<p>Australia&rsquo;s Sinead Diver finished just 32 seconds shy of a podium place at last weekend&rsquo;s New York City Marathon.</p>
<p>Racing against some of the world&rsquo;s best road runners, it will have been a huge confidence booster for the 42-year-old ahead of next year&rsquo;s Olympic Games. But had it not been for a team fun-running event that her sister had organised at her work, Diver may never have got into running in the first place.</p>
<p>&ldquo;My sister needed somebody to fill in on her team as they were missing someone, so she asked me would I run,&rdquo; explains Diver (pronounced &lsquo;Divver&rsquo;). &ldquo;One of the guys there thought I was pretty quick and said I should join a running club.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Aged 33 at the time and with no real running background, Diver started to train more seriously, partly as a way to get fit after giving birth to Eddie, the first of her two children, and partly to see if she did have some latent talent, as people had suggested.</p>
<p>She joined the &lsquo;Crosbie Crew&rsquo;, coached by Tim Crosbie, soon after and progressed rapidly. She initially competed at national level in Australia and flirted with different distances on the track and roads before making her big breakthrough in 2014 in her debut marathon in Melbourne.</p>
<p>Running 2:34:15, Diver easily achieved the qualification standard for the IAAF World Championships Beijing 2015 and faced a difficult decision on which country to represent: Ireland or Australia. Having lived in Ireland until the age of 25, she moved to Melbourne in 2002 with her now husband Colin and has lived there ever since.<br /><br /></p>
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Australia's Sinead Diver in the marathon at the IAAF World Championships London 2017</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&ldquo;I thought I would run for Ireland,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m Irish after all. But then Athletics Ireland changed their qualifying time for Beijing to 45 seconds faster than my time from Melbourne. It was upsetting and I took it a bit personally.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Thankfully Athletics Australia offered me a spot on the team and by then I had lived in Australia for 12 years and I was set up there, so I was delighted to represent them and have done so ever since.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Diver finished 21st in the marathon in Beijing and followed it up with 20th at the IAAF World Championships London 2017. Since making her breakthrough into world-class territory with a clocking of 2:25:19 at last year&rsquo;s Melbourne Marathon, she has joined the Melbourne Track Club coached by Nic Bideau.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Moving to Nic has helped me take the next step in my running career," she says. "I&rsquo;ve moved to the next level and my training has changed quite a bit. I&rsquo;m now training in a group of elite athletes and being around them has made a massive difference to my running. I&rsquo;m really glad I made the move.&rdquo;</p>
<p>The switch has paid dividends and Diver finished an impressive seventh at this year&rsquo;s London Marathon in 2:24:11, securing qualification for next year&rsquo;s Tokyo Olympics. It also put her third on the Oceanian all-time list, just 95 seconds shy of the continental record held by Benita Willis-Johnson.</p>
<p>&ldquo;The London Marathon was brilliant,&rdquo; says Diver. &ldquo;I went there aiming for 2:23 but unfortunately it was a bit windy. I led the race for half of it which was unexpected and was a bit of fun. I really loved the experience.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Diver followed it up with a 14th-place finish in the 10,000m at the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 with 31:25.49, just half a second outside the automatic Olympic qualification standard. Her 2:26:23 clocking in New York was Diver&rsquo;s first race since returning from the Qatari capital, but she is already fully focused on next year&rsquo;s Olympic Games.<br /><br /></p>
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Australian distance runner Sinead Diver</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Having missed out on the Rio 2016 Olympic Games due to a knee injury caused by the cuboid bone in her foot, competing in Tokyo will be extra special for Diver.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Missing out on Rio was really hard to stomach, so to compete in Tokyo would be a dream come true,&rdquo; she says. "The Olympics is the pinnacle of sport. It would be amazing to be part of it.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Now aged 42 and showing no signs of slowing down, Diver believes it&rsquo;s never too late to take up a sport for the first time and that people should ignore those who say it&rsquo;s not possible to excel at a mature age.</p>
<p>&ldquo;If you feel good enough to do it, then give it a go,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;Nobody else can tell you what your body is capable of. There is nothing to suggest that when you turn 40 you need to fall apart. It hasn&rsquo;t happened for me and I feel fitter than I was 10 years ago.</p>
<p>&ldquo;If I can do it then I can&rsquo;t see why other people can&rsquo;t do it too.&rdquo;</p>
<p><strong>James Sullivan for the IAAF</strong></p>

Australia’s Sinead Diver finished just 32 seconds shy of a podium place at last weekend’s New York City Marathon.

Sinead Diver Australia marathon Olympics masters

Diver: 'Nobody can tell you what your body is capable of'

<p>Plato once said that music gives a soul to the universe, and for a large proportion of the world&rsquo;s best athletes it&rsquo;s an essential part of their routine.</p>
<p>Whether it&rsquo;s to psyche themselves up for a race, to calm their nerves at a crucial moment or to help them through the daily grind of training, it can be a powerful aid.</p>
<p>But what songs stoke the fires for the fastest, fittest athletes on earth? We caught up with world 200m champion Noah Lyles and asked him to share his pre-race playlist with the world.</p>
<p>"This is my go-to playlist when I&rsquo;m running at a Diamond League or major championships," says Lyles. "I created this playlist in this specific order, with each song put in for a different part of my warm-up. The first song sets up the whole thing and then from <em>Praise On The Inside</em> to <em>Never Let Me Down</em>, those are really good songs I like to listen to when I&rsquo;m stretching and doing active drills. Then by the time I get to <em>Ima Boss</em> to <em>New God Flow</em> I&rsquo;m doing drills.</p>
<p>"Sometimes I&rsquo;ll get to <em>Don&rsquo;t Like</em> but usually <em>New God Flow</em> will be the last song I hear before going into the call room &ndash; it&rsquo;s the song that takes me over the edge. I only make a playlist for races, I don&rsquo;t use these songs for training because I don&rsquo;t want to wear them out."</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Noah Lyles' pre-race playlist</h3>
<p>Pornography &ndash; by Travis Scott</p>
<p>Rabbit Run &ndash; by Eminem</p>
<p>Praise on the Inside &ndash; by J Moss</p>
<p>Jesus Walks &ndash; by Kanye West</p>
<p>Never Let Me Down &ndash; by Kanye West</p>
<p>20 Min &ndash; by Lil Uzi Vert</p>
<p>Rise and Shine &ndash; by J. Cole</p>
<p>Ima Boss &ndash; by Meek Mill</p>
<p>Power &ndash; by Kanye West</p>
<p>New God Flow.1 &ndash; by Kanye West</p>
<p>Don&rsquo;t Like.1 &ndash; by Kanye West</p>
<p>Holy Key &ndash; by DJ Khaled</p>
<p>Champions &ndash; by Kanye West</p>
<p>Voices In My Head &ndash; by Big Sean</p>

Songs that fire up the world 200m champion

Playlist athletics sprinting Noah Lyles USA

The pre-race playlist - Noah Lyles

<p>Runners are creatures of habit &ndash; addicts, but in a good way. As such, we have an ability to carve time out of even the busiest days to hit the road/trails/park and sate the desire.</p>
<p>That can be difficult when routines are thrown out of kilter and travel &ndash; whether for business or pleasure &ndash; is often a reason running takes a back seat. But it doesn&rsquo;t have to be. There are few better ways to see a new city than lacing up the shoes.</p>
<p>Not only does time seem to pass a whole lot faster when sightseeing along the way, but you end up taking in a whole lot more with your eyes than the tourists gazing at the world through a phone camera&rsquo;s lens. So here, without further ado, are some suggestions for your next run in 10 of the world&rsquo;s most visited cities.</p>
<h3>New York</h3>
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Runners on the loop around the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir in New York</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The green lung in the heart of the Big Apple, Central Park is an oasis of calm amid the concrete jungle. A run here of just about any distance is what dreams are made of, its green tranquillity juxtaposed with towering skyscrapers flanking its southern end. A full loop of the park taking a road or trail by its perimeter will see you cover about 10K, but there are many shorter options. There is a soft cinder 2.5K loop around the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir that offers spectacular views of the city, while you can enter at West 65th street to get on the Bridle Path loops (2.6K/4K), which are a great way to get the miles in on a soft surface &ndash; just make sure to watch out for horses, who have right of way. You can also hit the roads of Central Park (which are now closed to cars) and imagine yourself powering through the closing miles of the New York City Marathon. The last 5K of the great race runs through the park and finishes by Tavern on the Green on the west side of the park.</p>
<h3>Dubai</h3>
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Jumeirah Beach in Dubai</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The temperatures may make you want to stay indoors at certain times of the year, but Dubai has an array of green spaces and breezy running routes that are ideal places to get your running fix. Zabeel Park is one of the best, which is near Al Jafilya metro station. Open 24/7, it has a cushioned running track looping near its perimeter that is 2K and free to use. It&rsquo;s a hub of activity every morning and evening and is a great place to meet fellow runners from all over the world.&nbsp; Al Safa Park is also extremely popular with running groups and has a 3.5K running track along its perimeter. Burj Park winds through downtown Dubai and at a length of 5K, it offers a stunning view of the Burj Khalifa and Dubai Fountains. Fed up with parks? Venture along the 8K track by the Dubai Marina which has some of the city&rsquo;s best views or if you&rsquo;re feeling ambitious, try the 14K track alongside Jumeirah Beach from the Dubai Marine Beach to the Burj Al Arab.</p>
<h3>London</h3>
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A runner on Primrose Hill in London</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>As hectic as London can sometimes feel, the city has a rich array of green spaces to free your body and settle your mind. One of the best places to run is Regent&rsquo;s Park and Primrose Hill in north London, where a 4K loop around the perimeter not only gives your legs a serious workout (note: <em>hill</em>) but also offers a stunning view of the city. You can get there easily by taking the Bakerloo line to Regent&rsquo;s Park station. Hampstead Heath is another runners&rsquo; paradise with a variety of grassland and wooded trails, while if you&rsquo;re staying more central it&rsquo;s hard to beat the 11.6K Diana Memorial run, which goes from Buckingham Palace through Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, Green Park and St James Park &ndash; all beautifully maintained and well serviced by the city&rsquo;s tube (metro) system. If parks aren&rsquo;t your thing, try the 5K loop that takes you over London&rsquo;s two iconic footbridges: cross the Golden Jubilee Bridge before running the Thames Path to the Millennium Bridge before looping back on the other side. You&rsquo;ll want to bring your phone to capture the views from either bridge but please, leave the selfie stick at home.</p>
<h3>Bangkok</h3>
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Benjakitti Park in Bangkok</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>While the heat and humidity can be stifling, there&rsquo;s no reason not to bring your running shoes if you&rsquo;re visiting Thailand&rsquo;s captivating capital. The streets and footpaths can be crowded and slightly chaotic so the best option is the city&rsquo;s parks. Lumpini Park offers 57 acres of lush green space, plenty of shade and a running loop that covers 2.5K. To get there head for Rama IV Road in Wangmai. If you find yourself keen to expand further then run to nearby Benjakitti Park for a loop around the lake. Chatuchak Park is not as big but another great option that has markers along the loop to measure distance. If you&rsquo;re looking for some interval training, the National Stadium is in the centre of the city and boasts a 400m track and outdoor fitness area. There are also a variety of river runs, with one option being to start at the Hua Chang Bridge Pier and head west along the Chao Phraya River, which takes you past some of the city&rsquo;s most beautiful Buddhist temples.</p>
<h3>Paris</h3>
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Running along the banks of the Seine in Paris</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>If you&rsquo;re staying in the centre of the city, a run along the banks of the Seine is a wonderful way to catch the top sights. From Notre Dame to the Louvre, Place de La Concorde to the Eiffel Tower, it&rsquo;s a run that offers so many heavy-hitting tourist attractions you won&rsquo;t even notice the time passing. There are multiple parks that make for a magnificent running experience, with Jardin de Plantes (57 Rue Cuvier) offering a scenic 1.2K loop around its perimeter and Jardin de Tuileries (in front of the Louvre) boasting a 2.5K loop. Jardin du Luxembourg is a beautiful oasis of calm with a 2K perimeter path, about the same length as that of the Champs de Mars. For a longer run, it&rsquo;s hard to beat the Bois de Boulogne, which attracts hundreds of runners every evening and boasts more trails (about 50 kilometres) than you&rsquo;ll be able to get through in a weekend. All the more reason to return to the City of Light.</p>
<h3>Tokyo</h3>
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Running around Tokyo's Imperial Palace Gardens at night</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Few nations respect and appreciate the art of distance running quite like the Japanese. As such, it&rsquo;s no surprise that in this densely populated capital city there are a host of great places to run. The Imperial Palace gardens &ndash; accessible by five different gates which are all near major train stations &ndash; are a splendid, scenic option in the centre of the city, where you can choose between a 2.5K or 5K loop. Yoyogi Park is another hugely popular retreat, where a 2.2K paved path is available for use 24/7 and there are countless other options for those looking to go long. In Eastern Tokyo, a great option is to run along the Sumida River Terrace, which has a flat path that goes along both sides of the river. However, the path has little shade so if visiting in high summer it&rsquo;s best to run in the morning or at night. If you&rsquo;d prefer to feel the ocean breeze on your face, take a run around Odaiba, a man-made island with wide, flat trails that have 5K and 7K marked options so you can take your eyes off the GPS and enjoy the various monuments like Rainbow Bridge, the Odaiba Statue of Liberty or the Palette Town ferris wheel.</p>
<h3>Johannesburg</h3>
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Braamfontein Spruit in Johannesburg</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Africa&rsquo;s most visited city is also a great place to get some miles in the legs. A popular choice is the Braamfontein Spruit, where you can take a 4.3K loop south of the Emmarentia Dam through the Johannesburg Botanical Gardens. Need to get a longer run in? Try Kings Kloof, which boasts a labyrinth of running trails that cover a distance of 22K, with incredible views of valleys and no shortage of river crossings and natural pools to make you feel truly connected to nature. Parkhurst is a popular spot with the city&rsquo;s bikers, runners and walkers and while a run through Delta Park will make you work &ndash; given the inclines &ndash; the views you&rsquo;re rewarded with make it worthwhile. Parkview, the perimeter of Johannesburg Zoo and Westcliff are other great options that are ideal for a 5K or 10K jaunt.</p>
<h3>Rio de Janeiro</h3>
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Runners on Copacabana Beach</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Let&rsquo;s start with the place everyone knows best: the Copacabana beach. Running from one end of it to the other and back racks up just over 8K on the GPS and is pancake flat. While you can run on the soft, pristine sand, it&rsquo;s best to stick to the path alongside the shore where the biggest obstacle you&rsquo;ll face is keeping your eyes off the stunning view and avoiding the multiple other walkers, runners, cyclists and skateboarders. Another great seaside run is to go from the Leblon to Ipanema and back, which is a round trip of 8K and has equally stunning beach views. But for the Cariocas (Rio residents), a preferred option is Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, or lagoon, which is well serviced by public transport and hosted the Olympic rowing events in 2016. A 7.4K run around its perimeter offers views of Christ the Redeemer sitting atop the imposing Corcovado mountain and distances on that loop are marked every 200 metres.</p>
<h3>Melbourne</h3>
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Runners jog around Albert Park Lake in Melbourne</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Any runner worth their salt in Melbourne can tell you all about The Tan (and probably their best time for it), a 3.8K loop that circles the Royal Melbourne Botanical Gardens. The official starting point is at the Pillars of Wisdom. It&rsquo;s a hugely popular run and it&rsquo;s easy to see why, with plenty of shade, greenery and great views of the Yarra River. Elsewhere in Melbourne Albert Park Lake offers a flat asphalt walking/running loop of 4.9K that offers great views of the city skyline, while if it&rsquo;s a longer run you&rsquo;re after try the 11K route from Port Melbourne to Elwood along the Hobsons Bay coastline. Princes Park, with its 3.2K loop and flat, soft gravel track is another great option. If it&rsquo;s hills you&rsquo;re after, the Yarra Trails are an ideal option to get some natural highs.</p>
<h3>Singapore</h3>
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Marina Bay in Singapore</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Despite its minuscule size, Singapore offers some superb options for runners. Jurong Lake Park is an ideal spot to lace up your running shoes and stretches 10K along Jurong Lake, where you can choose between a concrete path or go off-road on gravel paths. To get there head to 104 Yuan Ching Road. For stunning views, you could also try a run along the Marina Bay, though be ready to dodge the multiple walkers who have the same idea every evening. East Coast Park is a big favourite of local runners, with wide pavements that stretch over 20K in length, while for a slice of tranquillity try a run at MacRitchie Reservoir where the mixture of trails and boardwalk loops run up to 10K in length. Punggol Park and Coney Island are other peaceful places to get the miles in, where the cool breeze will make things a whole lot easier.</p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><strong>Cathal Dennehy</strong></p>

Runners are creatures of habit – addicts, but in a good way. As such, we have an ability to carve time out of even the busiest days to hit the road/trails/park and sate the desire. 

Best big cities running world guide

Cities of the world – a runner’s guide 

<h4>Nine years after befriending an Ethiopian refugee in Ireland, Cathal Dennehy headed to Ethiopia &ndash; land of the runners &ndash; and joined in with a few training sessions alongside some of the world's elite.</h4>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>I can&rsquo;t keep up. As I chug across the rolling grasslands of Ethiopia, it takes about 45 seconds before I&rsquo;m painfully aware of my own absolute, overwhelming and slightly mortifying mediocrity.</p>
<p>Up ahead &ndash; close enough to hear my rasping, wheezing breaths but not close enough to ask if I&rsquo;m actually dying &ndash; a horde of high-level distance runners are coasting across the landscape at a pace of 4:50 a mile, or 3:00 per kilometre.</p>
<p>It&rsquo;s November 2018, three days since I had my ass politely handed to me by several thousand runners in the Great Ethiopian Run, and I&rsquo;ve come here &ndash; to a village on the very outskirts of Addis Ababa &ndash; to get an extra insight into how these masters of endurance operate.</p>
<p>I&rsquo;ve also come to visit my friend.</p>
<p>Back in 2009, when I was trying &ndash; and failing &ndash; to <em>not</em> be a mediocre distance runner, I got to know an Ethiopian refugee in my home city of Limerick, Ireland. Lebeta Debela had fled his nation the previous year and was a decent if not elite distance runner, one I trained with three times a week. He had very little English at the time, while my Amharic is, ehm, less than fluent (zero words).</p>
<p>But sometimes the universal language of running can transcend that. We&rsquo;d warm up together, try to smash each other in the ensuing session, then high-five at the end of it and do our best to learn more about each other&rsquo;s lives as we cooled down.</p>
<p>He was forced to leave Ireland and return to Ethiopia a year or so later, and as he did so he dreaded the conflict he was returning to at home. We stayed in touch over the years &ndash; the odd phone call and lots of Facebook messages &ndash; and each time we did I noticed the improvement in his English.</p>
<p>When we trained together, he&rsquo;d try his best to tell me what it was like in Ethiopia &ndash; the huge groups of athletes churning out runs, as many as 150 galloping all as one &ndash; and I always figured it was something I had to see to believe.</p>
<p>Late last year, I finally did.</p>
<p>It was a Wednesday morning at 8am when he arrived to my hotel, his uncle driving the car and the two of them explaining to this ignorant tourist &ndash; who had done no actual research &ndash; all about their home city of Addis Ababa.<br /><br /></p>
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Athletes training in Meskel Square in Addis Ababa</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>One of the first things you realise is most Ethiopian runners want to live in Addis Ababa, but no one really wants to train there. It&rsquo;s far too hectic, noisy and filled with traffic for most distance runners to enjoy, so many lower-tier athletes are forced to run back and forth across the steps of Meskel Square to get the miles in &ndash; several hundred on any given evening.</p>
<p>As such, many more elite-level athletes try to live on the outskirts, where city turns to countryside and they can either take a short car journey or run from their door and coast across the serene, green landscape while filling their lungs with thin, crisp air.</p>
<p>Lebeta was one of those athletes, and along the way to his home he pointed out the houses of world-beating athletes who lived nearby: Yomif Kejelcha, Lelisa Desisa, Feyisa Lilesa.</p>
<p>His home was basic but perfectly adequate and the small town, Burayu, was populated with hundreds of runners. We arrived just after 9am and he noted we were late for the group run, so would have to hightail it across the plains to intercept them.</p>
<p>That day, the group would run for an hour at a progressively increasing pace, circling around a 4K loop that everyone seemed to know &ndash; everyone except me.</p>
<p>I soon saw them approaching and immediately peed my shorts (figuratively, of course).</p>
<p>Like a kid on his first day at school, I slotted in at the back and hoped no one would notice as Lebeta joined the pack and explained &ndash; at least I think &ndash; who the wheezing white guy was at the back.</p>
<p>We were going at about 5:30 pace per mile, which I coped with for all of two minutes before slowing to a stop and wondering what I was doing with my life.<br /><br /></p>
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Athletes running in Kella Town</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>On they went, the group of about 40 whittling down with each lap as the pace cranked up. When they came past again, I rejoined the back of the group, and this time my GPS showed they were going faster than five minutes per mile, which, at an altitude of 2,600m/8,500ft, had me burnt alive in less than a minute.</p>
<p>And so I stopped again, jogged around at a (much) more sedate pace, and watched as the group reduced to just three athletes entering the final 10 minutes. By this stage Lebeta had also been burnt off, so he joined me on my jog.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Why don&rsquo;t you join in with them again for the last bit?&rdquo; I asked, and he looked at me like I&rsquo;d suggested throwing rocks at them for entertainment.</p>
<p>&ldquo;No, no, <em>never</em> do that,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Shame.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Once we&rsquo;d finished, he gave me the rundown of who was in the group &ndash; and I realised that for three or so minutes I&rsquo;d been chasing (in vain) the 2016 Olympic marathon silver medallist Feyisa Lilesa.</p>
<p>In what other sport, I thought, could an average Joe rock up and train with the world&rsquo;s best?&nbsp; And not only that, but receive nothing but handshakes and smiles and nice-to-meet-yous &ndash; this despite me breaking the cardinal rule and joining in again after taking a lap off. For shame.</p>
<p>As we headed back to Lebeta&rsquo;s place he pointed out other runners whizzing by &ndash; there was Ibrahim Jeilan, who out-kicked Mo Farah to win the world 10,000m title in 2011 &ndash; and many others whose names rang a familiar bell.</p>
<p>We decamped to a local restaurant where Lebeta and his uncle ordered (what I think was) beef, a dish that came plonked in the middle of a giant piece of injera, the flatbread made from teff flour that is a staple of Ethiopian cuisine. It was delicious. After an afternoon of sightseeing and a visit to a natural spring in Ambo &ndash; highly recommend this &ndash; Lebeta and his uncle brought me for lunch at their family home, where we met two keen young runners, aged 10 and eight.</p>
<p>I watched later as they joined two of their friends at a local green area and went through a warm-up of jogging, followed by various drills and then several 300m reps on a cross-country loop. The best of them, a 10-year-old girl called Misgana Bekele, won an underage section at the Great Ethiopian Run the previous weekend and, with a name like that, I made sure to note it for the future.<br /><br /></p>
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Young runners in a field in the suburbs of Addis Ababa</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>When the day was done and Lebeta and his uncle dropped me back to the hotel, there were hugs exchanged and promises made that we wouldn&rsquo;t leave it eight years next time, my hosts refusing to accept a single cent towards the cost of our meals or travel.</p>
<p>That, above all, left a lasting impression about Ethiopians, the most hospitable people I&rsquo;ve come across. There was always a warm welcome.</p>
<p>It&rsquo;s what I and fellow journalist Weldon Johnson of Letsrun.com received a few days earlier when we tagged along with a group managed by Daan van den Berg of Global Sports Communication. This time, I didn&rsquo;t even attempt to keep up, happy to coast along in the van as the few-dozen-strong men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s groups churned out their 20-mile run.</p>
<p>We were told by Van den Berg to meet at a specific roundabout in Addis Ababa at 5:30am, and sure enough, as we stood there in darkness, a van pulled up filled with athletes.</p>
<p>We drove for about an hour out of the bustling city and when we arrived in Sendafa, the sun was slowly peeking over the horizon. At 6:45am, the group&rsquo;s coach Getaneh Tessema blew a whistle and all runners gathered in a circle, the coach and his assistant Assefa Mezgebu &ndash; best known for winning Olympic 10,000m bronze in 2000 behind Haile Gebrselassie and Paul Tergat &ndash; cracking jokes before they outlined the day&rsquo;s work.<br /><br /></p>
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Head coach Getaneh Tessema (right) and assistant coach Assefa Mezgebu (left) with their training group in Sendafa</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Then off they went, hordes of the world&rsquo;s best, with two-time London Marathon champion Tsegay Kebede leading the way at a steady six minutes per mile.</p>
<p>Over the next two hours, we saw about 300 athletes out there churning on the roads, this being only one of three key areas that runners train in outside Addis Ababa. We even saw a group of Ethiopian race walkers, five of them hurtling by and offering a glimpse into what the future could hold if this nation of runners decides to channel more talent into that event.</p>
<p>When the group run was complete, the athletes downed what remained of their drinks and changed alongside the road &ndash; with men and women separated by about 50 yards &ndash; and then they were back into the van for the drive back to Addis, 20 miles in the legs and the clock yet to strike 10am.</p>
<p>Seeing it all in person, it was hard not to feel lazy, even a tad guilty about the undeniable privilege that many others don&rsquo;t enjoy.<br /><br /></p>
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Athletes training in Sendafa</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>It was, above all, a reminder not so much how hard athletes in Ethiopia work &ndash; back in Ireland I knew several distance runners who trained just as hard, organising their lives around this pursuit with the same obsession &ndash; but it&rsquo;s the sheer volume of those doing it that leaves a lasting impression.</p>
<p>Thousands upon thousands, churning out 100 miles a week or more in places where there are no distractions, where nothing else seems to matter other than trying to keep up a little better today than you did yesterday. Do that and maybe one day you can be one of the men or women left at the front of your group, which means you&rsquo;re not far off the best in the world.</p>
<p>It&rsquo;s a place where the attitude rubs off and leaves you all the better for experiencing it. A place where everyone, no matter how fast or slow, is a dreamer.</p>
<hr />
<h3>How to: run in the footsteps of greats in Ethiopia</h3>
<p>One of the most popular training destinations for foreign runners is <strong>Sululta</strong>, a small town outside Addis Ababa which is surrounded by hills and eucalyptus forests and can be reached by private taxi for US $20 (or a lot cheaper if you&rsquo;re able to work out the public bus system, which I did, but only with the help of a local).</p>
<p>A popular choice of residence near Sululta is <strong>Yaya Village</strong>, which is owned by Ethiopian great Haile Gebrselassie, and running guides are available to show you the ropes of the locality.</p>
<p>Another hotspot for distance runners is <strong>Entoto</strong>, where many groups go hill training. If you&rsquo;re willing to venture further afield, try visiting <strong>Bekoji</strong>, the so-called Town of Runners.</p>
<p>While searching online about various locations and talking to those who&rsquo;ve been there is your best bet for research, you&rsquo;ll likely find most running groups and coaches are extremely open and offer a warm reception to runners who show up without an invite (guilty as charged).</p>

I can’t keep up. As I chug across the rolling grasslands of Ethiopia, it takes about 45 seconds before I’m painfully aware of my own absolute, overwhelming and slightly mortifying mediocrity. 

Running Ethiopia Addis Ababa

Running in the footsteps of greats

<p>Books about running fall into two broad categories &ndash; celebration, and aspiration.</p>
<p>The deeds of those who have made their name on the track, or the road, are recalled by the participants, or honoured by observers. Meanwhile those wishing to partake of this magical realm are offered all manner of advice as they prepare to tie up their laces and get underway.</p>
<p>So here goes with the first, unscientific, sample of what is out there for those wishing to follow, or to participate in the great sport of track and field.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><img style="width: 100px; height: 152px; margin-left: 20px; align: right;" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51%2BIZwj6WFL._SX327_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" alt="book" align="right" />Emil Zatopek won 10,000m gold and 5000m silver at the 1948 London Games and returned to the Olympic arena four years later in Helsinki where he won the 10,000m, the 5000m and &ndash; even though he had never run the distance before &ndash; the marathon; an achievement never likely to be matched.</p>
<p>His life forms the basis of Rick Broadbent&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/endurance-9781472920225/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Endurance: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Emil Zatopek</span></em></strong></a> (Bloomsbury, 2016). Our hero&rsquo;s athletic virtues were startling enough &ndash; by the time of his last race in 1958 the Czechoslovakian soldier had 18 world records to his credit, not to mention an additional three European titles.</p>
<p><img style="width: 100px; height: 153px; margin-left: 20px; align: right;" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51%2B0VVbe6QL._SX324_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" alt="book" align="right" />But it is the political context in which he was obliged to compete, painstakingly described in Broadbent&rsquo;s intelligent, ambitious and wide-ranging account, which deepens one&rsquo;s regard for a figure whose quirky, seemingly unquenchable spirit was recognised and appreciated around the world.</p>
<p>The following year another outstanding account of Zatopek&rsquo;s life came out, from Richard Askwith, entitled <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1109422/today-we-die-a-little/9780224100359.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Zatopek &ndash; Today We Die A Little</span></em></strong></a> (Yellow Jersey Press, 2017). A beautifully controlled and imaginatively realised read.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><img style="width: 100px; height: 150px; margin-left: 20px; align: right;" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41FbKCBca%2BL.jpg" alt="book" align="right" />When Meb Keflezighi &ndash; the first person in history to win both the Boston and New York City marathons as well as an Olympic marathon medal, having taken silver at the 2004 Athens Games &ndash; ran his final marathon in New York City on 5 November 2017, it marked the end of an extraordinary distance-running career.</p>
<p>Two years on he has written a book which reflects on each and every one of those marathon runs, and how they have challenged and changed him. It is entitled, fittingly enough, <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a title="26 Marathons" href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/592247/26-marathons-by-meb-keflezighi-with-scott-douglas/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><strong>26 Marathons</strong></em></a></span> (Rodale Books, 2019).</p>
<p>&ldquo;Meb&rsquo;s 26 Marathons is like opening a treasure chest full of inspiring stories... It is pure gold!&rdquo; said Shalane Flanagan, a home winner in the women&rsquo;s race on the day Meb ran his last one.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><img style="width: 100px; height: 152px; margin-left: 20px; align: right;" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41RHivLfFnL._SX327_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" alt="book" align="right" />Can you run away from grief, and fear? Can you run towards acceptance, and peace of mind? These are the primal questions posed in <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/537830/running-home-by-katie-arnold/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><strong>Running Home: A Memoir</strong></em></a></span> (Random House, 2019) by Katie Arnold, an established writer about extreme athletics.</p>
<p>Following the sudden death of her father through cancer, and the anxiety that gripped her a year later when she feared she was also dying, Arnold found that her solace came in running. Running and running, out in the wilds.</p>
<p>She then turned seriously to ultra-distance trail running as an outlet for grief and a space for self-reflection.&nbsp; She also investigates the science that appears to back her instinct that this is a healing process.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><img style="width: 100px; height: 160px; margin-left: 20px; align: right;" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51UQHO08THL._SX310_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" alt="book" align="right" />On the theme of ultra-running, acclaimed author Adharanand Finn, who has previously produced the hugely popular titles <em>Running with the Kenyans</em> and <em>The Way of the Runner</em>, has this year issued a despatch from another part of the athletics parish.</p>
<p>The <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://pegasusbooks.com/books/rise-of-the-ultrarunners-cl-9781643131351-hardcover" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><strong>Rise of the Ultra Runners</strong></em></a></span> (Pegasus Books, 2019) looks at an area of running that has moved into the mainstream in recent years and become popular around the world.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><img style="width: 100px; height: 123px; margin-left: 20px; align: right;" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/512GG5MIwvL._SX405_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" alt="book" align="right" />On the theme of anxiety, Kelly Holmes, Britain&rsquo;s 2004 Olympic 800m and 1500m champion, has been brave and open about the occasional struggles she has had during, and after, her running career.</p>
<p>Her latest book, <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.kylebooks.co.uk/titles/kelly-holmes/running-life/9780857836533/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><strong>Running Life</strong></em></a></span> (Kyle Books, 2018) is an inspirational, practical guide for improving physical and mental health. Holmes draws upon her own experiences of dealing with depression and the heart-breaking injuries that helped deny her for many years the rewards her talents merited.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><img style="width: 100px; height: 151px; margin-left: 20px; align: right;" src="https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/515E1dP0pvL.jpg" alt="book" align="right" />Coach Denise Sauriol has competed in more than 100 marathons, and is apparently known as The Marathon Whisperer. In her book <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://isbndb.com/book/9781642373264" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><strong>Me, You and 26.2</strong></em></a></span> (BlogintoBook.com, 2018) she offers her own accumulated experience, interspersed with first-hand accounts from novice marathon runners &ndash; all intended to persuade and support the virgin marathon runner.</p>
<p>Sauriol&rsquo;s personal journey was traumatically interrupted by an accident while out training which left her with several broken vertebrae, and caused her to re-think her attitude once she was, thankfully, able to return to running.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><img style="width: 100px; height: 161px; margin-left: 20px; align: right;" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51BxUQVcHeL._SX308_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" alt="book" align="right" />The marathon, as one might expect, is the subject of many books that are published on the broad subject of running. But you will go some to find better advice than that offered by the late, and lamented, Sunday Times athletics correspondent, Cliff Temple, who also coached athletes to Olympic level.</p>
<p><em><strong><a href="http://isbndb.com/book/9780091743314" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Marathon, Cross Country and Road Running</span></a></strong></em> (Stanley Paul, 1990) is still available, and a classic &ndash; not least because of Cliff&rsquo;s ability to be funny and instructive at the same time. Opening a page at random &ndash; and it is page 147: &ldquo;The recurring rule of thumb for getting fitter is: Hard work plus rest equals success. Hard work, plus hard work, minus rest, equals injury.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Cliff sets out tables as a guide to starters on the marathon trail. He advises a year of training. But he knows what runners, and people, are like, so he also provides a six-month version. Even if you never run a marathon, you&rsquo;ll enjoy reading this.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><img style="width: 100px; height: 149px; margin-left: 20px; align: right;" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51nupEIQrsL._SX333_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" alt="book" align="right" />In <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a title="Running Past Fifty" href="https://www.skyhorsepublishing.com/9781510736306/running-past-fifty/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><strong>Running Past Fifty</strong></em></a></span>, (Skyhorse Publishing 2018) lifelong runner Gail Waesche Kislevitz provides helpful tips and motivation from thirty-six runners aged fifty or older.</p>
<p>Kislevitz also interviews many ordinary senior runners, and some of the nation&rsquo;s greatest senior runners. The latter including the late Ed Whitlock, who, at 85, set an age-division world record of 3:56 in the marathon; Bill Rodgers, winner of four Boston Marathons and four New York City Marathons; George Hirsch, chairman of New York Road Runners; Olympian and author Jeff Galloway; world record holder Sid Howard; and runner and women&rsquo;s pioneer runner and advocate Kathrine Switzer.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><img style="width: 100px; height: 156px; margin-left: 20px; align: right;" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51NF4KBP4KL._SX301_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" alt="book" align="right" />We&rsquo;re skipping back in time a bit here, but this famous athlete, in a revised version of his 50-year-old autobiography, references a letter he received from a contemporary &ndash; that is, 70-year-old &ndash; man from Lancashire.</p>
<p>The correspondent related how he had been inspired to start running by watching a cinema newsreel screening of what he describes as &ldquo;that wonderful race&rdquo;. That race was the one in which Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile with his time of 3:59.4 at Iffley Road, Oxford.</p>
<p><img style="width: 100px; height: 153px; margin-left: 20px; align: right;" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51mRigc5OyL._SX324_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" alt="book" align="right" />And Bannister&rsquo;s original book, written as elegantly as one might expect, has been updated and reincarnated as <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/publication/the-first-four-minutes/9780750935302/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><strong>The First Four Minutes</strong></em></a></span> (Sutton Publishing, 2004) and, three years before his death, <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.bitebackpublishing.com/books/twin-tracks" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><strong>Twin Tracks</strong></em></a></span> (Robson Press, 2015).</p>
<p>He recalls the moment when he made history. &ldquo;The last few seconds seemed never-ending. The faint line of the finishing tape stood ahead as a haven of peace, after the struggle&hellip; I leapt at the tape like a man taking his last spring to save himself from the chasm that threatens to engulf him.&rdquo;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><img style="width: 100px; height: 134px; margin-left: 20px; align: right;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/20b51c5c-cbc0-424f-a912-337ba9deaecf.jpg" alt="book" align="right" />While we&rsquo;re in classics mode, there is another, still available book edited by the late, highly esteemed former Sunday Times journalist Norman Harris that is a box of delights. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://isbndb.com/book/9781852250096" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><strong>Running &ndash; the Power and Glory</strong></em></a></span> (Partridge Press, 1986).</p>
<p>The selected pieces within take one through the history of athletics in irresistible fashion, starting with an account of how the great runners of their time, Walter G George of England and Scotland&rsquo;s William J Cummings, had met in 1886 at Lillie Bridge Stadium in London in what was the latest in a sequence of challenges over a mile. The description is taken from Kings of Distance, written by journalist and novelist Peter Lovesey. George wins, after effectively running the Scot into the ground.</p>
<p>Amid first-hand reports of great races, featuring Peter Snell, Ron Hill, Roger Bannister, Vladimir Kuts and Jack Lovelock, there is another account from Lovesey, forensically examining the performance at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics of another fabled athlete &ndash; Emil Zatopek.</p>

Books about running fall into two broad categories – celebration, and aspiration.

Athletics books library Zatopek Bannister Keflezighi

A dozen books to kick-start your athletics library

<p>Nanjing will be the centre of the athletics universe in March when the World Athletics Indoor Championships come to town, and those who make the trip to this culturally rich and bustling Chinese city won&rsquo;t be disappointed.</p>
<p>The capital of the Jiangsu province, it has a rich heritage, lying on the lower stretches of the Yangtze River. But while it boasts no shortage of ancient relics, it has very much advanced to the 21st Century, with a population today of more than eight million and a skyline of soaring skyscrapers.</p>
<p>This will be the first time in its 18 editions that the World Indoors take place in China and with the hosts having medal hopes across a range events, there should be a raucous atmosphere in the Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium for the three-day event, which begins on 13 March.</p>
<p>But what should athletics fans see and do, eat and drink, on their visit to Nanjing? We&rsquo;ve got you covered.</p>
<h3>Getting to the venue</h3>
<p>The 13,000-seater arena is located in the Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre, a huge facility covering over 400,000 square metres which is located in Hexi New City.</p>
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Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>It&rsquo;s accessible by public transport, and Nanjing has a hugely efficient, rapidly expanding metro system that runs from the centre of the city out to the suburbs. A stored value transport card is available for a deposit of 25 yuan (&euro;3) with a minimum top-up of 50 yuan (&euro;6). This can be used on buses, the metro and in taxis.</p>
<h3>Where to stay</h3>
<p>If you want to be close to the competition venue, there are a handful of good options within walking distance. One such place is the Jumeirah Nanjing Hotel which is 2km to the southwest of the Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium, with double rooms costing approximately &euro;100-&euro;120 (US $110-$130) per night. Most hotels in Nanjing are geared towards domestic tourists, so it&rsquo;s worth having a translation app at the ready if you don&rsquo;t speak the language or else check with the hotel before if you fear something will get lost in translation. The most popular areas for tourists to stay in are Gu Lou, Xuan Wu and in the commercial centre, Xinjiekou. For those on a tight budget, there are a horde of options in chain budget hotels which usually cost less than 200 yuan (&euro;25/$28) per night.</p>
<h3>What to see</h3>
<p>Nanjing was the capital of 10 Chinese dynasties, including the Ming dynasty from 1368 to 1421. About one third of the Ming City Wall still stands today and visitors can stroll along this 600-year-old structure by accessing it at one of three former gates: Zhonghuamen, Taicheng or Shitoucheng. The first two charge a small admission fee with the latter free.</p>
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Ming Dynasty City Wall in Nanjing</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Other popular sites include Sun Yatsen&rsquo;s Mausoleum on Zijin Mountain, the Presidential Palace, Ming Emperor Tomb and the Memorial Hall of Victims in Nanjing Massacre. The Qixia Temple is also popular, while also worth visiting is the Xuanwu Lake Park, which was the largest imperial lake garden in China&rsquo;s history. In an area that&rsquo;s famous for historical landscapes, mountains and waters, it&rsquo;s worth taking a trip to Purple Mountain and Xuanwu Lake to take in the splendid scenery.</p>
<h3>Where to run</h3>
<p>If you&rsquo;re sufficiently motivated after watching the world&rsquo;s best athletes strut their stuff indoors, it&rsquo;s worth venturing into Nanjing&rsquo;s great outdoors to follow their lead. The city has plenty of great places to walk or run. A lap of the complex at the Nanjing Olympic Stadium, which stands alongside the competition venue, totals about 3km and is free from the traffic and congestion you&rsquo;ll encounter elsewhere.</p>
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Xuanwu Lake, Nanjing</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Purple Mountain is a hugely popular site for runners and walkers to the east of the city and along with being a lush green oasis away from the noise, it contains more than 200 heritage sites. Another good option is to do a loop around Xuanwu Lake, which is 9.2km in total, or to run along the path parallel to the Ming City Wall. For a small fee you can also enjoy a run along the top of the wall. Although the surface is cobbled, it&rsquo;s not too bumpy and in October this year more than 3,000 participants took part in the Nanjing Qinhuai City Wall Marathon. What better way to take several steps back in time?</p>
<h3>What to eat</h3>
<p>Nanjing is said to be the original home to Peking duck, which the Ming Dynasty brought north while moving the capital to Beijing in 1421. Xushang Xunfu is one of the few restaurants that carry the traditional Nanjing roast duck. Yanshuiya is a city speciality: it&rsquo;s duck cooked in brine which is then hung to dry for three days and served as chops, with the Plum Garden Restaurant in Jinling Hotel a good option to get the authentic thing for about 200 yuan (&euro;25/$28).</p>
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<div style="background-image: url('https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Small/553799cb-b53d-46e1-803e-0ff7eb02b7a3.jpg');">&nbsp;</div>
Street food in Nanjing</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Don&rsquo;t be afraid to sample the street food scene, with the Confucius Temple area and Shiziqiao Food Street the best areas to do so. There you can try local classics like steamed buns stuffed with pork, sesame pancakes and duck blood soup with fried tofu and vermicelli.</p>
<h3>Where to grab a drink</h3>
<p>China is, of course, a tea drinker&rsquo;s paradise, though whatever your preference is with hot drinks you won&rsquo;t have trouble finding your fix in Nanjing. For a great tea or coffee between sessions of athletics, Victoria Bay Cafe in Xinjiekou is worth a visit, as is the nearby Fish Tank Cafe. Skyways Bakery and Sculpting in Time Cafe are other great options that have an assortment of hot drinks and snacks with a laid-back vibe.</p>
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Xinjiekou, downtown Nanjing</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>If you&rsquo;re still wide awake after the athletics and looking to keep your buzz going, Nanjing has some great options to party the night away. There is a big cluster of bars and clubs around Shanghai Road and 1912 (54 North Taipang Road), an entertainment complex with revamped villas. American-owned Jimmy&rsquo;s on Shigu Road and Australian Blue Sky are popular sports bars that draw an expat crowd. Zuo Bar in the 1912 complex is well known for its cocktails while Sancho Panza is renowned for live music.</p>

Nanjing will be the centre of the athletics universe in March when the World Athletics Indoor Championships come to town, and those who make the trip to this culturally rich and bustling Chinese city won’t be disappointed. 

Nanjing China city guide tourism World Indoor Championships 2020

City guide - Nanjing

<p>Athletics takes place all over the world. But there are some places in the world &ndash; and in particular, some stadiums &ndash; that are steeped in historic track and field deeds, unique to that space, creating a uniquely rewarding experience for visiting followers of the sport.</p>
<p>All around the globe, athletics has its own cathedrals, places such as the Berlin Olympiastadion, the Letzigrund in Zurich, the Shanghai and Bird&rsquo;s Nest stadiums in China, and Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon &ndash; the latter currently in the midst of having aisles, nave and steeple completely rebuilt.</p>
<p>In such arenas, you focus on the inside lines of the track at the finish line. It&rsquo;s like staring at the Wembley Stadium goalposts. Here, right here, is where runners have felt the surging emotions of victory in world, European or Olympic competition. Or, a little later, the gutting drag of defeat.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Olympiastadion, Berlin</h3>
<p>There is no more monumental an example of one of these athletics cathedrals than Berlin. Built to host the 1936 Olympics, it will forever be associated with the memory of Jesse Owens, the black US sprinter and jumper whose achievement of winning four gold medals defied the vision of the Games by the German Fuhrer, Adolf Hitler, as a showpiece for the Nazi Party&rsquo;s racist ideology.</p>
<p>Those memories and images have since been overlaid with other vivid events.</p>
<p>There are huge footballing reverberations &ndash; this stadium hosted FIFA World Cup matches in 1974 and 2006, including the 2006 final (as you look out across the infield, try and guess exactly where France&rsquo;s Zinedine Zidane was goaded into butting Italy&rsquo;s Marco Materazzi before being sent off&hellip;).</p>
<p>In 2009 it hosted one of the most memorable World Athletics Championships, where Jamaica&rsquo;s Usain Bolt, at the high point of a dizzying career, set the current world 100m and 200m records of 9.58 seconds and 19.19 respectively.<br /><br /></p>
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Usain Bolt of Jamaica on his way to setting the quickest 200m time in history in the Berlin Olympic Stadium during the IAAF World Championships in 2009</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Last year&rsquo;s European Championships were another landmark event, as 18-year-old Armand Duplantis won the pole vault gold for Sweden with a vault of 6.05m, and Norway&rsquo;s 17-year-old Jakob Ingebrigtsen took the 1500m and 5000m titles.</p>
<p>With its giant bowl of an arena set 12 metres below ground level, the stadium was renovated, but not rebuilt, in 2004. So while the interior looks and feels like something out of the modern day, a step outside takes you back more than 80 years. All the monumental features of the original, put together according to Hitler&rsquo;s personal wishes, have been retained.</p>
<p>Such is the richness of this sporting arena&rsquo;s history that you can go on conducted tours even when no competition is taking place. So you can arrive at the stadium between the twin towers of the Olympic Gate &ndash; both still inscribed with the Olympic rings, but with one no longer sporting its original Swastika.<br /><br /></p>
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Berlin's Olympiastadion</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Next to this entrance is the Podbielski Oak &ndash; named after politician Viktor von Podbielski, one of the original planners of the Olympic Games originally destined for Berlin for 1916. The oak was for Germany what the olive was for the hosts of the first modern Games in Greece, and winners at the 1936 Games received an oak wreath and seedlings.</p>
<p>You can take in the Bell Tower, reconstructed in 1962 after the initial version was set alight by invading Red Army forces in 1945. You can take in the monumental sculptures of men and horses on the stadium&rsquo;s perimeter.</p>
<p>There are pictures taken during the Games of winner&rsquo;s names being inscribed in the vast panels either side of the opening to the stadium at the Marathon Gate end by a craftsman working on a gantry. Nowadays you have to peer up to where he was. The Olympische Sieger lists are complete; set in stone.<br /><br /></p>
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Berlin's Olympiastadion from the Olympic park</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>From there you can gaze past the cauldron which housed the Olympic flame, poised high on the rim of the stadium. At that moment on 1 August 1936, where you are standing was a global epicentre of interest.</p>
<p>You can also get to where the 1936 podium was, right where Jesse Owens stood, and look across to the specially-built box where Hitler sat.</p>
<p>In later years, the story was told &ndash; and not always discouraged by Owens himself &ndash; of how Hitler had snubbed him by refusing to shake his hand after his victories, his form of congratulation for German winners.</p>
<p>This was not so. Hitler had indeed shaken hands with all the German victors on the first day of competition, and with the three medal winners in the 10,000m, who were all from Finland, his future allies in the Second World War.</p>
<p>But Olympic officials then insisted he acknowledge publicly either all winners or none. Hitler chose the latter course.</p>
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<p><img style="width: 36px; height: 30px; margin-right: 10px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/81c4a7bc-0343-49bf-bb66-3655e1b9b038.png" alt="route" align="left" /><strong>Getting to the Olympiastadion</strong></p>
<p>Olympiastadion is located in the west of Berlin, almost seven kilometres from the western end of the Kurf&uuml;rstendamm, and 10 kilometres from the Brandenburg Gate and Berlin&rsquo;s main railway station, Hauptbahnhof. It is part of the Olympic Park, which includes other sports facilities.</p>
<p>The stadium can be easily reached by metro (U-Bahn). Take either line U2 or U12, which both can be boarded at several points in the city centre. Get off at stop Olympia-Stadion. It takes about 25 minutes to reach the stadium from Potsdamer Platz, and about 15 minutes from Zoologische Garten.</p>
<p>Alternatively, you can get to the stadium by commuter rail (S-Bahn). Take either line S5 or S75 to station Olympiastadion. Both lines link the stadium with Berlin&rsquo;s major railway stations in the centre, as well with station Spandau in the west.</p>
</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Letzigrund Stadium, Zurich</h3>
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Zurich's Letzigrund Stadium</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Zurich&rsquo;s Letzigrund Stadium, whose Weltkasse meeting has formed one of the two Diamond League finals since 2010, will become the sole venue for the 2020 and 2021 finals.</p>
<p>Such is its depth of quality that the Weltkasse is known by some as the &lsquo;Two-Hour Olympics&rsquo;. And by others as &lsquo;The Three-Hour Olympics&rsquo;. Anyway, you get the picture.</p>
<p>By the time the stadium originally constructed in 1925 was re-built in 2007, it had established a huge sequence of spectacular performances. And while only one world record has been set there since &ndash; Yelena Isinbayeva&rsquo;s pole vault clearance of 5.06m in 2009 became the 25th on the list &ndash; the level of entertainment has been maintained at the same giddy level.<br /><br /></p>
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The new Letzigrund stadium, Z&uuml;rich, Switzerland</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The new stadium fills roughly the same footprint as the old. You can still hear the drumming of palms on the advertising boards, offering encouragement or approval, even if it lacks some of the deafening levels the old acoustics enabled. You can still get a beer or a meal at the little corner caf&eacute; across the road, or sausages and mustard at the numerous stalls set up around.</p>
<p>This is where Armin Hary of Germany set the 100m world record of 10.00 in 1960, and where Britain&rsquo;s Sebastian Coe broke the 1500m and mile world records in 1979 and 1981 respectively, running 3:32.1 and 3:48.53.<br /><br /></p>
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Haile Gebrselassie's 12:41.86 World record at Letzigrund - 13 August 1997</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>And where, in 1997, three world records were set on a single night as Haile Gebrselassie ran the 5000m in 12:41.86, Kenya&rsquo;s Wilson Boit Kipketer set a time of 7:59.08 in the 3000m steeplechase, and Wilson Kipketer of Denmark ran an 800m time of 1:41.24.</p>
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<p><img style="width: 36px; height: 30px; margin-right: 10px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/81c4a7bc-0343-49bf-bb66-3655e1b9b038.png" alt="route" align="left" /><strong>Getting to the Letzigrund</strong></p>
<p>Letzigrund is located toward the west of the city of Z&uuml;rich, about 2.5 kilometres from Z&uuml;rich&rsquo;s city centre and 500 metres more from the main railway station.</p>
<p>The stadium can be reached from the city centre with tram 2. Take the tram from Paradeplatz in the direction of Farbhof. Get off at stop Letzigrund. Trams run very regularly and the journey takes just over 10 minutes.</p>
<p>From the main railway station (Hauptbahnhoff) you can take tram 3 toward Albisrieden or tram 14 toward Triemli. Get off at stop Stauffacher, and change to a tram 2. You can also take tram 3 to Albisriederplatz and walk 5 to 10 minutes from there to the stadium.</p>
</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Hayward Field, Eugene</h3>
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Hayward Field, the venue of the 2015 IAAF Diamond League meeting in Eugene</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>If you&rsquo;re looking for an iconic athletics stadium to visit in the United States, you need look no further than Hayward Field, on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene &ndash; although you will need to wait until next year.</p>
<p>Originally constructed in 1919, and later named after track coach Bill Hayward, who died in 1947, the stadium is one of only five class-1 certified tracks in the United States, and is in the process of being completely rebuilt in time to host the World Athletics Championships in 2021.</p>
<p>The arena has hosted numerous US Championships and Olympic trials since 1972, as well as the annual Prefontaine Classic as part of the Diamond League programme.<br /><br /></p>
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Hayward Field in Eugene</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>For many, the mention of Hayward Field conjures the image of the University of Oregon&rsquo;s late lamented Steve Prefontaine, the man who brought a new freshness, and huge talent, to distance running before missing out on a 5000m medal by one place at the 1972 Olympics and, tragically, dying in a car accident in 1975.</p>
<p>Those connected with Hayward Field have said the new incarnation will be &ldquo;the finest track and field facility in the world&rdquo;. The iconic East Grandkstand is now a historical memory, but the new stadium, we are assured, will be a cross between the Beijing Bird&rsquo;s Nest and the Los Angeles Rose Bowl.<br /><br /></p>
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A rendering of the new Hayward Field</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The design includes a nine-story tower topped by an observation deck that will provide a panoramic view of the area and is named the Bowerman Tower in honour of former Oregon coach and Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman.</p>
<p>&ldquo;We need a facility that will be built for the future,&rdquo; University of Oregon president Michael Schill said. &ldquo;And that&rsquo;s what this is.&rdquo;</p>
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<p><img style="width: 36px; height: 30px; margin-right: 10px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/81c4a7bc-0343-49bf-bb66-3655e1b9b038.png" alt="route" align="left" /><strong>Getting to Hayward Field</strong></p>
<p>Hayward Field is a 30-minute drive from Eugene Airport. From Eugene bus station, take an eight-minute bus ride on the EMX-EUG and get off at &lsquo;Emx Agate Station&rsquo; stop.</p>
<p>Be sure to explore the surrounding &lsquo;Track Town&rsquo; area, too. You&rsquo;ll find shops, bars, restaurants and even barbershops with a track and field theme, many with fascinating memorabilia on display. The Wild Duck Caf&eacute; and Track Town Pizza are both worth a visit.</p>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Shanghai Stadium</h3>
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Shanghai Stadium</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Since the Shanghai Stadium began hosting Diamond League meetings in 2010, there have been a succession of performances of similar stature to the skyscrapers that are increasingly populating the Pudong skyline in a city of more than 20 million people through which the huge, wide Huangpu River runs.</p>
<p>The second hosting of the Diamond League saw one of the athletics highlights of that year as home athlete Liu Xiang, the 2007 world and 2004 Olympic 110m hurdles champion, held off the challenge of USA&rsquo;s David Oliver to earn one of the last and most satisfying wins of his career.<br /><br /></p>
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Liu Xiang ends David Oliver's win streak in Shanghai</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The building highlights the city&rsquo;s rapid development as a tourist location, which was signalled by the 2010 hosting of the World Expo, drawing more than 73 million visitors. Usain Bolt came that year too &ndash; but an early morning flight meant he couldn&rsquo;t drop in at the expo.</p>
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<p><img style="width: 36px; height: 30px; margin-right: 10px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/81c4a7bc-0343-49bf-bb66-3655e1b9b038.png" alt="route" align="left" /><strong>Getting to the Shanghai Stadium</strong></p>
<p>To reach the 56,000-capacity stadium, which was built in 1997 with a distinctive, saddle-shaped roof, take Shanghai Metro Line 4 to the Shanghai Stadium station. But be careful not to go to the next stop, which will instead deposit you at the Shanghai Indoor Stadium.</p>
<p>One ideal way of making sure you see all the action at the stadium is to book in at the hotel that is actually a part of it &ndash; the Regal Shanghai East Asia Hotel. Advantage: a very quick transition from hotel room to trackside seat. Disadvantage: a strange sense that you are existing in a dream, where one second you are in a hotel room and the next in a major international sporting venue.</p>
</div>

Athletics takes place all over the world. But there are some places in the world – and in particular, some stadiums – that are steeped in historic track and field deeds, creating a uniquely rewarding experience for visiting followers of the sport.

Iconic athletics stadiums Berlin Hayward Shanghai Zurich

Iconic athletics stadiums to add to your bucket list

<p>If you've not seen - or at least heard of - these 10 movies, are you even a real athletics fan?!<br /><br /></p>
<h3>The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner</h3>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-9oaqrtBMtA" width="500" height="280" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>The Bafta Award-winning British New Wave coming-of-age movie may be almost 60 years old, but it remains a timeless classic.</p>
<p>Focused on the story of rebellious youth Colin Smith (Tom Courtenay), who is sentenced to a borstal for his role in a bakery robbery, he turns to long-distance running as a means to escape the bleakness of confinement.</p>
<p>The gripping movie reaches an exciting crescendo when he is promised an early release if he runs for the reformatory institution in a race against a public school.</p>
<h3>Marathon Man</h3>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/swMqaf9TiTA" width="500" height="280" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>A US suspense thriller starring Dustin Hoffmann as grad student and running obsessive Thomas 'Babe' Levy, who is pursued by Nazi war criminal Dr Christian Szell over a briefcase of missing diamonds.</p>
<p>One of the most sadistic dentistry scenes in cinematic history provides the more memorable moment of this 70s classic, which neatly draws upon Levy&rsquo;s memories of the heroic feats of two-time Olympic marathon champion Abeba Bikila to help him escape from the bad guys.</p>
<h3>Chariots of Fire</h3>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/odtqtlhsv4E" width="500" height="280" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>The Academy Award-winning classic focuses on the stories British sprint duo Eric Liddell and Harald Abrahams on their journey to gold medal success at the 1924 Paris Olympics.</p>
<p>Liddell wins the 400m title for the glory of God. Abrahams, a British Jew, overcomes prejudice to clinch victory in the 100m. All played out to Vangelis&rsquo; iconic soundtrack, it is quite simply the most iconic running movie in history.</p>
<h3>Run FatBoy Run</h3>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/w6VpRfto9wM" width="500" height="280" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>A predictable plot should not detract from this moving, funny British rom-com.</p>
<p>Simon Pegg plays 'Fatboy' Dennis, the affable middle-aged loser who attempts to run a marathon to prove his worth to ex-fiancee Thandie Newton &ndash; whom he jilted at the altar.</p>
<p>Runners everywhere will appreciate the comedic references to everything from &lsquo;hitting the wall&rsquo; to painful blisters.</p>
<h3>Without Limits</h3>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/e2MpP3M9oCk" width="500" height="280" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>The better of two biopics on the mythologised life of US running maverick Steve Prefontaine.</p>
<p>The Tom Cruise-produced movie focuses on the relationship between Prefontaine (Billy Cruddup) and his coach and Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman (Donald Sutherland). <em>Without Limits</em> explores the gutsy front-running tactics of Prefontaine, his disappointment at the 1972 Munich Olympics and fatal car crash.</p>
<h3>The Athlete</h3>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kTRqs7oRyN0" width="500" height="280" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>The film of the life of Ethiopian distance running icon Abebe Bikila has much to admire.</p>
<p>The film focuses on his 1960 marathon triumph at the Rome Olympics, which he won barefoot to become the first sub-Saharan African to win an Olympic gold medal, and his subsequent defence of the title in Tokyo.</p>
<p><em>The Athlete</em> also charts Bikila's paralysis following a car accident in 1968 and his journey to later competing in archery, table tennis and winning a cross country sleigh race before his premature death.</p>
<h3>The Jericho Mile</h3>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-XvILNCff7c" width="500" height="280" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>The Emmy Award-winning made-for-TV movie is another which combines prison with running life.</p>
<p>Larry 'Rain' Murphy (Peter Strauss), who is serving a life imprisonment for the first degree murder of his abusive father, relieves the boredom of prison life by running laps around the prison recreation yard. A prison warden spots his talent and allows the felon to train for the Olympic Trials.</p>
<h3>Personal Best</h3>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_doF0RCwVdg?start=12" width="500" height="280" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>Featuring Olympic hurdler Patrice Donnelly in one of the lead roles, this 1982 movie focuses on a group of women trying to qualify for the 1980 Moscow Olympics.</p>
<p>However, the subsequent boycott by the USA of the Games for political reasons means the group is left with the consolation of just their personal best performances.</p>
<p>Many track and field stars of the day play in the film including 1972 Olympic marathon champion Frank Shorter and 1984 Olympic 100m gold medallist Evelyn Ashford.</p>
<h3>Cliffy</h3>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ai3qxEkXZIw" width="500" height="280" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>Kevin Harrington plays the 61-year-old Australian potato farmer Cliff Young who captured the hearts of a nation by beating the world&rsquo;s best distance runners in the inaugural Sydney to Melbourne ultramarathon in 1983.</p>
<p>The vegetarian, tee-total, virgin, who lived with his mother, defied the odds to claim a famous victory by running for 18 hours a day.</p>
<h3>Gallipoli</h3>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RGuY5r-7ta4" width="500" height="280" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>
<p>Not exclusively a running movie but one which has running at its core, young Australian sprinter Archy (Mel Gibson) has his track career shelved due to World War I.</p>
<p>During the course of the movie, Archy is forced to use his gifts by running messages through the trenches. An inspiring, backs-against-the-wall war movie with a large dollop of running action.</p>

If you've not seen - or at least heard of - these 10 movies, are you even a real athletics fan?!

Movies films running athletics

Ten movies every athletics fan should see

<p>One of the many great things about running is that it takes you to some incredible places &ndash; and you get to experience them up close and personal, on foot.</p>
<p>It&rsquo;s not just the challenging terrain that makes these routes so breath-taking; it&rsquo;s the scenery and experiences that come with them. You can watch the sun rise from a mountain top, you can taste local delicacies in remote huts and learn about native flora and fauna from local guides.</p>
<p>Some dream destinations may still be impractical to visit, but we take a look at some of the amazing running locations where you can enjoy the beauty of <a href="http://www.wmra.info/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>mountain</strong></span></a> and trail running.</p>
<h3><br />Banff National Park, Canada</h3>
<p>Nestled in the Rocky Mountains, Banff National Park offers an incredible array of routes for runners, including mountains, canyons, lakes and glaciers. There are so many beautiful sights nearby, such as Lake O&rsquo;Hara.</p>
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Banff National Park in Canada</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong><img style="width: 36px; height: 30px; margin-right: 10px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/e33f6fa5-6cbf-45cf-acab-0010bc38688d.png" alt="route" align="left" />Routes to try:</strong> the <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.alltrails.com/trail/canada/alberta/lake-minnewanka-trail" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lake Minnewanka Trail</a></strong></span> offers a flatter option, or try the <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.alltrails.com/trail/canada/alberta/eiffel-peak-trail" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Eiffel Peak Trail</a></strong></span> for something more mountainous.</p>
<p><strong><img style="width: 36px; height: 30px; margin-right: 10px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/ff660e0b-c3cc-4f2e-81df-fe9386f7bddc.png" alt="race icon" align="left" />Races to enter:</strong> the <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://banffmarathon.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Banff Marathon</a></strong></span> must be one of the most picturesque marathons around. If 42km isn&rsquo;t your thing, there&rsquo;s also a half marathon and 10km option.</p>
<h3><br />East Tyrol, Austria</h3>
<p>Home to the High Tauern National Park and beautiful mountains such as the highest peak in Austria, the imposing 3798m Grossglockner, this area is a must for fans of high Alpine running. Featuring one of the highest mountain roads in Europe and a high probability of seeing marmots, it is magnificent high alpine scenery.</p>
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The Grossglocknerberglauf</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong><img style="width: 36px; height: 30px; margin-right: 10px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/e33f6fa5-6cbf-45cf-acab-0010bc38688d.png" alt="route" align="left" />Routes to try:</strong> there is a large network of trails with a variety of distances and ascent to suit any runner, but starting in the picturesque village of <a href="https://www.alltrails.com/austria/carinthia/heiligenblut" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Heiligenblut</strong></span></a> allows you to run into the long valley with great vistas of the Grossglockner.</p>
<p><strong><img style="width: 36px; height: 30px; margin-right: 10px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/ff660e0b-c3cc-4f2e-81df-fe9386f7bddc.png" alt="race icon" align="left" />Races to enter:</strong> the <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.wmra.info/world-cup-race-3-grossglocknerlauf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Grossglocknerlauf</a></strong></span> has 1500m of ascent over just 12.7km, but will reward you with unforgettable views.</p>
<h3><br />The Dolomites, Italy</h3>
<p>Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009, the jagged peaks of the Dolomites really take your breath away. Incorporating 22 peaks of about 3000m, you can really take your pick if you love mountain running, and there are 57 marked trails to follow.</p>
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The Dolomites</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong><img style="width: 36px; height: 30px; margin-right: 10px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/e33f6fa5-6cbf-45cf-acab-0010bc38688d.png" alt="route" align="left" />Routes to try:</strong> the 15km <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.alltrails.com/parks/italy/trentino-south-tyrol/the-puez-odle-nature-park" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Puez Circuit</a></strong></span> or, for a longer adventure, tackle one of the Alta Via (high routes) over several days.</p>
<p><strong><img style="width: 36px; height: 30px; margin-right: 10px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/ff660e0b-c3cc-4f2e-81df-fe9386f7bddc.png" alt="race icon" align="left" />Races to enter:</strong> <a href="http://www.wmra.info/world-cup-race-6-drei-zinnenlauf" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Drei Zinnen Alpine Run</strong></span></a>, Lavaredo Ultra Trail.</p>
<h3><br />New Zealand</h3>
<p>If epic wide-open spaces are your thing then New Zealand has them in droves. And as for mountains, the &lsquo;Southern Alps&rsquo; on the South Island boast an unbelievable 37 peaks over 2900m.</p>
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The Routeburn Track in New Zealand</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong><img style="width: 36px; height: 30px; margin-right: 10px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/e33f6fa5-6cbf-45cf-acab-0010bc38688d.png" alt="route" align="left" />Routes to try:</strong> the 32km <a href="https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/fiordland/places/fiordland-national-park/things-to-do/tracks/routeburn-track/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Routeburn Track</strong></span></a></p>
<p><strong><img style="width: 36px; height: 30px; margin-right: 10px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/ff660e0b-c3cc-4f2e-81df-fe9386f7bddc.png" alt="race icon" align="left" />Races to enter:</strong> the <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://keplerchallenge.co.nz/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kepler Challenge</a></strong></span> is the most historic mountain race in the country, offering the full circuit option of 60km or the 27km Luxmore Grunt Mountain Run.</p>
<h3><br />Chamonix, France</h3>
<p>A mecca for runners from all over the world, in no small part due to iconic races such as the Mont Blanc Marathon and Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc, there are miles and miles of Alpine trails, punctuated by the odd turquoise lake or mountain hut.</p>
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Lac Blanc, Chamonix</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong><img style="width: 36px; height: 30px; margin-right: 10px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/e33f6fa5-6cbf-45cf-acab-0010bc38688d.png" alt="route" align="left" />Routes to try:</strong> head up to Flegere and over to Lac Blanc to experience stunning views and a perfect lake.</p>
<p><strong><img style="width: 36px; height: 30px; margin-right: 10px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/ff660e0b-c3cc-4f2e-81df-fe9386f7bddc.png" alt="race icon" align="left" />Races to enter: <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.montblancmarathon.net/en/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mont Blanc Marathon</a></span></strong>, one of the UTMB races.</p>
<h3><br />Manaslu region, Nepal</h3>
<p>The Himalayas is a dream destination for mountain running and is becoming more accessible for runners to get to, with guided runs and races. Stay in mountain lodges and experience the local culture.</p>
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Ribum Monastery on the Manaslu Circuit Trek</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong><img style="width: 36px; height: 30px; margin-right: 10px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/e33f6fa5-6cbf-45cf-acab-0010bc38688d.png" alt="route" align="left" />Routes to try:</strong> the <a href="https://www.greathimalayatrail.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Great Himalaya Trail</strong></span></a></p>
<p><strong><img style="width: 36px; height: 30px; margin-right: 10px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/ff660e0b-c3cc-4f2e-81df-fe9386f7bddc.png" alt="race icon" align="left" />Races to enter:</strong> <a href="https://manaslutrailrace.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Manaslu Trail Race</strong></span></a>, <a href="https://mustangtrailrace.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Mustang Trail Race</strong></span></a></p>
<h3><br />Glen Coe, Scotland</h3>
<p>With incredible ridges and dramatic valleys formed from ice age glaciers, there&rsquo;s something for every runner here, whether you&rsquo;re a thrill seeker who&rsquo;s a confident scrambler or looking for an undulating trail.</p>
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Kinlochleven skyline in Glen Coe</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong><img style="width: 36px; height: 30px; margin-right: 10px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/e33f6fa5-6cbf-45cf-acab-0010bc38688d.png" alt="route" align="left" />Routes to try:</strong> the <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.westhighlandway.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">West Highland Way</a></strong></span>. You can do it in stages and get a travel company to transport your bags.</p>
<p><strong><img style="width: 36px; height: 30px; margin-right: 10px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/ff660e0b-c3cc-4f2e-81df-fe9386f7bddc.png" alt="race icon" align="left" />Races to enter:</strong> the <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.skylinescotland.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Skyline Scotland weekend</a></strong></span> has something for every runner, from a 5km to highly technical mountain running.</p>
<h3><br />Hong Kong</h3>
<p>A vibrant running culture and a land of incredibly varied terrain, trails are easily accessible right from the congested city centre. And if you&rsquo;re feeling adventurous, you can view the epic skyline from high above.</p>
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Tai Mo Shan in Hong Kong</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong><img style="width: 36px; height: 30px; margin-right: 10px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/e33f6fa5-6cbf-45cf-acab-0010bc38688d.png" alt="route" align="left" />Routes to try:</strong> the <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.hiking.gov.hk/eng/longtrail/hktrail/hktrail2.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Hong Kong Trail</strong></a></span></p>
<p><strong><img style="width: 36px; height: 30px; margin-right: 10px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/ff660e0b-c3cc-4f2e-81df-fe9386f7bddc.png" alt="race icon" align="left" />Races to enter:</strong> the <a href="https://www.the9dragons.asia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>9 Dragons Ultra</strong></span></a> has options from 10km to 50 miles.</p>
<h3><br />Iceland</h3>
<p>If you&rsquo;re looking for something different from your terrain then Iceland will certainly deliver it. Glaciers, volcanoes, lava formations and hot springs are just some of the features you&rsquo;ll encounter while running here.</p>
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Laugavegur, Iceland</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong><img style="width: 36px; height: 30px; margin-right: 10px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/e33f6fa5-6cbf-45cf-acab-0010bc38688d.png" alt="route" align="left" />Routes to try:</strong> run on the trails around the <a href="https://www.thingvellir.is/en/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Thingvellir National Park</strong></span></a>, where two tectonic plates meet.</p>
<p><strong><img style="width: 36px; height: 30px; margin-right: 10px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/ff660e0b-c3cc-4f2e-81df-fe9386f7bddc.png" alt="race icon" align="left" />Races to enter:</strong> the <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.laugavegshlaup.is/en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Laugavegur Ultramarathon</a></strong></span>, which takes place on a famous 55km trail and is much loved by hikers.</p>
<h3><br />Silverton, Colorado, USA</h3>
<p>Silverton sits at 2800m in the San Juan mountains &ndash; and you just go up from there! There are many options for runners, ranging from picturesque loops round lakes to extremely tough mountain runs.</p>
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Silverton, Colorado</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong><img style="width: 36px; height: 30px; margin-right: 10px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/e33f6fa5-6cbf-45cf-acab-0010bc38688d.png" alt="route" align="left" />Routes to try:</strong> the <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/island-lake-via-ice-lakes-trail" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Island Lake Trail</a></strong></span> or <a href="https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/imogene-pass" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Imogene Pass</strong></span></a>.</p>
<p><strong><img style="width: 36px; height: 30px; margin-right: 10px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/ff660e0b-c3cc-4f2e-81df-fe9386f7bddc.png" alt="race icon" align="left" />Races to enter:</strong> the <a href="https://hardrock100.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Hardrock 100</strong></span></a> for the brave (or lucky if you can get in the ballot). If you like uphill running, try the <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.aravaiparunning.com/kendall-2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kendall Mountain Run</a></strong></span>.</p>
<h3><br />Zermatt, Switzerland</h3>
<p>With stunning 4000-metre peaks all around, you can&rsquo;t fail to inspire your running. There are miles of trails for every level of runner, whether you enjoy Alpine ascents or lakes and woodland trails.</p>
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Zermatt, Switzerland</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong><img style="width: 36px; height: 30px; margin-right: 10px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/e33f6fa5-6cbf-45cf-acab-0010bc38688d.png" alt="route" align="left" />Routes to try:</strong> the <a href="https://www.zermatt.ch/en/Media/Planning-hikes-tours/Matterhorn-Trail-Nr.-29" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Matterhorn Trail</strong></span></a> will take you from Zermatt to the foot of the mighty Matterhorn.</p>
<p><strong><img style="width: 36px; height: 30px; margin-right: 10px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/ff660e0b-c3cc-4f2e-81df-fe9386f7bddc.png" alt="race icon" align="left" />Races to enter:</strong> the iconic 31km <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.wmra.info/world-cup-race-5-sierre-zinal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sierre-Zinal Race</a></strong></span> located just down the valley, or the <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.ultratourmonterosa.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ultra Tour Monte Rosa</a></strong></span>, where distances range from 21km to 100 miles.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><em><strong>&bull;</strong> Find a full range of mountain races throughout the year at <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.wmra.info/calendar" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wmra.info/calendar</a></strong></span></em></p>

One of the many great things about running is that it takes you to some incredible places – and you get to experience them up close and personal, on foot.

Incredible breath-taking running locations routes trails races

Mountain high: 12 stunning mountain routes to run or walk

<p>There are no more loyal friends in the world than books. They have been a source of pleasure for me, allowed me to understand the world better and helped me grow as a person.</p>
<p>My interest really started after reading some short stories in 2005. I enjoyed what I learned from reading books and decided that I should spend more time in training camp reading books rather than watching TV.</p>
<p>I never read fiction, I prefer motivational and business books and autobiographies. I try to read for one hour every afternoon and then another hour after supper, before bed.</p>
<p>I am a big fan of the writer Stephen R. Covey. I like his books, particularly <em>The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People</em>. His books have taught me so much. They have instilled in me the importance of working hard, treating your profession as seriously as you can and how to live alongside people.<br /><br /></p>
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Eliud Kipchoge in Kenya</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>He has helped explain that there are some people that come into this world with a negative point of view but that this mindset is not necessary. There is no need to become annoyed and it is important to stay calm. When night comes, that day has passed. I try to live my life by not being too annoyed or frustrated.</p>
<p>His books have taught me so many principles, like how to handle and live with people, and how to handle pressure.</p>
<p>Another of my favourite books is <em>Who Moved My Cheese</em> by Dr Spencer Johnson. This book is about change and the fact we live in a changing world and we need to adapt. It is a fascinating book, which I refer back to again and again. I believe it has helped equip me with the skills to handle change. It has become a hugely popular book, which so many people all over the world have embraced.</p>
<p>At the Global Sports Communication training camp in Kaptagat we have set up the Sandy Bodecker Library (named after the late Nike VP of Special Projects and Eliud&rsquo;s good friend) to encourage as many in the camp as possible to read.</p>
<p>Books have helped me so much throughout my career. They have reminded me that sport is a passion, that being a sportsman is a choice and that is needs to be handled in a good and positive way.</p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><strong>With Steve Landells</strong></p>

There are no more loyal friends in the world than books. They have been a source of pleasure for me, allowed me to understand the world better and helped me grow as a person.

Athlete hobbies Eliud Kipchoge books

My passion for books, by Eliud Kipchoge

<p>Imagine you were on your own personal road trip to tick off significant locations within Britain&rsquo;s rich athletics history. Where could you start, and where could you end?</p>
<h3><img style="width: 30px; height: 25px; margin-right: 10px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/81c4a7bc-0343-49bf-bb66-3655e1b9b038.png" alt="route" align="left" />Brighton</h3>
<p>Don&rsquo;t take this as gospel, but say you were starting at the bottom and working your way up &ndash; in the time honoured manner of all aspiring athletes &ndash; you could perhaps begin your pilgrimage at <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=St%20John%20the%20Baptist%20Church%20in%20Church%20Road%2C%20Brighton&amp;oq=St+John+the+Baptist+Church+in+Church+Road%2C+Brighton&amp;aqs=chrome..69i57j69i64l2.888j0j4&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;npsic=0&amp;rflfq=1&amp;rlha=0&amp;rllag=50831898,-145404,1939&amp;tbm=lcl&amp;rldimm=5008103409987572745&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjt5I_1-cPlAhVEsaQKHSLnDwUQvS4wAHoECAoQEg&amp;rldoc=1&amp;tbs=lrf:!2m1!1e2!3sIAE,lf:1,lf_ui:2&amp;rlst=f#rlfi=hd:;si:;mv:[[50.8459195,-0.12383680000000001],[50.817878199999996,-0.1669718]]" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>St John the Baptist Church</strong></span></a> in Church Road, Brighton. One low iron railings of which, in late 1981, impaled itself into the thigh of Britain&rsquo;s Olympic 800m champion Steve Ovett as he ran momentarily out of control on a training run through the streets of his native town.</p>
<p>That ruined his 1982 season. Ovett recovered, and set a 1500m world record of 3:30.77 at Rieti the following year, but many felt he was never the same athlete again, despite the fact that he reached the 1984 Olympic 800 and 1500m finals, during which he was suffering respiratory problems and chest pains, and that he won the 1986 Commonwealth 5000m title in Edinburgh.</p>
<p>You could then, if you were so minded, wander over to Preston Park, where a statue of the local hero was erected. Only to discover it had been stolen in 2007. You could then move on to Madeira Drive, where a replacement now stands &ndash; before heading off for shopping in The Lanes and a wander down the pier.</p>
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Steve Ovett statue in Brighton</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3><img style="width: 30px; height: 25px; margin-right: 10px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/81c4a7bc-0343-49bf-bb66-3655e1b9b038.png" alt="route" align="left" />Crystal Palace</h3>
<p>Where next on your bucket list tour of significant UK athletics sites? From Brighton station it will take just over an hour and a half to go directly to <a href="https://tfl.gov.uk/overground/stop/910GCRYSTLP/crystal-palace-rail-station?lineId=london-overground" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Crystal Palace station</strong></span></a>.</p>
<p>Ten minutes&rsquo; stroll, and you are at a historic epicentre of British athletics &ndash; albeit downgraded following construction of the London Stadium in time to host track and field at the London 2012 Olympics.</p>
<p>Throughout the 1970s and most of the 1980s, this modest stadium set in the ample parkland of a site chosen for the original Crystal Palace built for the 1851 Great Exhibition - and which burned down in 1936 &ndash; hosted the Amateur Athletic Association Championships when they were the pre-eminent meet of the British calendar.</p>
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Crystal Palace Stadium</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>From 1999 to 2012 this sunken bowl also hosted the annual, and usually two-day London Grand Prix, which served as an IAAF Diamond League meeting for the last three of those years.</p>
<p>This arena witnessed the likes of British athletes such as Brendan Foster, Alan Pascoe, Ian Stewart, Dave Bedford, David Jenkins, Steve Ovett, Sebastian Coe, Roger Black, Colin Jackson, Steve Cram, Sally Gunnell, Steve Backley, Linford Christie and Jonathan Edwards operating at their peak.</p>
<p>On the Friday evening before the main fare of the 1973 AAA Championships was laid out over the weekend, Dave Bedford smashed the world 10,000m record with an audacious individual run, recording 27:30.80 to take almost eight seconds off the mark of Finland&rsquo;s Olympic champion Lasse Viren.</p>
<p>The following day I turned up in a school party and got autographs from Foster, Jenkins and Pascoe. But you don&rsquo;t need to know this.</p>
<p>Later that year, Foster broke the&nbsp;world record&nbsp;for two miles on this track with a time of 8:13.68.</p>
<p>It saw an epic mile race in 1983 between the newly-established world 1500m champion, Cram, and Ovett, with the former edging the verdict.</p>
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Steve Backley after breaking the javelin world record at Crystal Palace</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>In 1990, another Briton set a world mark in this south London arena as Backley hurled the javelin out to 90.98m to reclaim the record from Jan Zelezny of the Czech Republic.</p>
<p>British 400m runner Conrad Williams recently described Crystal Palace as &ldquo;our Wembley of track and field&rdquo;. But he did so in defence of an arena that is currently under threat of being bulldozed for redevelopment. That would be awful. It&rsquo;s a lovely spot. Go and see it, and take a picnic for the parkland around it.</p>
<h3><img style="width: 30px; height: 25px; margin-right: 10px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/81c4a7bc-0343-49bf-bb66-3655e1b9b038.png" alt="route" align="left" />Wembley Stadium</h3>
<p>Wembley, of course &ndash; the old Twin Towers Wembley that is &ndash; hosted the 1948 Olympics. The new stadium is built partly on the footprint of the one which witnessed, among many other splendid things, Fanny Blankers-Koen winning four gold medals, a feat which earned her the title as the IAAF&rsquo;s Female Athlete of the Century. (To which she responded with incredulity: &ldquo;You mean&hellip;it is me?&rdquo;)</p>
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The start of the 1948 Olympic men's marathon at London's Wembley Stadium</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Tours of the stadium, which houses a mass of memorabilia from the old Wembley, can be readily booked online at <a href="http://www.wembleystadium.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>wembleystadium.com</strong></span></a>.</p>
<p>To get there by Tube, you need <a href="https://tfl.gov.uk/tube/stop/940GZZLUWYP/wembley-park-underground-station/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Wembley Stadium</strong></span></a>, two stops along the Metropolitan Line from Baker Street.</p>
<p>There are two standard exhibitions at Wembley, and if athletics is your main interest you need to get yourself up to the one based in the Lioness Bar, where there are photos, stories and other items connected with the 1948 Olympics, along with one of the flags used in the Opening Ceremony.</p>
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A plaque at Wembley Stadium listing the 1948 Olympic champions</div>
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<p>If you want to see the two huge plaques detailing 1948 athletics gold medallists, which lined one of the old Wembley entrances for half a century and were transferred to the new Wembley ahead of the London 2012 Games &ndash; well, you&rsquo;d be advised to go there in about a year&rsquo;s time. They are currently being stored to avoid harm during extensive renovations&hellip;</p>
<h3><img style="width: 30px; height: 25px; margin-right: 10px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/81c4a7bc-0343-49bf-bb66-3655e1b9b038.png" alt="route" align="left" />White City Stadium</h3>
<p>Were you so minded, you could detour and visit another great British athletics spot &ndash; the site of the White City stadium that hosted the 1908 Olympics, with the wobbling Dorando Pietri finish to the marathon, Arthur Conan-Doyle and other officials at his side.</p>
<p>If there were an HG Wells time machine available, that struggling crew would probably now find itself in one of the waste disposal areas of the flats now built on that sacred ground in Wood Lane, collectively named White City Place, which were initially part of a BBC media village.<br /><br /></p>
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Sydney Wooderson defeats Jack Lovelock (NZL) at London's White City stadium in 1935</div>
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<p>Before they moved to Crystal Palace, the AAA Championships were held at the White City from 1932 to 1970, and it was on this track in 1954 that Chris Chataway dramatically beat Vladimir Kuts, bettering the Russian&rsquo;s 5000m world record in the process.</p>
<p>If you wish to make this faintly mournful pilgrimage, <a href="https://tfl.gov.uk/tube/stop/940GZZLUWCY/white-city-underground-station/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>White City Tube station</strong></span></a>, on the Central Line, deposits you on Wood Lane itself.</p>
<h3><img style="width: 30px; height: 25px; margin-right: 10px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/81c4a7bc-0343-49bf-bb66-3655e1b9b038.png" alt="route" align="left" />London Stadium</h3>
<p>The current epicentre of athletics in the capital is, of course, the London Stadium that hosted the London 2012 track and field action and also staged the last IAAF World Championships in 2017, as well as providing the regular venue for the two-day London Diamond League meeting from 2013 onwards.</p>
<p>Tours of this arena, now the regular home of Premier League West Ham United, are <a href="https://www.london-stadium.com/event/stadium-tours-tickets-sale-now" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>available</strong></span></a>. (<a href="https://www.queenelizabetholympicpark.co.uk/the-park/plan-your-visit/getting-here" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Here's</strong></span></a> how you get there.)</p>
<p>While the track is mostly under cover for football purposes, you can wander round the indoor warm-up track and there is a certain amount of athletics memorabilia, including a medals wall tribute to a range of gold medallists, on offer, as well as media recordings of highlights such as Usain Bolt&rsquo;s 2012 Olympic victories, and Super Saturday, when home athletes Mo Farah, Jess Ennis and Greg Rutherford earned gold in the 5000m, heptathlon and long jump respectively.</p>
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Mo Farah wins the 2012 Olympic 5000m title in London</div>
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<p>Come next January, however, athletics fans will get a bigger bang for their buck as there are plans to open a permanent London 2012 exhibition, with discussions currently underway with the International Olympic Committee.</p>
<p>Before you leave London, you may want to travel one stop up from Victoria, on the Victoria Line, to <a href="https://tfl.gov.uk/tube/stop/940GZZLUGPK/green-park-underground-station/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Green Park</strong></span></a>. Where you will soon be able to arrive at The Mall which, since 1994, has been the location of the finishing line in the London Marathon.</p>
<p>The elation, emotion, exhaustion generated over those few hundred final metres, down the years. You can almost feel it. It is a location indelibly registered in the minds of many, many thousands of British runners.</p>
<p>Next stop &ndash; by rail, London Paddington to <a href="https://www.gwr.com/plan-journey/stations-and-routes/oxford" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Oxford</strong></span></a>. About an hour. Why are we here? Oh come on, please. May 6, 1954? Thank you&hellip;</p>
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Sign outside Iffley Road Track</div>
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<p><em><br />So far, three places in Britain have been honoured with a <a href="https://www.iaaf.org/heritage/plaque?area=&amp;country=GBR&amp;searchText=&amp;sort=" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Heritage plaque</strong></span></a>, the award instituted in December last year to celebrate venues that have made outstanding contributions to the history and development of athletics.</em></p>

Imagine you were on your own personal road trip to tick off significant locations within Britain’s rich athletics history. Where could you start, and where could you end?

British athletics history tour

A road trip through British athletics history

<h4><img style="width: 90px; height: 90px; border-radius: 50%; margin-right: 20px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/8a1d4507-5605-49b2-9512-d91eb3b43460.png" alt="Kate Carter" align="left" />Many people view running as a solitary sport, but it is also at the heart of many sociable experiences between family, friends and new acquaintances</h4>
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<h4 style="text-align: right;"><strong>Kate Carter</strong> <em>(<a href="https://twitter.com/katehelencarter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@katehelencarter</a>)</em></h4>
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<p>I love watching children make friends &ndash; they do it so effortlessly. A couple of games in the playground, a few questions on holiday in the swimming pool and they rocket from complete strangers to best friends in minutes. They don&rsquo;t even seem to need to share a language to find some common ground. Alas, I&rsquo;m not sure there&rsquo;s an adult equivalent to the language of play, but if there was a shortlist of suggestions, I&rsquo;d put running right at the top.</p>
<p>I've only been a runner for a handful of years, and yet I can&rsquo;t remember a time when running wasn&rsquo;t just an important part of my identity, but crucial to my social life. Friends from my running club, real life friends whom I met on social media, friends made on the startline or even midway through a race, friends from work or the school run who turn out to be runners too.</p>
<p>When I discovered running &ndash; on maternity leave with my youngest &ndash; I did the 'Couch to 5k' programme and found an incredibly supportive virtual community online to share triumphs and setbacks. That was only seven years ago but I&rsquo;ve gone on to run 13 marathons and countless other races, all supported by &ndash; and often with &ndash; friends.</p>
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<h3 style="text-transform: none; color: #000026;"><strong>" </strong>I once sat in a pub in Prague after a half marathon and met a Russian guy who turned out to be really good friends with a French runner I happened to know via a London parkrun. What are the odds? <strong>"</strong></h3>
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<p>Put two runners together and they do indeed immediately share a common language, one of races or routes recommended, distances preferred, and niggles shared. Often even a friend in common, however unlikely: I once sat in a pub in Prague after a half marathon and met a Russian guy who turned out to be really good friends with a French runner I happened to know via a London parkrun. What are the odds? In the amateur running world, not as implausible as you&rsquo;d think.&nbsp;</p>
<p>It&rsquo;s a wonderful paradox that running &ndash; so intensely solitary a sport at times &ndash; is so incredibly sociable. Of course runners can be competitive in groups&nbsp;&ndash; team events or relay races &ndash; but it&rsquo;s rarely a team sport in the traditional sense. But for those of us with an amateur race habit, the very experience of being alone in your own thoughts, battling the mental demons for however-many-miles, is what makes it even more important to have a good old chat afterwards. A release from the self-imposed tension &ndash; and an opportunity to check if that hill at mile four really did morph into Everest halfway up, or if it was just you...</p>
<p>When it comes to training, running with friends makes the time and the miles tick by so much faster. For many, it may even be easier to talk while running than during daunting face-to-face communication. For the shy or underconfident, making eye contact can be difficult, and such situations often avoided &ndash; but chat while running and eye contact is virtually impossible anyway, so the pressure is removed.</p>
<p>There&rsquo;s even a strain of therapy, Dynamic Running Therapy, that utilises this very phenomena. It&rsquo;s amazing the things people tell you &ndash; friends or brand new acquaintances &ndash; when you are side by side matching stride, and when they are slightly too short of breath to bother with the usual conversational filler. A friend once quite casually told me about her disastrous first marriage on a run. I&rsquo;d known her for years and she&rsquo;d literally never mentioned it before.</p>
<p>Habitual runners will already know perfectly well how an easy run can lift their mood, but for the doubters, there&rsquo;s plenty of evidence. Aerobic exercise increases levels of neurotransmitters like serotonin and norepinephrine, making it stress-relieving. It boosts endorphins and endocannabinoids, both of which reduce anxiety and perception of pain &ndash; all of which leads to a happier, more relaxed, more friendly you.</p>
<p>Running with friends can also help you run longer, if that&rsquo;s your goal. Studies show that people generally continue 20% longer when they run with someone else than when going it alone, and that the <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/files/attachments/34033/jssarticle.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">perception of effort is diminished</a></strong></span>. The distraction of chat, or knowledge that you aren&rsquo;t suffering alone in those final hard miles, helps push you on. Hard short efforts &ndash; interval runs &ndash; are better in company too, even if you couldn&rsquo;t spare the lung capacity for a gasp, let alone actual chat. There&rsquo;s a very good reason elite athletes mostly train in groups, pushing each other on, and it&rsquo;s something we can all learn from.</p>
<p>But if running with other people is great, then running to actively help friends achieve their goals is even better. Some of the best running experiences I&rsquo;ve had have been pacing other people. Helping someone achieve a personal best is genuinely as satisfying as getting one yourself &ndash; and having myself been paced to one in a marathon, I can attest that it&rsquo;s an intensely bonding experience, too.</p>
<p>But it doesn&rsquo;t need to be a long distance. The other day, I paced my eldest daughter to her first ever 5km. It was just my club&rsquo;s informal handicap series &ndash; no fancy prizes, no blingy medals, no goody bag &ndash; but it was one of the best runs I&rsquo;ve had in years.</p>
<p>And if you don&rsquo;t think running is sociable, try running 3.1 miles with a 10-year-old who chats non-stop. Lack of conversation is simply not an option.<br /><br /></p>
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<p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B1rtRwiHVDc/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Kate Carter (@katehelencarter)</a> on <time style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;" datetime="2019-08-27T21:43:07+00:00">Aug 27, 2019 at 2:43pm PDT</time></p>
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Many people view running as a solitary sport, but it can also be at the heart of many sociable experiences between family, friends and new acquaintances

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