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Yes, perhaps the best off road running magazine in the world is back on the cyber shelves for number 3 of 2010. In this issue Denis and his crew talk waterproofs and trail running shorts and shirts, talk to Aussie Ray Zehab and US ultra-girl Caitlin Smith… Read more…
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In England the ultra-short races, like Grasmere and Burnsall, have long formed their own hallowed tradition and the British Championship has likewise been constructed with all-rounders in mind:… Read more…
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This high-profile instance grabbed some headlines last year, that said trail, fell and mountain running appear to be relatively clean sports. Not resting on their laurels, the WMRA has recently meet to discuss Anti-Doping… Read more…
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You might not care. But then again you might. Tonight sees more lame debating live on telly (yaaawn) – but I’m not going to get into politics on here, oh no. However, we need to know what will any change in government mean to the humble outdoor type in the UK? Read more…
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Went out for a little run ridge run in the hills this afternoon, okay, okay, I know 2 hours to do 8 miles, I stopped for endless photo and product shots, which I may use in the future – plus the technology gave up on me about 1 mile from home as you will see! Read more…
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Often running is seen as something that we do in our spare time, a leisure activity, fitted in with our busy lives of work and other stuff. It’s maybe more to those lucky enough to do it professionally. But to some it’s a way of life, running is their life, they live to run. Read more…
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As reported earlier today on MST (we hadn’t seen this AW article) this weekend’s World Cross Country will not be aired on the BBC. This Athletics Weekly article suggests that a contractual breakdown is the root cause… Read more…
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For top UK youngster Nick Goolab the last month or so has been a trying time. A lack of racing due to postponements and the poor weather has left the Belgrave man chomping at the bit to get out there and test himself in the competitive arena… Read more…
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Interesting news piece on the inov-8 site, regarding the off-road shoe specialists’ drive towards ‘neutrality’, and how some of today’s running shoes could be adding to runners’ injury lists… Read more…
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You might think that the end of the white stuff is good news for people to start getting about again, and for races to go ahead. However, an article on the Grough tells us to be extra cautious if you are out there on the hill this weekend, as melting snow on higher ground means the risk of avalanche… Read more…
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Nicola Bamford profiles Edinburgh XC winner Joseph Ebuya for the IAAF and unearths yet another world-class talent from east-Africa who has found fame and fortune through athletics. After a time in the Army and then traveling to Europe without shoes or food Ebuya was (inevitably) snapped up by Ricky Simms... Read more…
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Whether running or biking, a hot brew is always a welcome sight after a session. A very timely little article on Triathlete’s World extols the virtues of a hot drink to re-hydrate at this time of year, especially if you have got extra cold out there… Read more…
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You might think that running in the snow is hard work but good fun. It can also be dangerous, with all of those hidden dips and rocks nicely concealed by fresh, white powder. Funnily enough Ironmate Mark Kleanthous states that the deep powdery stuff is safer that the hard-pack… Read more…
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It’s not running, but it’s outdoor, and it’s hills and fells, what’s more it’s a great round-up of 2009 by one of the best outdoor sites on the net. With tributes to the likes of John Evans and stories on the English coastal path. Make sure you click here for page two aswell… Read more…
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After a Festive period of house moves, illness and ISP issues (BT – grrrr!) Mud, Sweat and Tears is back online. 2010 will be bigger and better (we hope) with even more off-road news, new features and exclusives… Read more…
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Government officials are encouraging us to get off our backsides and get out there this Yuletide – whatever the weather. The Grough reports that walkers are being egged on to burn off the eggnog and get some fresh air… Read more…
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Louis Clark reports on a suburban foray into the ancient forest of Epping Forest. Londoner Louis has to search far and wide those wild spaces that make an urban runner’s life a bit more bearable, but finds a little bit of off-road heaven east of London… Read more…
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German-based site Gripmastertrails is a site after our own hearts here at MST. The imagery and emotion is superb, and their coverage of year’s TransAlpine Run was unsurpassed. The Gripmaster loves the trails, runs the trails and reports the trails… Read more…
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Inov-8 are to launch three exciting new orienteering shoes in April 2010. A dedicated range of orienteering shoes will cement their specialist off-road market position as all shoes will be lightweight, durable and work with the natural bio-mechanics of the foot… Read more…
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Episode one documented their arrival in the Nepal region, and the Namche bazaar. In episode two of Frosty’s epic trip to this years Everest Marathon she talks about her’s and Gil’s (Matt Gilbert) continued ‘acclimatisation’, the introduction of porter Raj, plenty of sun and…snow! Read more…
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MST has another new writer. Louis Clark will be ‘our man in the South’ – of England that is – covering all things trail and XC. Louis lives in the city, he lives for the weekend and getting our of urbania. Read more…
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The opportunity to run Everest Marathon is something many an off-road runner would behold. 2009 Commonwealth Mountain Running Champion Anna Frost is no different. The Wrexham-based athlete is well on her way to the ceiling of the world… Read more…
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Interesting to see UKA encouraging blogs from some of it’s talented youngsters. Also interesting to see prospective future champions loathe the discipline of cross country as much as their forefathers. The likes of Steve Ovett outwardly exclaimed their dislike for the muddy sport, yet equally realised that it was as essential part of their endurance base… Read more…
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Martin Cox’s latest blog on the Team Inov-8 Europe site tells it like it is to race at a high level – hard work! Really great reading, getting inside the mind of a committed British mountain runner who resides in Italy and is ready to take on the Africans on the roads and mountains of Europe. Read more…
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News that the newly-crowned World women’s mountain running champion Elisa Desco had tested positive for a (as yet unnamed) banned substance may come as a shock to many in the mountain running scene. Read more…
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I have to admit to not being an avid reader of the world’s most popular running magazine. In the past I saw the publication as more of an advisory mag, helping those running newbies obtain shoe, race and training advice for road races, marathons, the odd off-road or charity event… Read more…
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According to the Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara the 2016 Olympics will be the last ever, as we could all be doomed by then. Who knows, he could be right. One thing is for sure, the green concerns of Tokyo should be applauded and unless the mindless excess of the Games is checked the Olympics are in danger of becoming a embarrassing commercial ogre… Read more…
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The past weekend allowed me to get a first-hand experience with the new Fell and Mountain Running Level 2 Coach which was kicked off earlier this year after collaboration between the FRA and UK Athletics. The course bases itself on the standard “Endurance Level 2” course… Read more…
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Well we are not sure if last weekend’s Commonwealths were filmed, but there is certainly a revolution afoot. The east Africans have dabbled in mountain running over the last few years, and have always attacked this big Nigerian race... Read more…
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This blog is definitely one for your bookmarks. Sarah Ridgway, and husband Iain, know Snowdonia pretty well and her regular updates make for excellent reading. This site is worth checking for the images alone – of course the content ain’t bad either! Read more…
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After Moire set sail to south Asia for a spell our Irish feed has been down – until now that is! We wanted someone with, wit, style and creative juice to fill the lil’ Irish girls’ mountain shoes, and we think that we have found a suitable replacement… Read more…
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It’s no secret that many of the African nations have a history of barefoot running, from as far back as the 60’s with Abebe Bekele, through to the infamous Zola Budd (is this really 25 years ago!?), through to many top youngsters of today (until they are told put on the sponsors’ kicks!). Read more…
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Whilst the south of the UK basked in glorious sunshine it seems that the weather at the Sedbergh Hills Race was non too clement yesterday. With results still unavailable it’s good to see that the runners come through with fresh blogs to tell the tales… Read more…
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Yep, its nearly 10 months since we first started this thing, and as with any youngster it needs feeding as it grows, and as the traffic grows we want to meet the demands of the users. We also think that it is about time that we added some new features and gave the site a new feel, but all in nice clean way, keeping customers happy. What d’you reckon? Read more…
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This little piece of news was probably lost in the more heady news of false starts and World Athletics Champs fever, but the IAAF motion for the World XC champs to be held every two years (instead of annually) has been passed unanimously by 132 votes to 22. Read more…
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MST is growing fast (site traffic continues to grow almost 20% month-on-month, thank you!). But like everyone we all need a break. Since the first words were written in October 2008 barely has a day gone by without some news or views… Read more…
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3.00am isn’t normally a good hour to be getting up at! But when one is offered the opportunity to be part of a mountain race relay squad – in Annecy, France – alongside the British Fell running champion, the winner of this year’s Zergama SkyRace Read more…
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As reported last week fell running seems to be gaining strength as the sport of choice for those looking for something a little different. It seems that these runners aren’t one-hit wonders either, as the FRA reports a 17% increase in membership… Read more…
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Rob Hope is good with a pen, well a virtual pen anyway. He is also a pretty decent mountain runner. The 2008 British Fell Champion is well on his way to once again retaining his title this year, and to keep himself sharp he is also mixing it with the world’s best in Europe this summer… Read more…
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Yep, I don’t half choose ‘em. Two weeks ago I was battling 80 mile-an-hour winds and hail, on Sunday I was battling 80 degree temperatures and 4 feet deep water, at the first of the year’s Turbo X races. Proper mud, sweat and tears… Read more…
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Irish national daily the Irish Times thinks so. As do the growing number of people that are coming into the sport. This excellent article could have been written about any one of the four UK nations too… Read more…
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This is an interesting strategy. Charging spectators at a cross-country event is an alien concept to most running events. We are all used to turning up at races, ducking under race tape, running across the course, coming and going as we please. Read more…
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The Moel Eilio fell race means something to me. It’s a race steeped in history, starting in Llanberis – the home of the much more famous Snowdon Race – it ascends Moel Eilio, takes in Foel Gron, Foel Goch and Moel Cynghorion before plummeting to the village once more… Read more…
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Super-woman Rosie Swale-Pope was a special guest speaker at this week’s Keswick Mountain Festival. It was great to hear that she seemed to be un-phased by the speech, and prepared for it just a few hours beforehand. We suspect that is was a case of what to leave out, as opposed to what to include! Read more…
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The well documented downfall of Olympic champion Rashid Ramzi casts yet another shadow for many. For some it brings delight that the fight against doping is still being fought. Take Steve Cram. He commentates on these things and waxing lyrical about Ramzi has never come easy for the BBC man. Read more…
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Tring is a beautiful Hertfordshire market town, in south of England. It’s rural, its nestles near the Ridgeway and Ashridge, peaks of barely 250m. Not the sort of place you’d expect gnarly mountain goats to congregate… Read more…
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The time was that you had to wait a week or so for the results of a race to appear, time was when you had to wait for an equal amount of time for a winner’s quote. No more so, with the power of the blog. Read more…
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The Three Peaks Race is all about the runners. Tales are told that become folk lore down the years, however it’s generally the winners that are remembered – here a few snippets from those who have experienced the joy of winning… Read more…
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The rapid growth of Salomon as an off-road running brand has always been aligned to tough off-road events – Saab Salomon Hellrunner was legendary. So, it’s logical that their new site – saabsalomontrails.com – should be dedicated to their consumer race and training experiences. Read more…
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Tim Hutchings says that until UK athletes approach something like ‘competitive’ against the African and Eastern nations they should not be sent to events such as the World Cross Country championships. Read more…
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Can the rest of the world close the gap on Kenya and Ethiopia? Can the white man be as good without living somewhere above the clouds, surviving on rice and beans? And is it not money, survival, that’s motivating the Kenyan dominance? Read more…
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In part one of Chris Smithard’s view on how technology has brought Orienteering into the 21st century is was all in the timing. Here he talks mapping, race formats and going urban… Read more…
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There wasn’t a happy Kenyan face in the house after the men’s race at this weekends World XC. The post-race reflection will go on deep into the summer for their task-master Julius Kirwa, who yesterday blamed himself for not triumphing in Jordan. Read more…
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As part of MST’s further foray in the world of O (Orienteering) Chris Smithard looks into how the sport is perceived in the new millennium and in the wider running world. This two-part article will help gain a better understanding of the sport and what you need to make it to the top! Read more…
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I mentioned in my introduction to MST that I am a member of TASS. It is unlikely many of you have heard of it or understand what it does so I will try and explain a bit about what it’s all about as well as the impact it has had on my training as an orienteer. Read more…
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This excellent Guardian article written by Donald McRae gets deeply into the mind of the UK’s top endurance runner, right now. Mo Farah talks training, failure, Dave Moorcroft’s British-record and how photography is his next biggest love… Read more…
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Apologies to those people who have posted a comment in the last couple of weeks, as it may have disappeared! Last night the site was hit by a spam email hitting the comments boxes, 170 were posted on an article. So, please continue to post (legitimate!) comments, we will try and combat the spamheads!! Read more…
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There can come a time when your daily run becomes a little monotonous, which can lead to a halt in improvement and a general lack of motivation. The following article recently appeared in the Performance Basics section of Athletics Weekly with some nuggets to keep us runners happy… Read more…
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With each week that passes it seems that Mo Farah is becoming a bit of a talisman for UK endurance running. No sooner has he raced to the UK record and European 3000m gold, than he is fighting the fight against school playing field sell-offs. Read more…
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He was one of the enigmatic and galvanising figures in sports administration. He was a lover of the mountains, and of mountain racing. He brought the World Mountain Running Championships to fruition for 2009. He will be sorely missed. Read more…
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Personally I am much happier with the sound of the birds and the wind rushing through my hair, however it seems that the latest research by Dr Costas Karageorghis shows that music can improve perceptions of effort… Read more…
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I was bored of running up the same mountains. I was tired of looking for someone to show me new trails. I was frustrated that I couldn’t read my own map. I wanted to find my own way. Read more…
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Whether its the 2012 London Olympics, the World Cup in South Africa in 2010 or the World Cross Country championships, its all about the legacy. What will be left behind, once the last caravan departs from any given sporting traveling-circus? Read more…
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It seems that scientists have confirmed what us runners already knew, we were born to run. An article on Wired Science talks about our ‘stubby toes’ being custom-made to enable us to chase prey. Read more…
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UKA Head of Endurance Ian Stewart has reiterated his vision for the future of distance running in the UK in a recent article in Athletics Weekly. This replicated article sees Stewart talking about “more miles”, groups of “70 runners” and general theme of “hard work”. Read more…
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You may say, relay running, Cup events, but cross country? Well this how Kenyan World XC coach Julius Kirwa sees it. Following Moses Mosop’s convincing win at the weekend he wants more ‘team drill’ come the World Cross Country Championships in Amman next month. Read more…
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For those of you that keep a close eye on all things sport you might have seen a worrying trend in the last few months – early death in young athletes. Quite often unexplained, possibly preventable, with what seems to be a simple screening programme. Read more…
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That’s right, its National weekend! ‘The oldest cross country race in the world’ at the most famous of venues – Parliament Hill – takes place this Saturday. Spikesmag beat us to a history of story, which we were planning to write today (honest!) Read more…
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In an episode that has wider implications for growing sport-bureaucracy in 2009 the cold snap over the last few weeks had one victim, that stood up in the face of officialdom and slipped under the MST radar. Read more…
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It’s not often we see snow in the UK, so tips for running in such conditions aren’t too plentiful. But look around the world and many runners from the US to Scandnavia to NZ have to cope with heavy snow and adapt their training accordingly. Read more…
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So the time has come, we think. Let’s open this thing up. Share the love. Cast the net wider. We’re going worldwide. MST want you, to enable us, to keep the site even fresher. It’s time to get some guest reviewing, reporting and interviewing going on! Read more…
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It seems that since the chimes of Big Ben took us into 2009 the bells begin to toll again and doping rears its ugly head in many sports. Read more…
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The Running Bug is on it, of course we are on it – hell even Lance Armstrong is on it. It’s the latest way to keep in touch and find people, and is a kind of Facebook without all of the faff. Read more…
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The Times article that followed his unsuccessful record attempt in Dubai, tells me that Haile Gebrselassie’s status is beginning to transcend the sport. However, with quotes like “If I stop I think maybe I’ll die”, the most famous endurance runner in the world is just going to run ‘til he drops… Read more…
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We are very good at placing pressure on sports people. We want success, we want our runners, footballers, cricketers and cyclists to win. We expect. But it doesn’t always happen quite like that. With 2012 just around the erm, corner, we are already taking about medal hauls and the ‘most likely to’ – and why not, there is only 4 years to go after all! Read more…
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Mud, Sweat and Tears sprung up in October, and since then the world has been a pretty gloomy place – financial catastrophes have been top of the bill, Afghanistan continues to rumble, add in floods, hurricanes and the Gaza conflict and well, you get the picture. Read more…
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For me this wasn’t a difficult choice, it had to be the world of marathon running which took the accolades. This run in 2008 stood head and shoulders above all others and once again cemented Haile’s name at the top of the all-time list of greatest runners. Read more…
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As promised our musings on the “best of…” begin here with the runners. We’ve got a fell / mountain section, UK and International and an outstanding performance, whatever the surface. The choices might have seemed pretty straight-forward, but there will be some out there who will disagree – anyway, this how we saw it in ’08… Read more…
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Why do we say that!? Probably because it is. Every newspaper, magazine, website, TV channel and whatever new medium will be looking back at 2008 and dishing out their lists of the good, the bad and the ugly – and why not (it fills the inches or pixels). Read more…
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In what we at MST hope will be a regular feature, best selling author, ultra-runner extraordinaire and all-round crazy runner, ‘Mad Dog’ Mike Schreiber wants your questions. He ran his first marathon in ’76 and still runs trail ultra-distance races to this day – at 71 years old!. Read more…
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Are you a high tech re-fueller or an old-schooler? Time was when a nice cuppa was all that a champion needed. Alf Tupper ate fish and chips before a track race (but he wasn’t real), Dave Bedford liked the odd ale (he is real) – all good. Read more…
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A recent report on the Guardian website states that school children in China are just as reluctant to get out there and run as the youngsters of the Western world. Read more…
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Where would we be without them? Yes they can be a real pain when they hurry you on after you finish in a crumpled mess at the end of that strength-sapping race, when all you want to do is find the nearest spot to cough your lungs up. But let’s face it officials, organisers and marshalls make our world go round. Read more…
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Okay, us lot in the UK call it fell running and we can probably trace its history back to when we chased dinosaurs up hills, but as the sport becomes evermore global (next year’s Mountain Trophy will now be known as the World Mountain Running Championships) we at MST are going to nail our flag to the mast of the World. Read more…
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How many runners can you name that can run 3.43 for 1500m, 13.27 for 5000m, a 2.13 marathon and who then go on to dominate the global mountain running scene for 6 years straight? Sure, there are athletes who have run quicker, but when it comes to crossing terrain-boundaries Jonathan Wyatt is something of a phenomenon. Read more…
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As the UK media got into a frenzy proclaiming that there were thousands of mad fell runners unaccounted for in the Lakes this weekend, many of those taking part were simply disappointed that they were not able to complete the OMM 2008. Read more…
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As the merchant bankers continue to tinker with our lives and livelihood, the sight of lines of unemployed flashed on every screen wont be far away. But, will the rising cost of living mean that we consume less and therefore run less? Read more…
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We all like a prediction, lets face it. Whether its over a pint, a coffee or facebook, people everywhere like to pontificate on the the next US president, or the winner of Strictly frickin
Come Dancing (I am glad that I’m not the only one who hates that programme). Read more…
