<p><img style="width: 200px; height: 200px; border-radius: 50%; margin-left: 20px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Square/7292fdae-0010-44ce-8de7-2801e19fad78.jpg?cachebuster=36d9895b-365f-4c7a-b5f8-6f082ae4b35f" alt="Mara Yamauchi" align="right" />Hot summer days are finally here, and the long-awaited Tokyo Olympics will open next month. We've all heard how hot and humid Tokyo summers can be, and having lived through nine of them, I can assure you they are quite something. But in the same way as they host major sporting events, Japanese people apply flawless organisation, carefully thought-through strategies and effective measures for dealing with summer heat. From air-con to clothing, sleep habits to food, Japan has all manner of coping strategies ready to combat the hot months.</p>
<p>When I lived in Tokyo, I was amazed by how quickly the seasons progress from one to the next, and how promptly food choices change accordingly. People love to eat food which is appropriate for the time of year and which helps you to cope with the climate's challenges.</p>
<p>Hot, humid summers have an entire menu of must-eat food items. Flavoured, shaved ice deserts and grilled unagi eel are two of summer's top foods which promise to keep you energised. But my absolute favourite is 'hiyashi chuka', a cold noodle dish covered with colourful, tasty toppings and a delicious sauce. Literally meaning 'chilled Chinese', it is similar to ramen but served refreshingly cold to help fight off heat-induced lethargy. Other names for it are 'reimen' (cold noodles), or 'hiyashi ramen' (chilled ramen).</p>
<p>If you're planning to spend many hours in front of the TV watching the Olympics, do give this dish a try. I promise, it is perfect for a hot, summer's day!<br /><br /></p>
<h2>Ingredients</h2>
<p>&bull;&nbsp;Ramen noodles, 2 portions<br />&bull;&nbsp;Toppings: cucumber, carrots, ham, cherry tomatoes, 2 eggs, cress<br />&bull; Sauce:&nbsp;<span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">25ml </span><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">soy sauce, 30ml rice vinegar, 30ml cold water,&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">1 tablespoon </span><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">sugar, pinch of salt,&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">1 tablespoon </span><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">sesame oil,&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">1 tablespoon </span><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">toasted sesame seeds<br /><br /></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;"><img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/60c4aa44871ab4bc4bd637b6.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="713" /></span></p>
<h2><span style="font-size: 24px; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>Method</h2>
<p>&bull; Start by boiling the eggs for about seven minutes to ensure they are hard-boiled but the yolks are still a little soft. Remove, allow to cool, peel and cut into halves.</p>
<p><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">&bull; </span>Next make the sauce by mixing all the ingredients together in a bowl. Leave in the fridge to chill.</p>
<p><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">&bull; </span>Boil the noodles according to the instructions. As soon as they are al dente, drain and rinse under cold water to cool them quickly. Arrange the cold noodles in two bowls.</p>
<p><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">&bull; </span>Now prepare the toppings. Carefully chop the cucumber, carrots and ham into matchsticks. Slice the tomatoes in half. Cut the cress with scissors.<br /><br /></p>
<p><img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/60c4aa63871ab4bc4bd637b9.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="713" /></p>
<p><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;"><br />&bull; </span>To assemble your dish, place the toppings carefully on the noodles, sloping upwards towards the centre of the dish. Keep the same ingredients together rather than mixing them up. Finally, pour over the sauce, sprinkle the cress on top as a garnish and serve immediately.</p>
<p>You can use a wide range of alternative toppings according to what you like to eat, for example, crab sticks, boiled chicken or pork, prawns, sweetcorn, bean sprouts, wakame seaweed and radishes. Enjoy!</p>
<p><strong>Mara Yamauchi for World Athletics<br /><br /></strong></p>
<p><strong><img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/60c4aa28871ab4bc4bd637b3.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="713" /></strong></p>

'Hiyashi chuka' is a cold noodle dish covered with colourful, tasty toppings and a delicious sauce.

Recipe: hiyashi chuka

<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" />Whatever their background, age or speed, runners are always on the same side. Does any other sport really have such a sense of community, or common experience?</h4>
<hr />
<h4 style="text-align: right;"><strong>Kate Carter</strong> <em>(<a href="https://twitter.com/katehelencarter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@katehelencarter</a>)</em></h4>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>There are about 7.6 billion people on the planet, yet the theory runs that no two people need scan through a chain of more than six social connections before they find a common one.</p>
<p>Back in 2008, Microsoft researchers decided to investigate how true this rather implausible-sounding theory really was. Using billions upon billions of electronic messages, they worked out that any two random people in the world really are apart by only six degrees of separation. Or, to be more precise, 6.6 degrees. After all, who doesn&rsquo;t have 0.6 of a friend?</p>
<p>Today, however, I can exclusively reveal my own study &ndash; peer-reviewed by 0.6 of my friends &ndash; which proves conclusively that any two runners, anywhere in the world, will find a common connection in less than three steps.</p>
<p>OK, so the evidence I put forward is more anecdotal than an entire conference on folk tales, but every time I put it to the test it holds true. If you&rsquo;ve ever found yourself somewhere far from home and fallen into conversation with a fellow runner &ndash; whether at the start line of an overseas race, in a hotel gym, or on public transport where you find yourself sitting next to someone sporting a familiar race T-shirt &ndash; you&rsquo;ll know the phenomenon well. Within a few minutes, you&rsquo;ll find they&rsquo;ve met someone at your running club, you know a few of their running buddies, or you actually finished within about two seconds of each other in a marathon one time. Come to think of it, you had thought they looked familiar, maybe it was from one of your race photos?</p>
<p>Running is near-magical for forging connections and common ground. Two runners together will never suffer from lack of conversation even if, on paper, they have absolutely nothing in common, were born in different hemispheres and are generations apart in age. Because runners can always talk about running. It&rsquo;s getting us to stop that&rsquo;s usually the problem.</p>
<p>Does any other sport really have such a sense of community, or common experience? The most popular sport on the planet might be football, or it might be cricket, or perhaps it&rsquo;s basketball, but with all those sports comes rivalries, or tribalisms &ndash; a sense that you can all too easily be on a different side of a line. With running, we are all, always, on the same side of the line.</p>
<p>Perhaps it&rsquo;s simply because we are all almost entirely only competitive against ourselves and a clock, so regardless of what the clock tells us, we really do feel that we are in it together. One person might take a few minutes more to get round a particular race or run, but it&rsquo;s the same course, the same weather, the same hills to slog up or the same sun that beats down on us. That&rsquo;s enough for a profound sense of camaraderie, no matter what the individual result may say.</p>
<p>Nowhere is this more obvious than in parkrun, where the community element is infinitely stronger than any individual performance would ever be. If you start talking parkrun with another runner, it&rsquo;s almost always to talk about how friendly it is, or how good the cafe next to the finish is, or what a beautiful loop it is &ndash; it&rsquo;s almost impolite to ask how long it took someone to do it &ndash; and who, really, cares anyway?</p>
<p>Then there are bonds forged in races, or on long runs. If a friend paces you to a PB, or supports you round your furthest distance so far, there&rsquo;s a deep sense of gratitude that goes beyond the expected. Even just going through the same experience &ndash; a particularly horrible course or a day when the weather tests you all severely with freezing rain or boiling sun. Whenever that race is mentioned again between the participants, they will get a distant look in their eyes, and nod at each other, like world-weary veterans remembering a long-ago campaign.</p>
<p>But it&rsquo;s also just very simply about sharing a love for something that makes us feel better. All runners know that there are few things (injuries aside) that can&rsquo;t be made better by a run, and are often keen to spread the joy to others, like running apostles. In fact, given that <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/news/press-releases/global-running-day-research-nielsen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">today&rsquo;s Neilsen research finds that four in 10 people consider themselves to be runners</a></strong></span>, it makes me wonder why this planet seems to be full of people who don&rsquo;t get on. I mean honestly, has anyone considered just getting the United Nations to host round tables where hostile participants are only allowed to discuss running?</p>
<p>I&rsquo;m not claiming that running could create world peace but &hellip; well actually, I think I might be. The combination of the magic of common connections, plus the endorphins &ndash; surely it wouldn&rsquo;t be a bad place to start.</p>

Whatever their background, age or speed, runners are always on the same side. Does any other sport really have such a sense of community, or common experience?

The Athletic Life: one degree of separation and a few strides of familiarity

<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" />Does nursing make a great runner, or does running turn out to require the same skill set as nursing? It's a chicken-and-egg type scenario that has been made more apparent over the past year.</h4>
<hr />
<h4 style="text-align: right;"><strong>Kate Carter</strong> <em>(<a href="https://twitter.com/katehelencarter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@katehelencarter</a>)</em></h4>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>For many of us in the past year, running has become less the pursuit of fitness, and more a coping mechanism.</p>
<p>Whether it&rsquo;s a tiny precious window of time out of the house to get fresh air and a change of scene, or an escape from the grind of a job that&rsquo;s changed beyond all recognition, running has made the load a little bit lighter for people all over the world. Nice work, running.</p>
<p>But that load has surely been heaviest for those who have spent the past year on the frontline of healthcare. After all, who needs an escape more than someone whose entire life is spent in the thick of the pandemic?</p>
<p>Today is International Nurses Day &ndash; and I really hope that when the past year or so has receded to a more gentle sepia tone in our memories, we will still remember and be grateful to all the nurses, indeed all the frontline workers who, instead of staying safe at home, ran towards the fire.</p>
<p>Thinking about it, it struck me that among the runners I know and admire most, a surprising number of them are nurses. Is that just pure coincidence? Or if not, is it chicken-or-egg: does nursing make a great runner, or does running turn out to require the same skill set as nursing?</p>
<p>European marathon champion Koen Naert worked as a nurse until a few years ago, and <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://spikes.worldathletics.org/post/koen-naert-heroes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">last year he wrote about using running to cope</a></strong></span> after dealing with the aftermath of the terrible 2006 Brussels bombings: &ldquo;I remember coming home late at night and telling my wife stories about the day and saying, &lsquo;I can&rsquo;t stay inside, I have to run to ease my mind&rsquo;&hellip;&rdquo;<br /><br /></p>
<p><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Original/a1fcc1f3-237e-4c20-973a-02313fde3d8a.jpg" alt="" width="638" height="425" /></p>
<p>I cannot imagine what he saw, and had to deal with, but I think every runner who has even just had a really bad day knows the power of the run to provide that ease. But also occurs to me &ndash; though I don&rsquo;t pretend it&rsquo;s anything other than purely anecdotal &ndash; that all the nurse athletes I know are marathon runners or even ultra-runners. Does doing a job so pressured and so physically and mentally exhausting simply require a very large amount of stress relief? Of course I&rsquo;m sure there are sprinting nurses or doctors who can, and will, disprove my theory, but perhaps it&rsquo;s only endurance running &ndash; or training for it &ndash; that can really work the magic required; that slow process of unwinding stiff legs into a steady rhythm, letting the miles slowly, safely, disperse the pressure that&rsquo;s built up. If sprinting is about unleashing the adrenaline, perhaps the grind of the long miles is about dispersing it, like a slow release safety valve?</p>
<p>Far better than expounding on my own theories, though, is to ask an actual nurse runner. Tracy Barlow represented Great Britain in the marathon at the 2017 World Championships and 2018 European Championships. She&rsquo;s also a nurse &ndash; and a friend.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I have often thought about it,&rdquo; she says, &ldquo;and there are huge similarities for me. The job itself challenges you in different ways. Each shift can sometimes push you to the edge of your coping abilities. The high intensity of working in critical care gives you an adrenaline boost &ndash; and the high pace of things keeps you on your feet for the whole of your shift. You have to think on your feet constantly and consider everyone else around you. The fact that people's health and sometimes life is in your hands is really tough.&rdquo;<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/CJgmQZWnHwg/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Tracy Barlow (@tracy4734)</a></p>
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<p><br />Interestingly, she thinks that perhaps there is indeed a personality type that is drawn to both nursing, and to marathons: &ldquo;I think we do it [nursing] because we like the challenge &ndash; along with wanting to help others. And the marathon presents very similar challenges. Some sessions can push you to the edge. The marathon gives me the biggest challenge and when I can overcome it, it&rsquo;s the biggest reward you can have. Helping others in nursing does the same.&nbsp; And yes we probably do walk a marathon each shift, too!&rdquo;</p>
<p>Cat Simpson is another runner and friend, and someone whose training on Strava usually makes my jaw drop in disbelief. She competed at the IAU World 24 Hours Championships and does races so long I&rsquo;d consider them a bit far in a car. She&rsquo;s also an ICU nurse.&nbsp;<br /><br /></p>
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<p><br />Cat has always used running as a form of stress relief and for the whole of the pandemic has been run-commuting to work &ndash; but even though she kept running, she did find her attitude changing. <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.runultra.co.uk/Articles/May-2021/Interview-with-Cat-Simpson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">As she told RunUltra&rsquo;s Kate Allen</a></span></strong>: &ldquo;I think it would be accurate to say I experienced something not far from an existential crisis during the Covid peaks where we were inundated with sick patients at work, I wasn&rsquo;t sleeping, and actually training seriously felt selfish and futile. Running has always provided headspace and time to reflect on life and work for me, but putting in any specific sessions felt pointless and I was too knackered, so I just went with the flow and dialled things back.&rdquo;</p>
<p>I can&rsquo;t be alone in thinking that of all the adjectives to apply to an ICU nurse after the past year, &lsquo;selfish&rsquo; wouldn&rsquo;t be on the list. Hell, it wouldn't even be in the dictionary. I can only imagine the shift in perspective that Cat's experiences bought, but I&rsquo;m very glad that, as with so many of us, keeping on running has brought her that headspace. May it always do so.</p>
<p>A joint thanks today, then: to running for keeping us sane, but most of all to nurses, for everything they do.</p>

For many of us in the past year, running has become less the pursuit of fitness, and more a coping mechanism.

The Athletic Life: how running helps nurses cope with the demands of their job

<p>On 4 March 2018, British police officer Nick Bailey found himself caught up in the Salisbury poisonings.</p>
<p>What he expected to be a normal day at work led to him being inadvertently contaminated, and fighting for his life in intensive care at Salisbury hospital. He survived, but that day changed his life forever.</p>
<p>Bailey was eventually discharged from hospital, but did not feel in good health, physically or mentally. He and his family lost their home and all their belongings. He suffered from anxiety and depression. He tried to return to work three times but in the end he left the police &ndash; the only job he had ever wanted to do.</p>
<p>Yet, incredibly, Bailey has found his way on to a path of recovery, and running has been a key part of this journey. To mark Mental Health Awareness Week, Bailey explains how running has been part of his life, and how it has helped him to process the trauma of that March day and its aftermath.</p>
<p>Bailey has been a runner for many years but says his approach to it is a bit &lsquo;all or nothing&rsquo;. He has spells of running regularly which he enjoys, but also times when life&rsquo;s pressures, especially work, have left him with no time to run.</p>
<p>He loves the feeling of being physically fit and healthy. Bailey also enjoys the simple pleasures of running &ndash; getting out and about, being immersed in nature, seeing beautiful countryside, having time to himself, the sense of freedom, and taking a step to being a little bit fitter and healthier.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I can relax after a run, because I&rsquo;ve just done something really positive and proactive for my physical and mental health,&rdquo; he says of the sense of satisfaction that comes after running. But he doesn&rsquo;t run to be competitive or to win races. &ldquo;I just want to better myself, and beat my own times.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Going back to March 2018, Bailey had not run for a long time because he had been so busy with work and pursuing his career. When Bailey was discharged from hospital, he returned home to his family but not to their family home &ndash; they had been forced to abandon their real home and start over. After a few months, Bailey was really feeling the pressure of his family&rsquo;s situation and circumstances; he felt physically and mentally very unwell. But he remembered the sense of exhilaration and achievement that running had given him in the past, and wanted that back.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I wanted to harness that feeling again for my own sense of self-worth, and for my mental health,&rdquo; he reflects. So he decided to just start running again, without taking it too seriously.</p>
<p>After just one run of three miles, Bailey decided he needed a goal, something to aim for. The next day he entered the Salisbury Marathon, a tough, hilly, trail race, held annually in August. &ldquo;The marathon is the ultimate achievement&rdquo; he says, and Salisbury just &ldquo;seemed right&rdquo;.</p>
<p>He decided to raise money too, for the Stars Appeal charity, which provides support for the intensive care unit at Salisbury Hospital. &ldquo;They saved my life, and put themselves in harm&rsquo;s way. It was a very stressful and difficult time for them too. So I wanted to give something back; I owed them a debt of gratitude.&rdquo; His wife knew nothing of his plans at this point, so he called her. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve done something silly,&rdquo; he told her. Thankfully, she just laughed.</p>
<p>And so Bailey&rsquo;s marathon journey began. He had about six months to prepare. He roughly knew what training he had to do. He ran every other day, including some longer and faster runs. He didn&rsquo;t want it to take over his life, so he decided not to use a formal training plan. Along the way, however, there were setbacks.</p>
<p>He had to take a break from training for six weeks because his depression had worsened, and he could not face training. He also picked up a knee injury with just two weeks to go. But he made it to the start line in one piece &ndash; perhaps the toughest challenge of taking on the marathon.</p>
<p><img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6093f3a4492eed2d41a59bf4.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="783" /></p>
<p>When asked how the marathon went, Bailey&rsquo;s answer was clear: &ldquo;Horrible!&rdquo; But he finished it, despite severe pain in his knee from about half way. His wife, children, parents and friends were all there to support him, and see him cross the line. &ldquo;It was an overwhelming feeling of happiness and elation,&rdquo; he says about completing it. After a well-deserved rest, Bailey resumed running and started playing tennis again. He hopes to run another marathon sometime, and perhaps some shorter races and parkruns.</p>
<p>Bailey has been through a truly unique trauma. It is difficult, perhaps impossible, for others to have any real understanding of his experience. But it is clear he is exceptionally resilient. Through sheer hard work, he is turning his life around and looking forward. How has running helped his mental health?</p>
<p>Control has been a key factor, says Bailey. His and his family&rsquo;s lives were spiralling out of their control. They had lost their home and all their possessions. He couldn&rsquo;t work. Decisions were being made about him and his family which they weren&rsquo;t involved in. But running was one small part of his life that he could control.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I could control when I ran, where I chose to run, how far and fast I ran&hellip; I called the shots on that. It was one small part of my life that I was in charge of &ndash; a mini victory,&rdquo; he says. It may not have helped him regain control of other parts of their lives, but at least it was something. &ldquo;I never had any expectations that running would solve my problems, but I started to feel mentally a little bit more resilient by running.&rdquo;&nbsp;<br /><br /></p>
<p><a href="https://raceroster.com/events/2021/46978/asics-blue-jean-mile" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/60a8243be52e28addc6386b7.png" alt="" width="1600" height="420" /></a></p>
<p><br />The feeling of being mentally and physically fitter was another positive effect that running brought. &ldquo;It was a time to reflect, process and think things through,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I always used to think of a healthy mind and a healthy body, and exercise will make you feel better, no matter what you are going through.&rdquo; When faced with the task of managing and processing his experience, running gave him something positive; it made him feel better, both mentally and physically.</p>
<p>The way Bailey approached his running also helped his mental health. He wanted to enjoy the process and not be fixated by times, so he deliberately did not use a training plan. He made sure running did not rule his life or become a chore.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I felt so different mentally to where I had been, I was quite often too scared to push myself into something because I did not know how I would react to it,&rdquo; he explains. Bailey&rsquo;s conscious and deliberate decision to adopt an approach to running which ensured he would enjoy it came across as very powerful &ndash; a deliberate act of being kind to himself when difficult times demanded it.</p>
<p>Finally, having a goal &ndash; the Salisbury Marathon &ndash; was a positive step for his mental health. After having to stop running for six weeks with depression, Bailey somehow found the strength to return to his goal and resume training. He did not want to let down the people who had generously sponsored him, nor let himself down. Having that goal helped to bring him back to a more positive outlook.&nbsp;</p>
<p>What comes next for Bailey on his road to recovery? He has left the police and is starting out on a new chapter in his working life. He wants to help others through his experiences of coping with trauma, using his resilience, and finding ways to improve his mental health. He has refocused on what is really, truly important in life. And he still runs &ndash; the exhilaration, that feeling of becoming fitter, and the satisfaction of doing something positive are all part of running&rsquo;s enduring appeal which he still enjoys.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I still get that same buzz, that same feeling from it,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;It has the same impact on my mental health &ndash; it frees up my mind.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Running has been a small but invaluable part of his journey to turn his life around.</p>
<p><strong>Mara Yamauchi for World Athletics Be Active</strong></p>

On 4 March 2018, British police officer Nick Bailey found himself caught up in the Salisbury poisonings. To mark Mental Health Awareness Week, he explains how running has helped him to process the trauma of that March day and its aftermath.

How running helped Nick Bailey get his life back on track

<p><img style="width: 200px; height: 200px; border-radius: 50%; margin-left: 20px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Square/7292fdae-0010-44ce-8de7-2801e19fad78.jpg?cachebuster=36d9895b-365f-4c7a-b5f8-6f082ae4b35f" alt="Mara Yamauchi" align="right" />One of the wonders of spring is it heralds the arrival of edible plants.</p>
<p>From spring all the way through to autumn, a steady stream of fresh, delicious produce is on its way, and is a joy to look forward to. There is something special about foraging for your own edible ingredients and then cooking them into a tasty meal or snack, with the knowledge that what you are eating is entirely natural, fresh, local and unprocessed.</p>
<p>We humans evolved as hunter-gatherers, and running was our mode of transport. So running was central to our ability to find and gather food from our environment, and therefore to survive all this time. Perhaps this is why I find foraging for natural edible plants so rewarding &ndash; I&rsquo;m going back to the essence of being human, and it involves running!</p>
<p>Wild garlic is one of the first edible plants to appear in the UK as winter ends. A cousin of onions and garlic in the allium family, it has beautiful strong green leaves which grow in great swathes in shady woodland. Then come gorgeous, delicate white flowers which are also edible.</p>
<p><img style="width: 400px; height: 267px; margin-left: 20px;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/medium/608d4da9e35d29acfec7ff7b.jpg" align="right" />Going for a spring walk through woodland will often bring a whiff of garlic in the air &ndash; then you know you are surrounded by the stuff! Its flavour is much milder than normal garlic. But, unlike normal garlic which is used in small amounts to add flavour to dishes, wild garlic leaves can be the main ingredient in some dishes, with their bulk and mild flavour.</p>
<p>Pesto is my all-time favourite wild garlic dish, but it can also be used in soups and salads, and to flavour bread, omelettes and sauces.</p>
<p>If you are foraging your own wild garlic, always follow common sense rules such as ensuring you are allowed to pick, only taking small amounts, and taking care that you do not get mixed up with other similar-looking plants which may be poisonous.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h2><img style="width: 400px; height: 267px; margin-left: 20px;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/medium/608d4d8be35d29acfec7ff78.jpg" align="right" />Ingredients</h2>
<p>&bull; 250g wild garlic leaves, washed and roughly chopped<br />&bull; 100g parmesan, finely grated<br />&bull; 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped<br />&bull; 1 lemon, the skin&rsquo;s zest finely grated and the juice<br />&bull; 100g pine nuts<br />&bull; 300ml olive oil<br /><br /></p>
<h2>Method</h2>
<p>&bull; Put the wild garlic leaves, parmesan, garlic, lemon zest and juice, and pine nuts into a food processor with about half the olive oil. Mix briefly &ndash; ideally you want a rough consistency, with some of the parmesan gratings and pine nuts still intact, not a very smooth paste. Remove from the food processor into a large bowl.</p>
<p>&bull; Add more oil and mix it in with a spoon, until you have the right balance of oil and fresh ingredients. The pesto should be quite oily, as opposed to a leafy paste, but not swimming in oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.</p>
<p>&bull; Transfer to a container, add a little oil on to the top which helps it to keep, and store in the fridge for up to two weeks.<br /><br /></p>
<p><img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/608d4d75e35d29acfec7ff75.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="713" /></p>
<p><br />Your pesto can be used in pasta, on top of pizza, or for dipping fresh bread and vegetables into like a salsa. Enjoy!</p>
<p><strong>Mara Yamauchi for World Athletics</strong></p>

One of the wonders of spring is it heralds the arrival of edible plants.

Recipe: wild garlic pesto

<p>World indoor 60m hurdles champion Andrew Pozzi hails from the town of Stratford-upon-Avon &ndash; home to the great English playwright William Shakespeare. And, just like &lsquo;The Bard&rsquo;, the British hurdler has a passion for literature. Here he shares five of his favourite books.<br /><br /></p>
<h2><img style="width: 150px; height: 231px; margin-left: 20px; align: right;" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41zZ5Eg8EzL._SX322_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" alt="book" align="right" />The Midnight Library<br /><em>Matt Haig</em></h2>
<p>This book was recommended by my girlfriend and I read it during the early stages of lockdown. It focuses on Nora, the central character, who has undergone mental health issues and commits suicide. However, in so doing she is taken to a place of purgatory &ndash; known as The Midnight Library. Every single book in the library contains a different version of her life &ndash; should she have made different decisions.</p>
<p>I really like the concept and I started to make comparisons with my life in athletics and wonder if I had made a different decision would it have led to a different outcome? There are a number of scenarios that the books talk about such as she could have been an Olympic swimmer or a rock star. However, without wishing to spoil the story, she actually prefers the version of her life she had experienced a few days before her suicide.</p>
<p>It is a philosophical read, which I like, and it does get you thinking about your own life, and maximising your current outlook on life. I really like the concept; I enjoy books which approach things from a different angle and the writing is very vivid.<br /><br /></p>
<h2><img style="width: 150px; height: 244px; margin-left: 20px;" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41E2cDmGoeL._SX305_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" alt="book" align="right" />A Clockwork Orange<br /><em>Anthony Burgess</em></h2>
<p>This one is quite a controversial choice &ndash; simply because the subject matter in the book is so full on and graphic.</p>
<p>During the first few chapters I found the book quite bewildering because every few sentences it uses a form of Russian slang called Nadsat, which was initially difficult to understand. Yet over time I found myself drawn into the book and it became more engaging. It is set in a dystopian future centred on a young man, Alex, and his gang, the Droogs, who carry out ultra-violent acts. The heinous crimes they commit are unforgivable but there is a certain camaraderie in the gang that draws you in.</p>
<p>Alex is a terrible person who even mistreats his own gang. Later Alex goes too far, commits murder and loses everything. He is then given a choice of either going to jail for a very long time or undergoing a controversial psychological experiment to have the &lsquo;badness&rsquo; taken out of him. Here he is exposed to some very graphic forms of torture. It is a difficult read in places, and it is not for everyone but I found it a compelling and interesting story.<br /><br /></p>
<h2><img style="width: 150px; height: 229px; margin-left: 20px;" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41KOy0VwzIL._SX325_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" alt="book" align="right" />Wonder<br /><em>RJ Palacio</em></h2>
<p>This book was bought for me by my sister and it is lighter read, which can be enjoyed by people of all ages. It is centred on a young boy called Auggie who has a severe facial deformity. It focuses on his life at school and the challenges he encounters along his journey such as bullying and making friendships.</p>
<p>It is a reminder of what it is like to be a child, of what it is like to be a bit different and also how cruel school can be. It is very raw. You also see his struggle through his family and his older sister. For a long period she tries to distance himself from Auggie because she does not want to be associated with his struggle. You see over time her resentment at the situation and how she feels very forgotten about because her brother demands so much attention.</p>
<p>It is a feel-good story and his strength of character makes the book such a compelling read. I felt very invested in the main character and it made me think about my school years and the way kids can be.<br /><br /></p>
<h2><img style="width: 150px; height: 231px; margin-left: 20px; align: right;" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/31EHrpt64gL._SX322_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" alt="book" align="right" />Shantaram<br /><em>Gregory David Roberts</em></h2>
<p>This one is a 950-page epic that is loosely based around the author&rsquo;s experiences. He&rsquo;s an Australian and the book starts with him imprisoned in Victoria for a series of armed bank robberies only for him to escape to India. He is taken in by an Indian taxi driver and lives in an Indian slum &ndash; which he believes is the safest place to hide from the police. He faces a colony of lepers, people suffering from cholera and sets up a medical clinic because he has some experience of medicine in an effort to lead a better life.</p>
<p>It deals with a whole range of cultures, spiritual and philosophical matters. However, he ends up going to prison where he is abused and mentally tortured only to come under the protection of an Afghan mafia don and he is released from prison. He then starts working for the mafia don as a forger and gets sent all over the world committing many criminal acts &ndash; becoming the sort of person he didn&rsquo;t want to become. The book ends with him heading to Sri Lanka to try and become a better person.&nbsp;</p>
<p>It is an epic adventure book with meshes a whole range of cultures into one book. It is a bit of a wild ride but it a great one. If you are travelling, it is good one to pick up and put down at any point.<br /><br /></p>
<h2><img style="width: 150px; height: 230px; margin-left: 20px;" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51kwiN+uNjL._SX324_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" alt="book" align="right" />The Memory Police<br /><em>Yoko Ogawa</em></h2>
<p>This is a Japanese sci-fi novel that has only recently been translated into English. It is a strange concept, set on an island where very little is explained and is open to interpretation. Everyone on the island periodically forgets things; whether that is associations with objects and animals. That memory is then taken from you by the memory police who then enter your house and remove that object or thing. This later extends to body parts &ndash; where if a person forgets what an arm or leg does, that body part is then removed.</p>
<p>Certain people on the island don&rsquo;t lose their memory and are either put into hiding or try to escape, but ultimately when the memory police become aware that you are affected with this condition, then they are removed. People who retain their memory are a threat to the system. It is about power, authoritarian rule and compliance without question.</p>
<p>It is a little frustrating in that it explains so little, but this made it all the more interesting. It is a very atmospheric novel. The prose is very simple, but I found in very engaging. It constantly made me think, and after I finished the book I found myself rushing online to find out what other people thought about the book. <br /><br /></p>
<p><strong>Steve Landells for World Athletics</strong></p>

Pozzi’s top five reads

The world indoor 60m hurdles champion talks about his favourite books

<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" />If you want to improve your overall health - mental and physical - nothing beats running. A 20-minute jog will give you most bang for your buck.</h4>
<hr />
<h4 style="text-align: right;"><strong>Kate Carter</strong> <em>(<a href="https://twitter.com/katehelencarter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@katehelencarter</a>)</em></h4>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>If you don&rsquo;t know by now that running is good for your health, then you&rsquo;ve not been paying attention in class, and I&rsquo;m afraid I&rsquo;ll have to put you into detention. Stay behind, write &ldquo;running is really good for me&rdquo; 100 times on the blackboard and run four laps of the playing fields.</p>
<p>In fact, the list of health benefits that running can bring is so long it&rsquo;s almost easier to list the things it doesn&rsquo;t do. It absolutely doesn&rsquo;t improve the prettiness of your toenails, for a start. A winter run also doesn&rsquo;t do much for your hair, though if &lsquo;dragged through a hedge backwards&rsquo; ever becomes the new hairstyle du jour, then I will absolutely top the most fashionable lists. And I&rsquo;m certainly the extremely inflexible poster girl for the fact that running a lot probably doesn&rsquo;t do a huge amount for your bendiness. The day after a long run, I could usefully double up as a ruler. But blisters, dodgy or absent toenails and poor Downward Dog form aside, running really is the health gift that keeps on giving.</p>
<p>It&rsquo;s probably obvious that being physically fitter is going to help what you might call the basics: heart health, blood pressure, and so on. Running forces your cardiovascular system to adapt, helping blood flow and lowering your blood pressure.</p>
<p>A &lsquo;meta study&rsquo; (a study of studies) found that running lowers your mortality risk by cancer by 23%, from cardiovascular events by 30% and indeed by &ldquo;all mortality causes&rdquo; by 27%. And don&rsquo;t run away with the idea that you need to do a lot of it to get those percentages &ndash; any amount improves your health, even just once a week, and it doesn&rsquo;t matter what the pace is, as long as you get that heart working. Indeed, taking high doses of that running medicine may not necessarily increase your odds of beating mortality. After all, if it did, Olympic marathon runners would all live forever.</p>
<p>Of course other sports can help you get fit, but purely in terms of time efficiency nothing beats running. If you only have 20 minutes in your day to do something to get your heart rate up, then running gives you the most bang for your buck. 20 minutes into a swimming session I&rsquo;m still getting changed and fiddling with my goggles, and 20 minutes into a bike ride I&rsquo;m, well, probably considerably less far down the road than if I&rsquo;d run, though admittedly that says more about my cycling ability than the sport as a whole.</p>
<p>Then there are all the other gifts running brings us. Personally, I think it&rsquo;s the benefits to the brain that are actually the most fascinating, and &ndash; in terms of how we live, work, and feel, day-to-day &ndash; they might even be the most impactful.</p>
<p>Running is good for your memory (let&rsquo;s ignore the fact that I forgot that until I researched for this article, shall we?) and it can help you sleep better. It could even, according to a study from Northwestern University, help cure insomnia. Research has shown that runners&rsquo; brains have stronger connections between areas associated with planning, decision making and &lsquo;executive cognitive function&rsquo;. No one tell the non-runners, but I think this all means that we might be smarter than them.</p>
<p>In fact, it&rsquo;s only relatively recently been discovered that humans not only can grow new brain cells &ndash; a process called neurogenesis &ndash; but that exercise actually stimulates this process. It improves your attention span, makes you better at concentrating and at multitasking (and yes, naturally, I am writing this while simultaneously juggling, learning Czech and emptying the dishwasher). In fact studies on children have shown it actually helps them learn languages better.</p>
<p>And as much as what it does do to your brain is fascinating, there&rsquo;s also what it stops: when we are bored, or fretting, or stressed, a series of linked area of our brains called the &lsquo;default mode network&rsquo; lights up. That activity is, in turn, often linked to depression. But if we do something active but unstressful &ndash; a nice easy run, say &ndash; then we disconnect those processes.</p>
<p>Oh &ndash; and finally &ndash; if I had a dollar for every time someone said &ldquo;Oh but isn&rsquo;t running bad for your knees?&rdquo; then, well, I couldn&rsquo;t quite retire but I&rsquo;d definitely be able to go out and buy some top-of-the-range running shoes. Of course, if you have dodgy (technical term) knees then pounding the pavements isn&rsquo;t going to help. But for those in fine knee health there is good evidence that running is not just neutral but actually good for them. A study of nearly 75,000 runners and nearly 15,000 walkers found that runners were significantly less likely to develop arthritis than walkers &ndash; the risk was roughly half. There is, concluded the author, &ldquo;no evidence that running increases the risk of osteoarthritis, including participation in marathons&rdquo;.</p>
<p>So there you have it: running &ndash; it&rsquo;s good for your health in ways you might have guessed, and plenty you probably haven&rsquo;t. If you could bottle running into pill form and prescribe it, it really would be the best drug ever invented.</p>

Running is good for your health in ways you might have guessed, and plenty you probably haven’t

The Athletic Life: the gifts of health that come from running

The list of health benefits that running can bring is so long it’s almost easier to list the things it doesn’t do

<p><img style="width: 160px; height: 160px; border-radius: 50%; margin-left: 20px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Square/7292fdae-0010-44ce-8de7-2801e19fad78.jpg?cachebuster=36d9895b-365f-4c7a-b5f8-6f082ae4b35f" alt="Mara Yamauchi" align="right" /></p>
<p>Spring has finally arrived here in London! Warmer temperatures, longer days and new life springing up everywhere makes training outdoors so much more enjoyable than during the long winter we&rsquo;ve just had. And spring means Easter, which of course means eggs!</p>
<p>When I was training hard as an elite athlete, I often ate eggs for breakfast, mainly to increase the amount of protein I was consuming. When training for a marathon, your focus is mainly on carbohydrates, but protein is essential for recovering from hard training. I found a breakfast of eggs with carbohydrates was a good combination before a tough session.&nbsp;</p>
<p>This recipe is an example of something I discovered in Japan: savoury dishes that include runny or even raw eggs, which gradually cook from the heat of the food they are mixed in with. Japanese foods like katsudon (pork cutlets on rice with egg on top), sukiyaki (flavoured beef and vegetables that you dip into raw eggs), and even soft-boiled tempura eggs, are all examples of this.</p>
<p>At first, I was a bit hesitant about the thought of raw or runny eggs, but once I tried them, I was hooked. The texture and taste of semi-cooked eggs, mixed in with other hot, tasty ingredients, is a winning combination! After trying these foods, I realised that actually you can invent any kind of dish with this basic principle &ndash; hot, savoury ingredients which cook the eggs in their midst.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The dish below is an example of this. It is a version of shakshuka &ndash; a North African tomato and vegetable sauce in which you poach the eggs. My recipe is quite simple compared to some variations of this dish. If you have good quality, fresh ingredients, simple recipes are as delicious as the complicated ones! My thanks to my friend Jo Ronaldson who introduced me to it.</p>
<h3>Ingredients</h3>
<p><span lang="EN-US">&bull; Olive oil for frying<br /></span><span lang="EN-US">&bull; 1 large red onion, finely chopped<br /></span><span lang="EN-US">&bull; 3 cloves garlic, very finely chopped<br /></span><span lang="EN-US">&bull; 1 small teaspoon ground cumin<br /></span><span lang="EN-US">&bull; 1 small teaspoon smoked paprika<br /></span><span lang="EN-US">&bull; 400g cherry tomatoes chopped, or 1 can tinned tomatoes<br /></span><span lang="EN-US">&bull; 1 red pepper, finely chopped<br /></span><span lang="EN-US">&bull; 100g bunch fresh coriander, stalks and leaves chopped separately<br /></span><span lang="EN-US">&bull; 3 eggs<br /></span><span lang="EN-US">&bull; salt &amp; pepper<br /></span><span lang="EN-US">&bull; 50g feta cheese</span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-US"><img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/60683bebb54bc79e0833d7cb.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="675" /></span></p>
<h3><span lang="EN-US">Method</span></h3>
<p><span lang="EN-US">&bull; In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil then add the onions and fry for three minutes, stirring regularly. Add the garlic, cumin and paprika, and fry for two minutes. The spices should give off a fragrant aroma. </span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-US">&bull; Add the tomatoes, red pepper and coriander stalks. Continue frying until the vegetables have softened and you have a rich sauce &ndash; this could take 10 minutes. Add most of the coriander leaves, stir well, and add salt and pepper to taste. </span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-US">&bull; Turn the heat down low and make three indentations in the surface of the sauce with the back of a large spoon. Carefully crack one egg into each of the indentations. Place a lid on to the pan and heat the mixture on a low to medium heat for five minutes. Check on the eggs &ndash; I like them with the whites solid but the yolks still runny. Continue cooking if you prefer the eggs to be hard throughout.</span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-US">&bull; Once the eggs are as you like them, transfer with a large spoon one egg per person with some sauce to a plate. Crumble a little feta over each plate, add the remaining coriander leaves as a garnish, and serve immediately with some crusty bread. </span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-US">&bull; The sauce in this dish keeps well but the eggs will harden as they will continue to cook gently in the warm sauce. If you like your eggs runny, make sure you eat this dish immediately.</span><span lang="EN-US">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-US"><strong><span lang="EN-US">Mara Yamauchi for Be Active</span></strong></span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-US"><strong><span lang="EN-US"><img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/60683bc5b54bc79e0833d7c8.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="675" /></span></strong></span></p>

Spring has finally arrived here in London! Warmer temperatures, longer days and new life springing up everywhere makes training outdoors so much more enjoyable than during the long winter we’ve just had. And spring means Easter, which of course means eggs!

Recipe: Eggs for Easter

<p>Have you ever finished a run and felt like you could take on the world? Or returned from a jog in a better mood or with greater mental clarity than when you set out? Then you&rsquo;ve likely experienced the &lsquo;runner&rsquo;s high&rsquo; and will understand why, during times of stress or needing to calm a busy mind, running seems the perfect remedy.</p>
<h4><img style="width: 90px; height: 90px; border-radius: 50%; margin-right: 20px;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/606701e4e47094e647d850a6.jpg" alt="Kelly McGonigal" align="left" /></h4>
<p>&ldquo;It begins with this peace of mind and then a greater ease of movement, a sense of power and confidence, optimism and hope, and you will often hear runners describe feeling loving and connected to everyone and everything,&rdquo; explains Kelly McGonigal, a psychologist, educator and author of&nbsp;<em>The Joy of Movement</em>. &ldquo;So, what could possibly be going on in the body and the brain that would make you feel powerful, hopeful, faster, more confident and more loving?&rdquo;</p>
<p>Speaking during this week's&nbsp;World Athletics 'Run Anywhere' Webinar in collaboration with Mass Participation World,&nbsp;McGonigal answered that question, plus many more.</p>
<p>&ldquo;It turns out that it&rsquo;s caused by a really reliable change in brain chemistry that kicks in once you have been in continuous motion for about 20 minutes and it&rsquo;s not only the endorphin rush that so many people have heard about,&rdquo; McGonigal explains, as she delves into the science behind the runner&rsquo;s high.</p>
<p>&ldquo;The runner&rsquo;s high is primarily driven by endocannabinoids, which are the brain chemicals that cannabis mimics, but when you are running and endocannabinoid levels naturally increase, that is what produces this powerful sense of an inner peace, empowerment and connection to others.&rdquo;</p>
<h3>Run to become a better you</h3>
<p>&ldquo;The thing that I find so fascinating about the runner&rsquo;s high is it is like the perfect neurobiological change to make you a better version of yourself,&rdquo; McGonigal tells Chris Robb, CEO and founder of Mass Participation World, during the webinar. &ldquo;I think that is why so many people go for a run and then they feel like they can take on the world.</p>
<p>&ldquo;And it lasts for hours. So even though you might only feel that peak high during a run or just after the run, we know that those brain changes last and they create this upward spiral, so people often report feeling less stressed, getting more things done and having better interactions with other people, for hours after a run.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Hunting that high</h3>
<p>&ldquo;There are a few things you can do if you want to get the high a little bit faster,&rdquo; McGonigal says. &ldquo;For example, listening to music early in a run can actually kick start the process &ndash; release more endorphins and dopamine and adrenalin &ndash; so that you can start to feel some of that high sooner.</p>
<p>&ldquo;The more you run or exercise, your brain actually learns how to more reliably produce that high. Part of that is because exercise, and running in particular, has this interesting effect on your brain where it strengthens your reward system and that includes endocannabinoids and endorphins. All the brain chemicals that make you feel good and that help you be motivated &ndash; exercise actually strengthens that system so that it kicks in sooner, you can sustain it longer and you get a bigger jolt of joy, hope or pride, from anything that would naturally trigger that system, and part of that includes the runner&rsquo;s high.</p>
<p>&ldquo;It seems to take about six weeks of regular training for people to see these structural changes in the brain that make it easier not only to get the runner&rsquo;s high, but to experience more joy, pleasure, hope and motivation in everyday life. This is one of the reasons that running is such a powerful antidepressant and so good for our mental health, because it changes the brain in this way.&rdquo;</p>
<h3>Moving forward together</h3>
<p>One of the many challenges posed by the pandemic has been the restriction on in-person interactions, with virtual and solo events having replaced mass participation races. As we edge closer to the return of more traditional event forms, that could further impact our enjoyment of the activity, McGonigal adds.</p>
<p><img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6067055b5465e5a7ac676856.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="546" /><br /><em>The senior women's race at the 2019 World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Aarhus&nbsp;(&copy; Getty Images)</em></p>
<p><br />&ldquo;Humans have always needed to move together to survive and to thrive. A race or an event is basically a way to rehearse our fundamental human interdependence,&rdquo; she says. &ldquo;We know that when you move with other people, you feel like you are part of a pack and you are all headed in the same direction, even if there&rsquo;s an element of competition in there &ndash; your brain interprets that as being a part of something bigger than yourself.&nbsp;</p>
<p>&ldquo;There are all sorts of words that people use to describe it &ndash; there&rsquo;s &lsquo;muscular bonding&rsquo;, &lsquo;we-agency&rsquo; and &lsquo;collective joy&rsquo; &ndash; but we know that we are wired to experience a massive endorphin rush when we move with other people. A sense of being connected and a sense of collective strength. What could be a better way to experience that than moving forward together?&nbsp;</p>
<p>&ldquo;So many people experience that when they are part of a race but also what I have heard from so many people who engage in races is also that powerful ability to support other runners and to receive help from other runners, whether it is getting water at an aid station or encouraging someone who has slowed down a little bit and telling them that they can do it. There is something about a race that allows you to really lean into what it means to be a part of a collective effort where sometimes you are the one who needs that extra help and encouragement and sometimes you are the one that has something to offer.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I wouldn&rsquo;t underestimate the role that the aspect of events play in why people feel this tremendous sense of togetherness. That is what we need to do for all sorts of crises and challenges in life &ndash; we need to learn how to be open to the support that is available to us and also tap into our inner strength to keep going and look for how we might be able to reach out and help others.&rdquo;</p>
<h3>Green exercise</h3>
<p>While all movement can lead to experiencing the &lsquo;runner&rsquo;s high&rsquo;, McGonigal highlights the additional benefits of getting outside. &ldquo;People who exercise outdoors report some really profound experiences &ndash; a tremendous sense of relief of anxiety, a feeling of being at peace or at one with the universe,&rdquo; she explains.&nbsp;</p>
<p>&ldquo;There is something going on when people run outdoors, it&rsquo;s almost like people are having a switch flipped in their brains that puts them into this transcendence state. As it turns out, we now know from studies that when people are active outdoors it actually creates a kind of focus, mindfulness and mind quieting that looks a lot like what happens if you train in meditation for decades and spend tens of thousands of hours learning to focus the mind and calm the mind &ndash; people experience this spontaneously when they run in nature. That is part of what makes &lsquo;green exercise&rsquo; so special. It can be a really spiritual experience for a lot of people.&nbsp;</p>
<p>&ldquo;People report really feeling connected to life itself. When we are out in nature, we shift into a state of having to be aware of our environment and that really is part of what it means to be human &ndash; to figure out how to navigate the world and how to be a part of the natural world.</p>
<p>&ldquo;When you&rsquo;re talking about trail running or really challenging races, you are getting literal physical feedback from your body that says who you are is tough, who you are is capable, who you are is someone who can adapt and push through and persevere and figure things out and put one foot forward even when every cell in your body is screaming to stop. Once you have that embodied knowledge of your own strength, when other challenges come up in life, it kicks in. It is a physical memory that you are someone who can overcome obstacles, that you can do things that other people can&rsquo;t or other people won&rsquo;t, that when part of you wants to give up, you already know there is a part of you that will choose to keep going when it matters and that you can trust that part of yourself.&rdquo;</p>
<h3>Did you know?&nbsp;</h3>
<p>&ldquo;There is bacteria in dirt that actually acts as an antidepressant when you inhale it, like when you kick up dirt on the running trail,&rdquo; McGonigal smiles. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s like in order for us to be at peace, we actually need to literally breathe in the natural world.</p>
<p>&ldquo;It doesn&rsquo;t have to be ideal running weather &ndash; it can be in the rain, it can be in the cold. Research shows that being in different types of weather and environments can bring out different benefits of green exercise. Even in the cold and rain, don&rsquo;t be afraid of the outdoors. Often when you give in to allowing yourself to be a part of it, you can reap the benefits even if it&rsquo;s not the &lsquo;perfect&rsquo; run day that you imagined.&rdquo;</p>
<p><strong>World Athletics</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/about-iaaf/health-science/endurance-running-medicine-webinars" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/60658e32740a9e5f2c595082.png" alt="" width="1000" height="340" /></strong></a></p>

Have you ever finished a run and felt like you could take on the world? Or returned from a jog in a better mood or with greater mental clarity than when you set out? Then you’ve likely experienced the ‘runner’s high’ and will understand why, during times of stress or needing to calm a busy mind, running seems the perfect remedy.

The science behind the runner's high

Have you ever finished a run and felt like you could take on the world?

<p><img style="width: 160px; height: 160px; border-radius: 50%; margin-left: 20px;" src="https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Square/7292fdae-0010-44ce-8de7-2801e19fad78.jpg?cachebuster=36d9895b-365f-4c7a-b5f8-6f082ae4b35f" alt="Mara Yamauchi" align="right" /></p>
<p>Road racing, especially race walking and the marathon, is booming in China. This weekend alone there is the&nbsp;Chinese Race Walking Championships, plus&nbsp;four World Athletics Label road races taking place in China &ndash; the Beverly Wuxi, Qingyuan and Yuanan Countryside marathons, and the Suzhou Jinji Lake International Half Marathon. China is a regular host of major athletics competitions, and we would have been enjoying the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing around now, had it not been postponed for a second time due to the pandemic. There is no doubt, China is going to be a major force in athletics in the years to come. As Be Active&rsquo;s food writer, I am thrilled about this, since I love Chinese food!</p>
<p>This week I&rsquo;m making Jiaozi, crescent-shaped Chinese fried dumplings. They are small parcels made with a pork and vegetable filling, first fried to make them brown and crispy on one side, and then steamed so they cook through. I first discovered them while living in Japan, where they are known as gyoza, and written with the same Chinese characters &ndash;&nbsp;<span lang="JA">餃子</span>. These adopted Chinese dumplings are sold everywhere in Japan, especially in Ramen shops, and are very popular. Alternative fillings include prawn, chicken and vegetarian mixtures, but my favourite is pork!</p>
<p>&nbsp;In the UK and other countries, many of us are still living through lockdowns. With many restaurants closed and limits on the activities we can all do, take-away meals are one of the few highlights we can enjoy at the moment. So next time you fancy a Chinese take-away, why not have a go at making your own Jiaozi dumplings? The filling in my recipe is pork-based, but it is actually packed with vegetables so it gets a gold star on the healthy eating front! I buy the dumpling skins ready-made from my local Asian supermarket &ndash; if you really want to go to town, you can make these from scratch.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Ingredients</h3>
<p><span lang="EN-US">&bull;&nbsp;</span><span lang="EN-US">Dumpling skins, 30-40&nbsp;</span><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US">&bull; Pork mince, 200g<br /></span><span lang="EN-US">&bull; Cabbage (soft green type), 200g, very finely chopped<br /></span><span lang="EN-US">&bull; Spring onions, 50g, very finely chopped<br /></span><span lang="EN-US">&bull; Chives, 50g, very finely chopped (giant Asian chives are best but I have used small thin chives)<br /></span><span lang="EN-US">&bull; Cooking sake, 1 teaspoon<br /></span><span lang="EN-US">&bull; Mirin, 1 teaspoon<br /></span><span lang="EN-US">&bull; Soy sauce, 1 teaspoon<br /></span><span lang="EN-US">&bull; Garlic, very finely grated/chopped, 1 teaspoon<br /></span><span lang="EN-US">&bull; Root ginger, very finely grated, 1 teaspoon<br /></span><span lang="EN-US">&bull; Sesame oil, 1 teaspoon, plus a little for frying<br /></span>&bull; Salt and pepper<br /><span lang="EN-US">&bull; Flour/cornflour, a sprinkling<br /></span><span lang="EN-US">&bull; Water, for making the dumplings</span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-US">For the dipping sauce: soy sauce, rice vinegar and chili oil&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-US"><img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6055ea217a5a08e9c0397c53.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="675" /></span></p>
<h3><span lang="EN-US">Method</span></h3>
<p><span lang="EN-US">&bull; Start by making the filling. Place into a large bowl the pork, cabbage, spring onions, chives, sake, mirin, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sesame oil and salt and pepper. Mix very well with one hand, making sure everything is thoroughly blended. </span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-US">&bull; Place a piece of baking parchment on to a large tray or baking sheet and scatter flour or cornflour thinly over it to prevent the dumplings from sticking. </span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-US">&bull; Prepare a small bowl with a little cold water in it. Now take one dumpling skin and spoon a small amount of filling into the centre. Dip your finger into the water and wet the edge of one half of the skin, in a crescent shape. Using your hands, fold the non-wetted side of the skin over onto the wetted side. Carefully make a series of small pleats in the skin and press it down on to the wetted skin so it sticks.</span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-US"><img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6055ea4a7a5a08e9c0397c56.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="675" /></span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-US">&bull; Your dumpling is now complete! Place it on your floured tray, flat side down. Continue making dumplings until all your filling and skins are used up.</span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-US">&bull; When ready to eat, heat some sesame oil in a large flat frying pan which has a well-fitting lid (don&rsquo;t use the lid at this stage). Once the oil is really hot, place your dumplings into the pan, flat side down, as many as will fit in the pan comfortably. Fry for a few minutes, then check the flat sides &ndash; they should be brown and crispy. If they aren&rsquo;t, continue frying for a few more minutes. </span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-US">&bull; Now prepare a cup with 5-6 tablespoons of water in it. For this next step, take good care, and ensure your kitchen fan is on full, and no children are present! Hold the frying pan lid with your left hand just above the frying pan. With your right hand, pour the water into the pan in one quick action, and immediately place the lid on the pan securely &ndash; this is very important as pouring water into hot oil creates a lot of steam and it will spit. Reduce the heat and leave the lid on for 2-3 mins to steam the dumplings. When they are done, the skins should look moist and soft, and have lost their dry, floury look which they had before cooking. </span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-US">&bull; Remove the lid and serve immediately. </span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-US">&bull; To make the dipping sauce, pour equal amounts of soy sauce and rice vinegar into a small bowl and add a few drops of </span><span lang="EN-US">chili oil. Enjoy!</span></p>
<p><strong><span lang="EN-US">Mara Yamauchi for Be Active</span></strong></p>
<p><strong><span lang="EN-US"><img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6055eabd7a5a08e9c0397c59.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="675" /></span></strong></p>

Road racing, especially race walking and the marathon, is booming in China.

Recipe: Jiaozi dumplings

<p>Teddington in south-west London is known as a Mecca for elite distance runners. During the summer months, world-class athletes from Kenya, Australia, the USA and elsewhere can be spotted training in Bushy and Richmond Parks, in between forays to Europe for Diamond League and other competitions. St Mary&rsquo;s University has a rich history of developing talent and producing top endurance athletes.&nbsp;</p>
<p>But Teddington is also a hotbed of recreational runners who are the very backbone of our sport. Wherever you go in Teddington, you will see people running. The wonderful green spaces and Thames River path attract thousands of unsung heroes of distance running. Before its suspension due to the pandemic, Bushy Park&rsquo;s parkrun &ndash; the very first &ndash; attracted over a thousand runners every Saturday.&nbsp;</p>
<p>In one quiet, residential street in Teddington, is a thriving community of women who run. Despite working demanding jobs, raising children, running homes, and dealing with all the challenges that daily life throws at them, these women somehow find the time to run regularly. Having been a full-time athlete with plenty of time to rest, I am frequently in awe of their dedication to running, and the wonderful support and camaraderie they give each other. They are examples of women all over the world who are the bedrock of families and community life&hellip;but who also challenge themselves to achieve something special. To celebrate these women during this week of International Women&rsquo;s Day, I spoke to some of them to discover what running means to them, and why they run.&nbsp;<br /><br /></p>
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<p>The mother of one of the youngest residents on the street, six-month old Freddie, is Harriet Excell, who started running to save time on commuting. While working in Westminster, in central London, she took up running after growing frustrated by long waits for buses on her way to and from the office. Now, Harriet is returning to running after giving birth to Freddie, and loves to run because it helps to &ldquo;clear your head&rdquo; &ndash; a common theme which came up several times. She is now in line to inherit a running buggy from a neighbour, so Freddie may soon be joining her on runs around Bushy Park.&nbsp;<br /><br /></p>
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<p>Next-door neighbours Sam Carter and Raffaella Parmeggiani, affectionately known as Raffi, like to run together. Sam&rsquo;s dog, Cleo, loves to be in on the action so she comes along too. Sam took up running when getting to the gym after her return to work became too difficult. She loves the flexibility running provides, and has completed over 100 parkruns. Raffi, who restores art for a living, says Sam is faster and &ldquo;pulls her along&rdquo;. But Raffi isn&rsquo;t afraid of longer distances, and persuaded Sam to enter a 10km. &ldquo;I always feel good after a run&rdquo;, says Raffi. There&rsquo;s definitely a sense with these two running buddies of friendly rivalry and pushing each other into tougher challenges.<br /><br /></p>
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<p>Laura Higgins claims not to be a &ldquo;natural runner&rdquo; but is super active and loves sprinting, tennis, swimming, yoga and classes at the gym. When all indoor sport disappeared in lockdown, she ran more, even though she does not particularly enjoy it.&nbsp;</p>
<p>&ldquo;I need to be active for my mental and physical health&hellip;I just love being out in the fresh air, in nature, seeing the trees and deer in the park,&rdquo; says Laura. &ldquo;If I didn&rsquo;t run, I would just be at home for another half an hour, doing chores like hanging up the laundry.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>
<p>During the first lockdown, Laura was tagged by a friend to take on the &ldquo;Run 5, donate 5&rdquo; challenge, to raise money for the National Health Service by running 5km. She leapt at this challenge without a second thought. Her two girls, Amber (8) and Lily (5), are also very active and the whole family enjoyed junior parkrun before lockdown.<br /><br /></p>
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<p>Nicky Smith, who runs her own wine PR company, began running cross country as a youngster. But running with her mother has been a highlight of her running journey. They ran the London Marathon together in 2007, when her mother was 60, and hope to run another marathon together. After giving birth to her second child, Nicky suffered back pain and really missed running. Seeing runners in Bushy Park, when she could not run, made her feel very low. But with her mother&rsquo;s encouragement, she signed up for parkrun and has now reduced her best time from over 30 minutes to 22 minutes. Seeing husband Matt go out for day-long cycle rides was also a trigger to return to running.&nbsp;</p>
<p>&ldquo;Even if I pretended to go running and sat in a coffee shop, I&rsquo;d be out of the house,&rdquo; laughs Nicky. Having some quiet time alone away from home was as important as running itself. Matt encourages Nicky to run, and suggests targets, interval sessions and other ways of running which make it varied and fun for her.<br /><br /></p>
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<p>The last but not least members of this running community who I spoke with are Jo Blanc and Becky Gill, who love running together. Jo took up running while living in New York because it was very popular, and to lose weight. Enjoying runs along the Hudson river, she quickly found herself hooked. Jo will run in any conditions. &ldquo;Running in nature is so invigorating; I love all weather, especially rain, cold and frost&hellip;.it is so rewarding, physically and mentally&rdquo;. She doesn&rsquo;t put pressure on herself, and believes that even 15 minutes of running, or a mixture of walking and running, is better than nothing.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Becky loves the flat terrain in Teddington. &ldquo;I grew up in Huddersfield near the Pennines; I couldn&rsquo;t leave my front door without running up a steep hill.&rdquo; Both have made running a family activity, with their children coming along on bikes when they run. Becky loves talking while running, and is one of the fastest on the street &ndash; which is fine by the others, who let her talk while they just listen when they run together! Becky has been known to invite herself along on runs when she spots others setting off &ndash; the slower runners allow her to join them, on condition that she does all the talking!&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>Exactly a year ago, Becky and Jo were due to run the Paris Half Marathon having been persuaded to run by another neighbour, Hannah, in aid of breast cancer. Having suffered from breast cancer herself, Becky felt she could not say no. Sadly, a family bereavement meant Jo could not travel. Becky and Hannah made it to Paris, only to find the race cancelled due to the pandemic. So they have unfinished business with half marathon races, and hope to try again one day.</p>
<p>My chat with these women was fascinating, uplifting, and inspiring. What struck me was the myriad of reasons why they run. But there were also common themes: the delights of being out in the fresh air surrounded by nature; the opportunity running provides to clear your head and mentally refresh; and the value of running, even in small amounts, in a busy lifestyle. These incredible women weave running into their lives, on top of everything else they do, no matter what. They are fantastic role models for the entire community, leading by example, and helping the next generation to love sport and be physically active. As one of them says jokingly, &ldquo;we&rsquo;re pretty amazing, aren&rsquo;t we?&rdquo; I could not agree more!&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Mara Yamauchi for World Athletics Be Active</strong></p>

Mara Yamauchi celebrates her neighbourhood’s running women.

Mara Yamauchi celebrates her neighbourhood’s running women

Our Be Active correspondent introduces us to the women runners in her community.

<h4><img style="width: 90px; height: 90px; border-radius: 50%; margin-right: 20px;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/604a1349033857bfa2e1490d.jpg" alt="Jess Whittington" align="left" />During World Athletics Women&rsquo;s Week, a look at the strides being made in the media world &ndash; inside athletics and further afield</h4>
<hr />
<h4 style="text-align: right;"><strong>Jess Whittington</strong> <em>(<a href="https://twitter.com/JmWhittington" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@JmWhittington</a>)</em></h4>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>What do you love most about athletics? Is it the running? The jumps? The throws or the race walks? For me, it&rsquo;s all of those things &shy;&ndash; I am captivated by the sport&rsquo;s diversity.</p>
<p>There hasn&rsquo;t always been such range, of course &ndash; particularly for women. I still find it hard to comprehend that until the 1980s the longest track race in international competition for women was 1500m. Another three decades would go by before parity in the number of track and field events was achieved at major global championships following the inclusion of the women&rsquo;s 50km race walk at the World Athletics Championships in London.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Right through my athletics career, the events weren&rsquo;t there,&rdquo; two-time London Marathon winner Joyce Smith, who placed 11th in the 1984 Olympic marathon at the age of 46, once told me. &ldquo;I moved up events as they came in so that&rsquo;s why my career prolonged.&rdquo;</p>
<p>There are not many sports in which women and men compete at the same time in the same arena. As a result of the aforementioned strides towards equality in athletics, prize money at major championships is now level, to match the equal number of disciplines.</p>
<p>It is vital that other sectors keep striving to catch up.</p>
<p>I feel incredibly lucky to have had a number of strong role models to emulate throughout my media career, and because of that, I have never felt less able to do my job as a journalist because I am a woman. However, although mine has been a positive experience, I am acutely aware that across the wider industry, that has not been the case for everyone.</p>
<p>There are a number of trailblazing figures I have to thank for the world I now work in.</p>
<p>One of the most influential is Vikki Orvice, who paved the way as one of Britain&rsquo;s most experienced and admired athletics writers. Posthumously honoured with World Athletics&rsquo; President's Award for her services to athletics coverage, Vikki &ndash; who we so sadly lost in 2019 &ndash; has had an incredible impact on me and countless others in this industry. I will forever be grateful for her support, advice and encouragement. Likewise Wendy Sly, so inspirational as an athlete, has continued to motivate me as she swapped racing for publishing and guided me for many of my eight years as web editor at Athletics Weekly (AW).<br /><br /></p>
<p><img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/604a1270033857bfa2e14908.jpg" alt="" width="950" height="633" /><br /><em>Vikki Orvice honoured at the World Athletics Awards 2019</em></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Although the profile of professionals covering athletics is changing, the fact remains that the sports media world continues to be heavily male-dominated, both in terms of production and action showcased. In athletics, of the 970 members of accredited media for the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha, just 15% were women. Similarly, at the global event in London two years earlier, where 1154 members of the press were accredited, 84% of those were men.</p>
<p>Further to this, while the statistics are not athletics-specific and focus on UK sports media, figures published by the Black Collective of Media in Sport in 2018 highlighted that of the 338 roles analysed across broadcast and written media covering specific events (the FIFA World Cup, Winter Olympics and Paralympics, Wimbledon, Commonwealth Games and multi-sport European Championships) for the major national newspapers and broadcasting networks, just 11 (3.25%) were women from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds.</p>
<p>To reflect the field of play where there is now such diversity, a range of voices is essential if we are to effectively tell the sport&rsquo;s stories.</p>
<p>&ldquo;If we want to present really rich and interesting stories, we need journalists and content creators from a range of different backgrounds,&rdquo; agrees Danielle Sellwood, co-founder of Find It Film, which shines a spotlight on women&rsquo;s sport and adventure.</p>
<p>Back in 2008 Sellwood also co-founded a women&rsquo;s sports magazine, Sportsister, which is where my own journey in journalism began.</p>
<p>&ldquo;At the beginning of Sportsister there were very few female journalists in sport,&rdquo; adds Sellwood. &ldquo;There are so many more women working in the field now, but it has taken 13 years. It is so important in terms of representing women and having a view on women in the sport.</p>
<p>&ldquo;If we are talking about actually changing the image of women&rsquo;s sport, we need more women&rsquo;s sport on television, not just more women working in the sports world. It&rsquo;s a combination of the two things.</p>
<p><img style="width: 250px; height: 354px; margin-right: 20px;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/604a113831647703243b5316.jpg" alt="Kathrine Switzer" align="left" />&ldquo;The good thing is there has been a massive shift in people&rsquo;s attitudes towards sport and exercise over the past few years. The whole culture of women&rsquo;s sport has changed enormously and it is more aspirational now. All we can do is keep presenting alternatives and a range of really great role models.&rdquo;</p>
<p>The same can be said about the media landscape.</p>
<p>That&rsquo;s why it is so important that the #WeGrowAthletics campaign recognises this, with its pledge to ensure a platform for women&rsquo;s voices. As part of the launch, World Athletics is striving to further advance the role of girls and women in athletics in three core areas &ndash; empowering women in leadership positions, breaking with traditions and shining a spotlight on women&rsquo;s stories across its platforms.</p>
<p>I hope I never take for granted how lucky I am to be a part of this world, where the people I work alongside are striving for a level of diversity which more accurately reflects the wonderful sport we cover.</p>
<p>Having the support of male peers is vital, too, and that is another thing for which I am thankful, having had such a positive experience during my time at AW.</p>
<p><img style="width: 300px; height: 274px; margin-left: 20px;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/604a10ff31647703243b5313.jpg" alt="Jess Whittington" align="right" />As I reflect, I remember a conversation I had with athletics pioneer Kathrine Switzer, who became the first woman to officially run the Boston Marathon in 1967. The image of the race director trying to force her off the course is a stark reminder of how different things were half a century ago.</p>
<p>&ldquo;The male runners have always been supportive of women,&rdquo; Switzer told me in a 2018 interview for AW. &ldquo;We would never be where we are today without those guys, they were fantastic. It&rsquo;s never been a sense of discrimination there.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Let&rsquo;s ensure this continues to be the case in the storytelling of the sport.</p>
<p>As <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23WeGrowAthletics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#WeGrowAthletics</a></strong></span>, my personal pledge is to help promote diverse voices as an editor of the World Athletics website. I am proud to play a part in sharing our sport&rsquo;s incredible stories.</p>

During World Athletics Women’s Week, a look at the strides being made in the media world