It happens every time I lead a pacing group. There are always a few runners who just can’t stand to run in the pack. This year’s Flora London Marathon was no different. They were there – the lead clique. They were less than a metre ahead of the pack
Readers of this column know that I like to run marathons. Not that I have any particular skill or success at that distance. For me, a good marathon is one that I finish. A great marathon is one that I finish in under five hours. And Ive had very
Imagine a marathon with seven starts, nine finishes and 1600 turns, run almost continuously for 48 hours on a course only 328ft long. Imagine a marathon at which whales, seals and penguins are the only spectators. Imagine a marathon run
. At the Marine Corps Marathon one year, I almost finished in the top 15,000 runners. I would have, but I went out too fast!As I enter my 10th year as a runner, I have to admit that I’m no longer the new kid on the block. I’ve had some wonderful races and some
personal.Such was the case for me at mile 18 of the Tuscon Marathon last December. As I walked off the course, the pain in my body was no match for the pain in my spirit. A sense of failure – the feeling that my legs had betrayed me, that my training
Extract from No Need For Speed by John Bingham (Rodale International Limited, £8.99). To order direct from Runner's World for the special price of £7.99 (inc P&P), call 0800 731 0622 and quote 55174-0.Those who know me well know that I enjoy
“This just isn’t my day,” I heard her whisper. When I turned to look at her, I couldn’t believe my eyes. She wasn’t in pain. She was simply finished. It was as though someone had drained out all of her energy. And the marathon finish was still 13
It was hot, really hot, really, really hot. It was the kind of day that race directors and veteran marathon runners dread, and which new runners ignore as they chase their dreams. Trouble wasn’t brewing; it was boiling.I ran the first few miles
for granted for so many years now permit me to run distances I once thought too far to drive.Those who have run marathons with me know that at mile 20, I give myself permission to do anything I want for the next 6.2 miles. If I want to run faster, I do. If I
their usefulness to me, but they can enjoy an entire second life – on the streets. I wonder if the new owners of my old shoes know what they’re getting. I wonder if these people can feel the magic of the shoes that I wore when I set my marathon PB. I wonder
