
based protein, the energy was even and kept brilliantly steady energy. It mixes clump-free studies have also shown that taking
us going nicely on our runs. Flavours are without a blender, to a pleasant consistency Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) –
limited, however, to chocolate and vanilla, that’s a bit like a thick Horlicks, and the apple found in most shakes – before workouts
neither of which tasted great. Functional and cinnamon was a favourite flavour. Subtle also helps decrease muscle damage and
rather than something to look forward to. and drinkable even when it wasn’t chilled. increase muscle-protein synthesis.

60-second
gear guide
Three new
running socks
SWIFTWICK
PURSUIT FOUR
£20.70, amazon.co.uk
A super-technical sock made
from premium merino wool,
with double-cuff construction
to keep your ankle supported,
ventilation channels, seamless
toes to reduce chafing and
reinforced heel and toe
sections.
STANCE FEEL360
POLYCREW CAM
£16.99, stance.eu.cm
Exceptionally durable, these
will stand a few good
of years of wearing and
washing, and they feel
great on, too. There’s light
cushioning in key zones,
they’re very breathable
and also fast-drying if you
get them wet. Or sweat.
ON TEST
PACE
MAKER
COMPRESSPORT PRO
RACING SOCKS V3.0
£17, compressport.com/uk
A great pair of socks for a half
marathon, as they offer a A training device
lovely combination of low that sets the benchmark for
weight and cushioning. They budget running watches
also have a reinforced Achilles
section to prevent rubbing, as
well as arch support and an
anti-odour treatment.

Coros Pace 2
Gear
£179.99, coros.com
THE BASICS ratio and running

A 30-hour GPS battery economy It also tracks
life – extendable to running power from
60 hours in low-power your wrist and a novel
mode – puts the Pace 2 feature was ‘Stamina’.
miles ahead at this On the run, it uses your
price. Its nearest heart rate to estimate
rival, the Polar Ignite how much you have left
(£174.50), manages just in the tank. It was fun
17 hours. This alone will to use but of, course,
make it worth the price it doesn’t take into
for many runners. The account factors such as
GPS uses US, Russian, experience and mental
and Chinese satellite strength – so it’s a guide
systems to ensure the rather than the gospel.
best possible signal and
there’s also something TRAINING TOOLS
called Intelligent Stride There’s a session builder
Algorithm, which uses on the app that is simple
machine learning to and intuitive, complete
track your gait to build with warm-up time,
a personalised stride intervals by distance
model that plugs the and time, plus target
gaps in areas with a intensity based on heart
weak GPS signal. With rate or pace. It’s pretty
all those systems in play easy to create, edit and
it was just as reliable as share training plans in
you’d imagine. the app and sync them
As well as the Pace 2’s to your watch. There
customisable road, trail are loads of postrun/
WO R D S : K I E R A N A LG E R A N D K E R RY M CCA R T H Y. P H OTO G R A P H S : L U C K Y I F S H A R P, P O I N T Z E R O Z E R O O N E , S TA N C E , CO M P R E S S P O R T, S W I F T W I C K
and treadmill running, fitness features, too:

we loved the impressive estimated VO2 max, Brand focus
‘track mode’ that lets lactate threshold and Point zero zero one
you log your lane to threshold pace; and we
improve the accuracy were delighted to see a British founder Justin Cernis gives us
of those 8x400m training-effect function
intervals (helpful in an that reveals if you’ve
the rundown on his apparel company
age of socially distanced worked your aerobic
track sessions). The or anaerobic system,
barometric altimeter recommendations on When did the company launch? about achievement, improvement,
and magnetic compass your rest period and ‘In 2018. I have a marketing background meeting personal goals.’
are also premium tracking of long-term working on Adidas and Nike campaigns
features, so trail training loads. and wanted to use that to launch an What will runners like about the kit?
runners looking for independent brand that embodies the ‘We’ve fussed about the detail and
accurate elevation stats RW VERDICT ethos of performance being about chosen premium fabrics that are
will get on really well Outstanding. The individual achievement and not just comfortable and durable. Practical,
with this, although, price, huge range of about competing against others. functional, crafted, stylish. But we are
sadly, there is no run-tracking features, Reaching the next lamppost on a run is not a brand driven by seasonal ranges;
mapping or route comprehensive training as much a win for one person as striving our designs are created to last, too. The
guidance. Another insights and an ever- to be world champion is for another.’ .001 palette is purposely monochrome
slight irritation was the improving app make this – largely based on our insight that for
fact that, while you can the best bang-for-buck Where did the name come from? all the patterns and colours in the
prioritise metrics on a budget watch you ‘The world of motorsport, where fine market, people look for quality, well-
total of five screens, you can buy right now. margins can make all the difference and made solid colours for their kit bag.’
can only do so in the Smartwatch skills are where technical innovation is combined
app and not on the limited to notifications with individual effort. Races are timed What’s your position in the market?
watch itself. (no music or contactless in thousandths of a second (.001 being ‘It always struck us why like-for-like
payments) and although the ultimate point of difference) but women’s pieces are more expensive
TRACKING SMARTS it’s light, it’s a bit recognition that every fraction of effort than men’s, so we made a decision to
There’s all the form data plasticky, too. But, is a competitive advantage applies to keep price parity between our ranges
any sane runner could overall, this is a watch the whole fitness world.’ – even at the expense of margin. We
want; we loved nerding that punches way above are currently mid-to-premium (jackets
out on our stats on its price-tag weight. Who’s the brand aimed at? are £65 and tights are £70) and our
cadence, stride length, Granular detail is no ‘For people who are passionate about market feedback is we offer real value
left/right balance, longer just for the performance and “winning”, whatever for money given the quality of fabrics/
ground contact time, well heeled. that win means. It’s not necessarily construction/overall price points.’
stride height, stride ••••••••• about being first past the post – it’s pointzerozeroone.com

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RACE LET YOUR RUNNING LOOSE
GO WEST, YOUNG MAN, AND RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN

The Fulham 10K trades on speed, but the postrace fun is what sets it apart, says RW’s Rick Pearson
Some races you run for the scenery; others for the kudos. runners There’s a real buzz at the start line, just south of Stamford
And then there are some that you do purely for the promise Bridge, home of Chelsea FC, with participants of all abilities taking
of a PB. The Fulham 10K is one such race. It claims to be their places in their respective starting pens.
‘London’s flattest 10K’, snaking its way through the leafy streets of Strangely, at the front, is a small selection of people – are they
west London, before finishing close to Parsons Green Tube station. VIPs? Have they paid more? Are they lost? – who get to head off
It’s £40 to enter – or £4 per kilometre, if you like – but the two minutes before everyone else...and then suffer the ignominy of
organisers justify that price tag by including a genuinely decent being charged down and overtaken by the speedsters at the front.
technical T-shirt that you’re duty-bound to wear during the race. I’ve been training for the event with Steve Pinkster, a former
Part of the Adidas City Runs series, which also includes 10Ks in neighbour of mine and an RW marathon pacer. We’re both hoping
Islington and Shoreditch, the Fulham race attracts more than 5,500 to finish in under 37 minutes – if not at London’s flattest 10K, then

FULHAM 10K RACE
The course now shadows the

Thames in the direction of the
Hurlingham Club, a swanky private
members’ club frequented by author
Jeffrey Archer and actor Trevor Eve,
among others. (Alongside being
London’s flattest 10K, Fulham can
surely claim to be London’s poshest
10K, too, although Kew Gardens, with
its own race, might have something
to say about that.)
Running past houses I’ll never
The Adidas City
Runs Fulham 10K afford, I suddenly remember
offers a fast, flat some advice I’d read – no
course, charming scenes doubt in the pages of RW –
from early autumn
and considerable about a technique used by
sartorial conformity Paula Radcliffe. When the
going got tough, instead of
focusing on the pain, she used to
count slowly to 100 in her head. I
try this, but there’s a problem: Paula
knew that by the time she’d reached
100, she’d have covered a mile; I, on
the other hand, have covered roughly
400m. Disheartened, I revert to my
old technique: fixating on the pain and
feeling increasingly sorry for myself
(sports psychology book to follow).
But with only a kilometre to go, and
the support building in number and
volume, even the most self-pitying of
when? – and the prospect of trying THE RUNDOWN the stampede of a 10K race, but runners can find something in the
that hard is filling me with significant today those lines feel fitting. tank. One last effort and I cross the
pre-race dread. The weather, though, Adidas City Runs The course – on wide, closed roads line in 36:50. Steve also breaks the
Fulham 10K
is perfect: a clear, crisp autumnal London (2019 stats) – is fulfilling its promise of being flat. 37-minute mark, and hundreds, if not
morning, the kind in which Eliud First man: William But flat isn’t the same as easy. And thousands, of others will also have
Woodcock, 31:47
Kipchoge recorded a sub-two First woman: Jackie this doesn’t feel easy at all. In Matt recorded 10K PBs. There are plenty
marathon. A man can dream… Skinner, 36:23 Fitzgerald’s book, How Bad Do You of food and drink options allowing
Last finisher: 1:56:45
The early miles take us round No. of finishers: 5,567
Want It?, he describes distance runners to toast their success; pubs
Stamford Bridge stadium. Resisting running as a ‘fire walk’: the more and restaurants abound in this part
the urge to boo (I’m a Crystal Palace mentally tough you are, the further of town and are quickly filling up with
fan, but will need the extra oxygen you can walk on the hot coals. At runners and their supporters.
later on), I attempt to quickly get into 5km, I’m feeling the heat and my It’s now, perhaps, that this race
a rhythm as the route heads south resolve is in danger of melting away. comes into its own. There are nicer
along fashionable Fulham Road. This But the packed field and generous routes, faster fields and better
street was once immortalised in song pockets of enthusiastic support are bargains to be had. But if you live in,
by folk-rock pioneers Jethro Tull: a boon, as is the thought that a or near, London and like the idea of a
(‘There was a rush along the Fulham Finishing stats: postrace pint is now, theoretically, PB followed by a pint or two, then the
● 30:00-39:59 4%
Road/There was a hush in the ● 40:00-49:59 28% less than 20 minutes away. Plus, Fulham 10K is the best in the west.
passion play.’) Musical scholars ● 50:00-59:59 40% I’m running stride for stride with The next Adidas City Run Fulham 10K takes
● 60:00-69:59 20%
remain sceptical as to whether Ian ● 70:00-79:59 6% Steve: if he can stick with the pace, place in Sept 2021 (date tbc). For details,
Anderson and co were referring to ● 80:00+ 2% perhaps I can, too. visit adidascityruns.com
Like this? Try...three other fast city races

P H OTO G R A P H S : A D I DAS , G E T T Y I M AG E S
GREAT MANCHESTER RUN SWANSEA BAY 10K GREAT SOUTH RUN

Previous winners of this One of the quickest 10Ks in the This popular Portsmouth 10-miler
event include Mo Farah and UK, starting and finishing just is pancake flat and can be quick,
Jo Pavey. Whatever your ability, west of Swansea city centre, so long as it’s not a windy day.
this city-centre 10K offers a this is a great option for anyone The crowd support is amazing
chance to run a fast time and looking to bag a PB. Cool off in throughout and postrace party
celebrate in style at the finish. the sea afterwards. options abound.
greatrun.org/great-manchester-run, Swanseabay10k.com, September 2021 greatrun.org/great-south-run,
May 23, 20201 (date tbc) October 17, 2021

RACE ROUTE RECCE
START 2KM
At designated times, each runner After leaving the race
SOUTH DOWNS will be set off from the carpark

area of Goodwood racecourse.
HQ behind, it’s fairly
flat before you drop
OFFROAD HALF
The track, famous for its ‘Glorious down into Charlton
Goodwood’ flat-racing festival village. Here you pass
meeting each summer, has been The Fox Goes Free
MARATHON welcoming racegoers since 1802. pub, where, in 1915,

the first Women’s
Institute meeting
Race director Martin was held in England.
Barden guides you on
a West Sussex loop
4KM 6KM
You’re now on a double-width As you climb
‘It’s the first year we have
gravel path that slowly climbs this chalk
staged this particular race,’
away from the village. On your grassland, on
says Barden. ‘The course
left is Levin Down, a nature a path that
starts and ends beside Goodwood
reserve where Exmoor ponies remains firm
racecourse, a stunning setting. Our
have been brought to graze and underfoot
Covid-19 safety measures include a
help with conservation. whatever the
rolling start, no mass warm-up and
weather, you
runners are encouraged to bring
pass through
their own water and snacks. On
a beautiful
entering the site, runners will be
South Downs Way forest of tall
given a neck buff, which they can
8 beech, hazel
wear to cover their face and mouth
Heyshott Down and oak trees.
at the start, finish and if they are 9
close to anyone else.’ 10 11
7
This year’s race is on November 7. There
Graffham Down
are also 17.5km and 11.2km distances. For
more details, visit ukrunningevents.co.uk
12
8KM 15
13
At this climb’s crest 14
– the highest point 5
on the course, at
293m – you will 16 High Down
have reached the
South Downs Way.
Stretching from
18KM
4 Runners head
Winchester, it ends Court Hill
17 through East
in Eastbourne, 160km
Dean, a pretty
away, and has been
village with a
hugely popular with
church and pub
runners, walkers
and cyclists since it
3
Charlton 18
built from flint. FINISH
East Dean Its duck pond After the
opened as a National
is the source final section
Trail in 1972.
of the River alongside the
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 , A L A M Y
19 Lavant. racetrack,
2 you will be
11KM invited to
collect your
This is one of the
flatter parts of the
14KM 20KM finisher’s
You’re now descending steadily as A final testing climb medal,
entire South Downs
20 you continue to follow the chalk back up to Goodwood running socks
Way, so make the
FINISH path, which weaves through the will be tough on tired and other
most of a relatively
START wintry trees for about 1.5km on an legs, but will complete a goodies from
easy stretch along
awe-inspiring section of course. total of 386m of ascent. a table.
its ridge. On a clear
day, you can see out
along the coast and
spot the Isle of Wight 200M
and the wind farms 100M
at Worthing. 0M
4KM 8KM 12KM 16KM 20KM

RACE
ON THE
RIGHT TRACK
Race the train
BRING ON THE BLING
Races with medals

worth running for
Rock’n’Roll Liverpool
Marathon
For a race series that has made its

name partly on the back of the music
it serves up on its routes, it must
have been a no-brainer for the
Ironman group (the company behind
Rock’n’Roll) to open up a franchise
in the hometown of The Beatles, Echo
and the Bunnymen, Frankie Goes to
Hollywood and, er, Atomic Kitten.
The marathon is part of a weekend-
long festival of races, the other
options being a one-miler, a 5K, 10K
MY TOP 3
and a half marathon. The start and
finish are both next to water: the gun
goes at the Royal Albert Dock and
the finish line is on the Kings Parade
NIGHT OF THE 10K PBS Waterfront. In between is a speeded-
SIMON MESSENGER The need for speed. And beer up tour of the sights of the city (we
Age 34 This is a track event put on by reckon it’s one of the best races you
Hometown Houilles, Highgate Harriers. Established in can find that has a route designed to
Paris, France 2013, it features a series of races squeeze the last drops out of the
Job Sustainability adviser contested by speedy club runners available landmarks). There is Pier
Years running 7 on a Saturday (I was lucky enough Head, the Royal Liver Building,
Blog 80runs.co.uk to qualify a few years ago, when the Beatles statue, the 5.2-metre
entry requirements were lower!). Superlambanana (a statue that is
It culminates with elite athletes and half lamb and half banana – go ahead,
Olympians lining up in the evening to Google it), the Cavern Club, the John
RW readers’ rave race take their turn, while flame throwers Lennon statue and the stadiums of
recommendations go off and the crowds cheer loudly as Everton and Liverpool football clubs.
they enjoy beer, music and fireworks. Regardless of which distance you
London, June 2021 (date tbc), do, you’ll receive a hefty, brightly
RACE THE TRAIN nightofthe10kpbs.com designed chunk of metal.
A great choo-choo-choice Rock’n’Roll Liverpool Marathon,
This quirky challenge seems simple May 30, 2021, runrocknroll.com/liverpool
enough but there’s a good chance EDINBURGH PARKRUN
WO R D S : K E R RY M CCA R T H Y. P H OTO G R A P H : A N D R E W O R C H A R D
you’re going to run out of steam Effortless inclusivity

before the finish. Fair enough; as a parkrun, this is a
You run up and down a Welsh run, not a race, but that’s not going
mountain, trying to beat a steam train stop me from listing it as one of my
on the old Talyllyn Railway, over a favourite UK ‘timed’ events. Parkrun
distance of 14 miles [there is also a has had an immeasurable impact
team event and a 10K option]. Even on my running and this one means
though the train (travelling at an a lot because it’s where it all started
average of eight minutes a mile) stops for me. It’s a beautiful out-and-back
at various points to take on water, run along the shoreline in Cramond,
only about 10 per cent of the runners northwest of the city. Watch out for
actually beat it, because of the the wind: if you feel like Usain Bolt on
super-hilly offroad route. It’s really the way out, you are in for a surprise
tough but still amazing fun. on the way back!
Tywyn, Mid Wales, August 21, 2021, Cramond, Edinburgh, Saturdays at 9:30am,
racethetrain.com parkrun.org.uk/edinburgh

THE START LIST
Our selection of the best, fastest,
TAKE YOUR PICK
Run Heaton 5K, 10K

STING IN THE TAIL
Hertfordshire
toughest, quirkiest and most & Half Marathon Half Marathon
This staple of the Manchester running The race description doesn’t
enjoyable UK races this month calendar takes you along the paths of mention any hills for this event just
Heaton Park in the north of the city. outside Stevenage, but there are
The park won’t be closed off, so this a couple of bumps and lumps to
is not the best event for a PB. But negotiate along the way, including
don’t worry, flapjacks are promised one right at the end that appears
at the finish line and these are proven to have delighted and tormented
to be the best alternative to a PB. runners in equal measure. One thing
UP AND DOWN Manchester, Lancashire, November 1, everyone can agree on, however, is
runthrough.co.uk that Knebworth House is a lovely
Tollymore Trail Marathon structure and well worth a visit.
The area around Newcastle in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, November 22,
Northern Ireland has no shortage of runthrough.co.uk
outstanding trail events, most of FAMILY AFFAIR
which are more suitable for the
experienced trail runners among us. Anglesey Trail Half
This event offers a marathon and an Marathon & 10K Conwy Half Marathon
ultra for those mountain goats, but Last year’s inaugural Anglesey This is a great way to see some of
also a slightly more comfortable 10K Trail events were dominated by the sights on the northern coast of
and half-marathon option. the Kettle family: dad Jonathan won Wales. First up is Conwy Castle,
Newcastle, Co. Down, November 14, the half marathon and then his son which you’ll see at the start and the
26extreme.com Troy romped home first in the 10K. finish; and then Great Orme, a big
RW POLL
The routes around the beautiful old lump of rock sticking out into the
Newborough Forest, which is in sea at Llandudno. The good news is
What type of race
the southwest corner of the island, that you don’t have to go all the way
Aberdeen 1.5/5/10K MoRun will you first run
are undulating, so you’ll have your up Great Orme. The climbing starts
There are 21 MoRun events set to post-pandemic?
work cut out for you if you fancy after around 8km and ends at 12km.
take place in cities in the UK and
challenging the Kettle family’s That’s when the terrifyingly steep
42%
Ireland throughout November,
dominance this time around. descent begins. Good luck.
with all funds raised going to The
Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, Anglesey, Nov 22, Conwy, Caernarfonshire, November 15,
Movember Foundation. The first will
alwaysaimhighevents.com runwales.com
be in Newcastle on November 1 and A parkrun
the last, in London, on November 29.
39%
If anyone would be willing to go to
both of those with a tape measure
and document the increase in
Any race will do
moustache length, and note whether
there is any correlation between
moustache length and running
performance, we would be very
interested in the results. You know,
for big-science reasons.
16%I have not
missed races
Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, November 7,
3%
mo-running.com
Something fast
Based on a poll
HOME ADVANTAGE with 781 votes
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 : G E T T Y I M AG E S ,
Blackburn 10K
We’ve always had a weakness for
races that finish inside a football LOCHS ARE DECEIVING
stadium, and it’s all the more
JA K E BAG G A L E Y ( M AV E R I C K A D I DAS T E R R E X )
exciting if the stadium is the home

of a former league champion. Sure, Strathclyde Loch Marathon, Half & Fun Run
Blackburn may have fallen on hard The thought of a Scottish loch conjures up images of ancient waters and
times since those heady days in the possibly prehistoric creatures, but Strathclyde Loch is different. It’s an
1990s, but load up those VHS tapes artificial lake and was only created in 1975 by the flooding of the former
of Stuart Ripley bombing down the mining village of Bothwellhaugh. That’s not to say it’s not worth a visit,
wing and inspiration is guaranteed. though. For one thing, this marathon course – seven anticlockwise laps on
A stand is open for supporters to the banks of the loch – is nice and flat and could well offer a chance at a PB
cheer and chant as you finish. if the weather cooperates. And once that PB is taken care of, you could try
Blackburn, Lancashire, November 15, some angling, woodland walks, watersports or a visit to the local theme park.
blackburn10k.com Strathclyde, Lanarkshire, November 22, time2runevents.co.uk

START LIST RACE
Warwick Reindeer Run

November is the best month for
novelty runs: Halloween at the start
and Christmas by the end. Everyone
We asked readers will be dressed as a reindeer at this
During the one and you can include the price of
pandemic, what have the costume in your entry fee if, for
you missed most some bizarre reason, you don’t have
about racing? your own. Choose between 7km or
2.5km around Warwick Racecourse,
and there’s a 1km Kids Fun Run for
‘The feeling of being your little reindeer calves.
at a big event: first at Warwick, Warwickshire, November 29,
the start line, then the reindeerrun.co.uk
camaraderie as you
run, and then crossing
the finishing line and
enjoying some cold Clwydian Midweek Series
beers with friends.’ – Moel Plas YW LOOK BEHIND YOU
– Luke Trinder With over 270m of ascent, this four-
mile trail run isn’t easy, but you’ll be
‘Definitely the people. home in time for supper. It starts at Colchester Stampede 10K
I feel connected and 7pm, so a head torch is required, and They had us at ‘stampede’, to be honest, but if you need more details about
part of something a hat, gloves and full waterproof this event, then here you go: the first and last kilometres take place in
bigger than just cover are strongly recommended. Colchester Zoo (the other eight kilometres are on closed roads around
me plodding out There’s one of these a month, with a the zoo) and the event supports the conservation charity Action for the
the same old route. different Clwydian peak each time. Wild. The cost of entering also counts as a zoo entry fee and bear in mind
Looking forward Denbigh, Denbighshire, November 24, that there is a 90-minute cut-off for this 10K .
to new routes and out-fit.co.uk Colchester, Essex, November 29, colchesterstampede.com
adventures!’
– Karen Stanley
ALL RACES
GOING AHEAD
‘Needing a wee as AT TIME OF
soon as the starter GOING TO
gun goes off!’ PRESS
– Tony Goodwin
‘Nothing; it’s been

quite nice not
racing, and made me
remember why I run.’
– Jase Hoad
RW ONLINE
RACE LISTINGS
Thirsty for
more? Go to
runnersworld.
com/uk and
click Events for
the UK’s most
comprehensive LOG A FAST TIME?
race database,
where you can
search over Maverick Adidas Terrex Original – Hampshire
4,500 races This race is taking impressive steps to ensure social distancing: runners have to choose from four starting times,
by location, allowing competitors to take off in waves between 9am and 11:15am. You have a choice of distances, too: 7km, 13km
terrain, or 22km, all of which involve some punishing inclines and steep downhills, as well as stunning views in the beautiful
distance South Downs. Easy access from London and there’s a free beer at the end. You’ll deserve it.
and more. Liphook, Hampshire, November 14, maverick-race.com

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I’M A RUNNER
CLARE NASIR
THE WEATHER PRESENTER, 50, ON FASTING AND WHY ONE MARATHON WAS PLENTY
the spot. I put the timer on when
I start running – I like to track my
runs on the Nike app. When I finish,
I stretch my calves, then jump in the
shower and get on with my day.
‘Running by
I LOVE RUNNING WITH MUSIC WHEN
myself feels I’M IN THE CITY. When I used to run
like a lovely along the road in London, I’d shut out
the hubbub of traffic and people
thing to do’ around me with the Arctic Monkeys’
album AM. Now that I’m in the
countryside, I don’t wear headphones
when I run. If I’m with my husband
[Chris, a presenter on BBC Radio 6
Music], we’ll talk, but otherwise I’ll
listen to birdsong. There’s so much
going on in nature and I want to feel
part of that – it’s a shame to block it all
out with music.
I’D NEVER DO ANOTHER MARATHON.

I ran the London Marathon with
[Good Morning Britain presenter]
Kate Garraway and it was gruelling.
We signed up six months before and
I remember thinking, ‘We must start
exercising at some point,’ but we never
did. We were very naive and it was
obvious we hadn’t trained for it. Kate
went to LA the next day and her leg
seized up on the plane – she had to be
carried off! I’m glad I did it, though.
I RUN WITH MY DAUGHTER ON

ABERSOCH BEACH. It’s on the Llyn
Peninsula, in northwest Wales, and it’s
beautiful; a home from home. They do
all sorts of Ironman-type events and
it’s really fun. My husband will DJ
and I take part in 1km and 2km events
with my daughter Sienna. The 2km
is hard for her because she’s 10, so
she’s only got little legs, but you get a I N T E R V I E W: S A M A N T H A R E A . P H OTO G R A P H : DAV I D TOW N H I L L
medal afterwards and it’s a great

introduction to running.
I PREFER TO RUN ON MY OWN. It’s He’s a lively little dog and he needs a Clare Nasir is a I RUN EVEN WHEN I’M FASTING.
been nice running with my husband lot of exercise. The countryside in meteorologist, author I struggle to motivate myself, but the
during lockdown, but we’re different Cheshire is incredible – there are peat and weather anchor run isn’t any harder and after I’ve
types of runner, so it’s not the best bogs and bridle paths and I can easily for Channel 5 News. done it, I feel amazing. I do three-day
scenario. Running by myself feels like do a 5K without even thinking about it. Twitter: @clarenasir fasts several times a year, and a five-
a lovely thing to do. I always have day fast once a year. It’s water-only and
epiphanies or beautiful moments of IT’S COLD AT 6AM, SO WARMING UP I feel a bit hungry and light-headed,
absolute bliss and I really need that. IS REALLY IMPORTANT. In summer, but on my last five-day fast, in August,
I’ll wear shorts and little tops, but I still did two 5K runs. I’d never eat
EARLY MORNING IS THE BEST TIME otherwise I like baggy, loose-fitting before a run, anyway. On an average
TO RUN. No one’s around and I feel clothes in good-quality, breathable day, I’ll eat for the first time at about
I’ve embraced the day in a positive material. I start off walking, then I do 2pm. That’s why I run in the morning;
way. I take my dog, Buddy, with me. bum kicks, side steps and jogging on once I’ve eaten, I go into a food coma.

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IN THIS ISSUE NOVEMBER

REGULARS WARM-UPS HUMAN RACE FEATURES COACH GEAR RACE

004 RUNNERSWORLD.COM/UK NOVEMBER 2020

can lead to serious problems

P25 Social Movement Black Do the egg work, p76 RACE

NOVEMBER 2020 RUNNERSWORLD.COM/UK 009

NOVEMBER 2020 RUNNERSWORLD.COM/UK 011

HIT THE HILLS

Cheptegei’s leg speed

NOVEMBER 2020 RUNNERSWORLD.COM/UK 013

the intensity. unhealthy,

NOVEMBER 2020 RUNNERSWORLD.COM/UK 015

from the leaves of a

NOVEMBER 2020 RUNNERSWORLD.COM/UK 017

OUTRUN AIR POLLUTION

REGUL AR EXERCISE , even in

given a score out of 100,

YOU RS E LF Magness (scienceofrunning.com). In a VO2-max treadmill test, runners produced

NOVEMBER 2020 RUNNERSWORLD.COM/UK 019

INTERVIEW RICK PEARSON

Clockwise from top left:

I lived in Clapham, southwest the internet. People were fairly

NOVEMBER 2020 RUNNERSWORLD.COM/UK 023

RUNNING LOWERS STRESS,

024 RUNNERSWORLD.COM/UK NOVEMBER 2020

‘Initially, it was just an Instagram VOICES

that the marshal had not believed she

LETTER OF THE MONTH WORLD

GO BIG, THEN GO HOME

026 RUNNERSWORLD.COM/UK NOVEMBER 2020

was my way of telling my head, heart do anything without

NOVEMBER 2020 RUNNERSWORLD.COM/UK 027

A CHANGE IS AS GOOD AS A REST,

028 RUNNERSWORLD.COM/UK NOVEMBER 2020

COMRADES FROM ALL OVER THE

NOVEMBER 2020 RUNNERSWORLD.COM/UK 029

030 RUNNERSWORLD.COM/UK NOVEMBER 2020

local club, when she was 13, her

SPOT THE SIGNS

NOVEMBER 2020 RUNNERSWORLD.COM/UK 031

she was tube-fed. ‘I’d dropped out of

NOVEMBER 2020 RUNNERSWORLD.COM/UK 033

DEFINING THE PROBLEM

034 RUNNERSWORLD.COM/UK NOVEMBER 2020

NOVEMBER 2020 RUNNERSWORLD.COM/UK 035

hospitalised. Her anorexia

RUNNING CAN KEEP

NOVEMBER 2020 RUNNERSWORLD.COM/UK 037

WORDS: SCOTT YORKO

NOVEMBER 2020 RUNNERSWORLD.COM/UK 041

042 RUNNERSWORLD.COM/UK NOVEMBER 2020

$400,000 138 500–1,500 $76 700 $5,000,000+

NOVEMBER 2020 RUNNERSWORLD.COM/UK 043

Burning question No. 2

HOW IS IT Burning question No.3

more on this later); and

NOVEMBER 2020 RUNNERSWORLD.COM/UK 045

Burning question No.6

What you eat provides

What is the metabolism, which means you burn

of dieting? – your body slows its processes to preserve

NOVEMBER 2020 RUNNERSWORLD.COM/UK 047

This man has the

The speed demon

Lie face down with