, and this summer he will again test his endurance to the limit on behalf of Unicef while attempting to run barefoot across Australia.Kirste SnellgroveWhen Kirste Snellgrove was diagnosed with breast cancer, the first thing she asked was, “Can I still run

, we really celebrated, jumping around – and wheezing – under the dark, wet sky.”Hays often thinks of that moment, especially during those inevitable times when his motivation begins to wane. He reminds himself that his two friends are expecting him

The season is coming to an end, so you'd be forgiven for looking forward to a bit of a rest. But not yet. There is still time left to go that extra mile and squeeze in some fantastic results to keep you inspired and motivated throughout winter

to have fun; a time to fall in love with triathlon all over again and remember why you put yourself through all the pain and sacrifice. In the summer months you can be all-consumed with racing, but the off-season gives you the chance to experiment with new

particularly motivated by veterans’ running. When she takes a break from her teaching job to spend summers running in Italy, she races in the open category. "I hold my own," she smiles. "A race is a race. I don’t really think about the age thing." It’s hard

at night is to make yourself visible. Even in the summer months you may be finishing your runs in darkness.Let colleagues know what you’re doing Kristan Haywood, a consultant with the Arthur Andersen accounting firm, works long hours at client companies

and exercise psychologist at Sheffield Hallam University, to develop strategies that will enable him to reach his Ironman goal.This summer he'll take part in small triathlons to become used to the atmosphere at races. "Rob is helping me to develop strategies

packed away and everyone had gone - a demoralising and humiliating experience that left me with little motivation to ever run again.By 16 years old, all I did was play video games and eat junk food. As a result, my weight had ballooned to 17 stone, and my

itI started running at age nine, and am still running now – 19 years later. With my club as a junior, I used to train twice a week (Monday and Wednesday) and then race in cross-country or on the track in the summer, or go out for my own run. My

UPDATE: We had an amazing response to our Inspired To Run competition, launched in the summer by RW along with Reebok and two of our sister magazines.Among the stories you sent us were tales of first-time marathons, extraordinary race day