medallist Brendan Foster, who got the idea after running in New Zealand's Round the Bays race in 1979.When the GNR made its debut in 1981, it took place in June and boasted a line-up of 12,000 runners – many of whom will be back this year, no doubt relieved

such a habit, like cleaning my teeth, then it doesn't actually cross my mind not to run. If I have an off day I'll tell myself I'll just go for 15 mins, then once I'm out the door I'll usually end up doing my full run anyway. (Juliefrazz)1. Set yourself a

, and the 4x15 were fitted around commuting – running to and from the train station twice a week. I think all the talk about 'mental toughness' is a bit of snake oil. Ultras aren't that hard. Running 100 miles slowly is much, much easier than running 26.2