stage wondering if I could do well at the MdS. On paper I'm an okay runner. I was first lady at the 2006 North Pole Marathon, second lady at the Himalayan 100-mile stage race in 2005 and I have a respectable marathon PB of 3:14. But after developing bad

to a daughter. For this you can "blame" her husband.The gentsResearch suggests that male runners who cover more than 30 miles a week – as Radcliffe’s husband and training partner Gary Lough does – are more likely to father female offspring. Researchers

On Sunday 3rd April, the 26th Marathon des Sables gets underway somewhere in the Sahara in southern Morocco. Around 1000 runners will be setting off t run 150 miles in six stages at what's often billed the toughest footrace on earth. I'll be one

.www.swissalpine.ch North and Central America Hood to Coast Relay, USA This race is quite possibly the most fun you can have with your trainers on. The 197-mile team relay in the pristine North American state of Oregon pits teams of 12 runners against each other in a non-stop race

that is 75-100m from bottom to top and run up at an intensity slightly harder than 5K race pace. Start with seven or eight intervals, each followed by an easy jog back to the bottom of the hill.Don’t just hammer out the miles on roads or pavements

of the hill.Don’t just hammer out the miles on roads or pavements. By training off-road on trails or sand, your legs will work harder to keep you moving, and you’ll put less stress on joints. You can even include races on different surfaces in your training

twice before and had to withdraw through injury, so I really wanted to make sure that I made the start line this time.Q. How much training have you been doing?A. I've been doing about 100 miles a week in training. The longest I've run is a hilly 23 miles

financial doomsayers are warning of a double-dip recession, and Astley has seemingly given up, but Kleanthous is still going strong. He has a full-time job that involves driving 25,000 miles a year and in his ‘spare’ time he updates his popular website

and Switzerland. Race website: www.ultratrailmb.com Paris-Versailles, September [Getty Images]Paris-Versailles (September)2009 Date: tbcThis 10-mile point-to-point race in the French capital starts in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. The first four miles

.stramilano.itEcomaratona dei Marsi (May) 2009 Date: tbc This Italian trail marathon offers the opportunity to enjoy the valleys, mountains, parks and forests of the Abruzzo region. With roads accounting for only 15 per cent of the 26.2 miles, this race is a nature