about cereal bars on sale in health food shops. The researchers showed that many contain more fat than a Mars Bar and more sugar than chocolate digestive biscuits. A healthy-looking flapjack, for instance, was found to contain 430 calories and 20.3 grams

health and as a substitute for running during injury phases. It's a rare runner today who doesn't employ some cross-training.Participating in another sport a couple of times a week gives your feet and legs a welcome respite from the constant pounding

dreading: Discovering it's not that fast; lactic acid. Favourite races: Henley Half-Marathon (despite the one-mile hill) Did you know? I hold the world record for migrating from adolescence to middle age (overnight). • My

importance. Science in Sport have an isotonic gel that can be used without the need to wash it down with water and gives 25g of carbohydrate, which will get you through 20 mins or so of running. Marathon runners who take over five hours may consider taking

Next time you see another runner out on the street, take a closer look. Is he thinking about smashing his 10K PB next week, or getting smashed at the pub later with his running friends? Is she wondering how she'll fit in next week's training, or how

Getty Images Most runners are keen to eat a healthy, balanced diet, and plumping for the fresh, seasonal food on your doorstep is an easy way to make sure your diet is made up of the freshest and most nutritious food around

Sonia O’Sullivan achieved a 5K personal best eight months after having her second baby. Norwegian marathon runner Ingrid Kristiansen was out there winning races just four months after giving birth. In fact, last year’s World Championships was awash

– even a very basic one – makes a huge difference. If you don't have one, there's a tried and trusted selection for walkers and runners of every speed further down the page. Unless you have serious health issues, we're assuming that you'll want to build

at Runner's World for 10 years and took over the marathon schedules when Bruce Tulloh retired from writing them. Steve has run more than 60 marathons (26 Londons) and as well as holding a PB of 2:29, he has also won a British marathon title in his age group

How the results were calculated This list was calculated using ratings given by respondents on www.runnersworld.co.uk after they took part in the races. We worked out the average of the 'overall' rating runners gave races, to arrive at a figure