precisely once every four years - when it mattered. As Viren himself said, "Some do well in other races, some run fast times, but they cannot do well in the ultimate, the Olympics … The question is not why I run this way, but why so many cannot."Dr Marco

, Zátopek had gone one better: the almost unthinkable treble. That this was also his first ever marathon tells something of his greatness, but this most sublime of moments was not the product of freakish gifts; it came from countless agonies endured

question or area you'd like to see covered in the blog, email editor@runnersworld.co.uk.James has led and collaborated in over 40 research papers and publications and is also Senior Lecturer in Exercise Metabolism & Nutrition at Liverpool John Moores

activity makes you feel worse the day after you do it, scale back. And consult your GP on specific questions about your body’s recovery.*If, at your six-week postpartum checkup, you are leaking any urine during running or any activity, seek a referral to a

, eat a high-carb, low-fibre snack a couple of hours before the start, followed by a final pre-race boost of a gel or sports drink 30 minutes before the gun.Starter’s orders“The two primary goals of feeding the ultra-endurance athlete during the event

from London to Dover, a 22-mile swim across the English Channel and a 181-mile cycle from Calais to the Paris finish line - in an astonishing time of four days, one hour and 42 minute.Cadman made endurance racing history, while still finding time

because it seems to have some acupressure-type effect. – Bear B. HindUnfortunately every Friday it's part of my job to run with a 15kg bergan. This training is good for building endurance and core muscles, but if you don't build up to it you're gonna get

currently lacks the endurance to convert it to a super-quick marathon. I needed to step up to five or six times per week to break three hours, then daily training to break 2:45, although perhaps I'd have got there anyway on three times per week, just at a

– and eat – to get the very best out of your body.Enduring Questions: What’s Your Ideal Weight? Start here - lock on to your weight-loss target by working out your ideal weight. GETTY IMAGESThe Basics To begin at the beginning – stick to simple healthy

bubbling away. Over the 13 years that Runner's World has been published in the UK, we reckon we've probably tried to answer all the questions it's possible to ask on our pet subject; from the straightforward - "What should I eat before racing