to external influences such as topography, weather and time of day. If you're completing a hilly race, for example, you might need to slow your pace on the hills and raise it on the flats in order to run with an even heart rate. Even if you've paced yourself

Leading the field: Paula RadcliffeThe Athens Olympic Marathon in 2004 was meant to be Paula Radcliffe's race. Since her marathon debut in London in 2002 the British world record holder had never been defeated over the distance. Certainly the Kenyans

drinks stations along the route, as well as countless food stops serving local delicacies from foie gras, oysters and entrecote steak, to ham, cheese and fruit. The party starts well before the race begins though. In the days leading up to the Saturday

Building the finishAfter closing the roads in town, the stands are built the day before the race

Penticton, which is where IM Canada takes place, so there's a big triathlon community to train with. I raced  Ironman Canada six weeks ago, so I haven't had much time to recover or get into my training routine again. I've been here for four days. It's better

categories from an individual ultra to entering a team of 32 runners for the four-day relay.Race website: www.st-olavsloppet.no Ecco Östersund Marathon (July)2009 Date: July 25The organisers of the Ostersund Marathon reckon it’s one of the world’s most

qualified for the World Championships with my 2010 London Marathon time. Those are my two main goals for next year.Q. What are ideal racing conditions for you?A. I'm told the weather's going to be cold and sunny on race day so that will be ideal for marathon

around for a while making friends. I also paid a second visit to the medical tent, where I learned that the French for blister is 'ampoule'. I'll be saying 'ampoule' a lot in the next few days.A small confession: I started this race daring to wonder where

is the Kosice Peace Marathon in Slovakia, in case you were wondering. Next year’s race takes place on the same day as the London Marathon  – April 26, 2009 – and also features pacers, so if you’ve missed out on a place in London, you can go Dutch.  Race website

from the Marathon des Sables.The Race The Marathon des Sables (MdS or Marathon of the Sands) is a seven-day six-stage race held annually across a section of the Sahara desert in southern Morocco. 2011 sees the 26th running of the event that is often