Running
ArchiveDawn patrol: At the start of the inaugural Mt. Taylor 50K. Photo: Paul Gordon Pictures In late September, nearly 150 ultrarunners converged on Grants, New Mexico, on the eve of the first annual Mount Taylor 50K trail race. The course promised a scenic, challenging…
Noah Davis takes a look at Wade Barrett's transition from professional soccer player to semi-serious ultramarathoner
Trail running is one of the few sports where the top women can compete with elite men, and often beat them—a phenomenon affectionately known among runners as “getting chicked.” Likewise, it's also one of the few sports that typically favors seasoned competitors, with many ultra trail runners not peaking until…
Irish Paralympic sprinter Jason Smyth is aiming to achieve the same feat accomplished by Usain Bolt in the Olympics. If the 25-year-old wins the 200m final on Friday night at the Paralympics in London he will have taken gold medals in both the 100m…
What does the popularity of a zombie-themed obstacle race say about American society?
Meaghen Brown is in France, reporting from one of the world's most grueling footraces
A collection of facts and figures about what is widely considered to be one of the toughest footraces in the world
Increasingly, race organizers are testing non-elite athletes for performance-enhancing drugs. But is it fair, or even possible, to hold amateurs to the same stringent standards as the pros?
https://youtube.com/watch?v=nXm3QssuJyM It's unlikely that much of runner Nick Symmonds' pre-Olympic training began at a table covered in cans of Coors, but the Games are over. Symmonds has moved on from his fifth place finish in…
I'm experiencing knee pain as I start to up my mileage. Can I put on a brace and keep running?
Here's a little inspiration for anyone pondering whether to go out for a run this weekend. Watch as South African runner Ryan Sandes sets off to complete the 52-mile trail in Fish River Canyon in five days. I picked this…
Dave Heckman (left) with Marshall Ulrich. Photo: Rick Baraff By now you've probably heard that July registered as the hottest month in the history of the lower 48 states since the U.S. government started tracking…
A fundraising trip in Tigray, Ethiopia, next February gives 14 runners the chance to train with some of the world’s greatest runners—and help restore sight to more than 1,000 locals
Two-time Olympian Mike Aish has a goal in the summer of 2012: to compete in the Leadville 100, a one-hundred-mile foot race in the mountains of Colorado.
What’s the best way to haul water when running long distances?
This past Wednesday, a video went live on YouTube showing 90-year-old Dr. William Bell setting a world record in his age group in the pole vault. Bell cleared a height of 7 feet 2 inches to set the mark for 90 to 94 year…
Guor pointing to the flag of South Sudan Photo: Courtesy of Guor Marial Guor Marial has no idea how many interviews he’s done in the last two weeks, but he knows it’s a lot. He is doing them to make sure people are familiar with his…
Watch Jesse Owens on PBS. See more from…
Sitting for three or more hours a day can take years off of your life. When you're active, you won't lose years, but an occasional bump, bruise or sprain can keep you off your bike, out of your running shoes or off the slopes.
Andy Maser and his team have released the second video in the Wild Love series, a collection of adventure shorts on love, loss, and passion for living. The video is a profile of ultrarunner Krissy Moehl. After winning the…
Your body is 98 percent water. Keep your cells happy and hydrated with these new water-replenishing packs for cyclists and runners that will debut at the Outdoor Retailer show in Salt Lake City. GEIGERRIG BIKE RIG Geigerrig Hydration Packs made a splash last year with the introduction of their air pressure-powered…
The latest gadgets collect reams of training data. Here are the metrics that matter.
This short 51-second commercial is a really clean and quick take on what motivates Lesotho Olympic marathon runner Tsepo Ramonene. There's much more to his story than you see in the short. The 21-year-old lives with his unemployed parents, his twin brother, and his sister in a…
This summer in London, Trek will debut the lightest mountain-bike frame ever built.
A mockup of the Green Wheel. Photo: Nadim Inaty Okay, you won't save the earth. But you will help it along a tiny bit. Nadim Inaty, an industrial designer from Beirut, Lebanon, is developing a public treadmill that would essentially crowdsource electricity from runners. The concept,…
I can see the smoke from wildfires burning all across the state. How do I know if it’s safe to run outside?
By Elizabeth Eilers Sullivan A few weeks ago, I had the treat of hearing ultramarathoner and author of the bestselling new book Eat & Run, Scott Jurek, speak in Wayzata, Minnesota, when he came through on his sold-out book tour. Because he happened to…
How Brother Colm O'Connell became the guru of Kenyan running
It's one of the hottest summers on record—but I still need to get outside and exercise. How can I stay cool when I run?
10 p.m., summer solstice; Villefavard, France. Photo: Katie Arnold I’m walking slowly through a bucolic farming village in the French countryside, gawking at a cluster of 100-year-old stone houses with blue shutters and window boxes spilling over with orange geraniums. It’s nearly 10:30 p.m. on the…
Columbia says that bare skin is no longer the coolest option on hot humid days. The company’s newest creation, clothes made with Omni-Freeze ZERO, is, they claim, even cooler. ZERO has circles of a sweat-absorbing polymer that swell and turn blue like tiny ice packs when…
Fact: Exercising in polluted air can increase your risk of asthma, stroke, and heart failure. But is it better than the alternative—avoiding a workout altogether?
The perfect riding jacket is tiny enough to tuck into a jersey pocket, but it's also able to stave off a chill on ripping descents or when clouds unexpectedly obscure the sun. Louis Garneau's Super Lite Jacket is not only packable but light as air…
The results are far from damning, but a study in this month's Mayo Clinic Proceedings presents evidence that excessive endurance exercise could do lasting damage to the heart
Tarahumara Indians, the tribe made famous in Christopher McDougall's book Born to Run, are being used more and more by traffickers to ferry drugs across the U.S. border with Mexico. Aram Roston…
Probably the most talked about moment at the Olympic trials so far has been the dead heat finish declared in the women's 100m final last Saturday. Allyson Felix…
On May 30, 1975, Steve Prefontaine cancelled his last haircut appointment at the Red Rooster Barbershop in Eugene, Oregon. He promised to come in the next day, but he died that night. The missed appointment may sound like a trivial fact that has little to do with running,…
Whether you're looking forward to your first dance with death or pride yourself on being a seasoned veteran, these tips will help you enjoy a safe run with the bulls
Dead heat finish between Allyson Felix and Jenebah Tarmoh. Photo: USATF As impressive as it was, Michael Phelps's mustache shaving didn't make the cut. Neither did…
Finally, you will undoubtedly have a moment between Cal 2 and Auburn Lakes Trails when you feel like you need a Quad Transplant. I got news for you, everyone feels this way. The downhill pounding you put your legs through at Western States grinds the muscles in your quads…
The Olympian on beating Bolt and how he came back from his doping ban
I want to add miles for my ultra training, but I'm concerned about breaking down my body. Will longer runs wreck my hard-won muscle tone?
I'm upping my distance, but every additional mile seems to make it harder to bounce back. What tools will help speed my recovery from a hard run?
Man and water. Photo: Shutterstock South African exercise scientist Dr. Tim Noakes wants to change the way endurance athletes think about hydration. He believes that, over the course of the last 30 years, people…
There are dozens of hydration packs out there. Which ones are best for specific activities, such as mountain biking, running marathons, or a weekend hike?
There's been a lot of talk lately about long runs being hard on the body, particularly the heart. I've also read the CrossFit argument against distance running, even when preparing for a marathon. Should I change how I run?
ϳԹ talks to the man who kick-started the minimalist revolution
Is it true that if I abstain from caffeine before I race, it’ll be more effective during the race? How will it help me, and how much should I take?
ϳԹ reviews the best gear in the 2012 Summer Buyer's Guide, including 2XU's 3/4-length compression tights.
I'm looking for a way to determine how fast I should be running.
Merrell just completed a new study on barefoot and minimalist running that inspired the company to redesign its barefoot runners, making them wider so that your foot has more connection with the ground. It also inspired Merrell to introduce two new minimalist collections: done-in-a-day Mixmaster shoes (below)…
Merrell Pace Glove for Kids. Photo: Katie Arnold Minimalist shoes are the hottest—most hotly contested—development in running these days. For every convert who swears that running “barefoot” (in zero-drop shoes with flexible soles and little or no arch support) has made them faster, more efficient, and…
What's the best leash for running with my dog? I run on a mix of trails and roads, which means I end up carrying the leash quite a bit.
Early morning burn at the Jemez Mountains Trail Run. Photo: Mark Schraad I was going to write this post last week, but I was too busy eating my weight in chocolate chip cookies and lentil salad to get ready for the…
Everyone loves Smartwool. The company wormed its way into our hearts straight through the soles of our feet with its merino socks. It took over both our closets and our dresser drawers with socks, underwear, long underwear, hiking apparel and even wool-insulated jackets. Now, the company is…
When you're 29 and single and live alone in a house with your dog, you surf Twitter, hoping to find someone worth talking to. Maybe even hoping to find a boyfriend or girlfriend. You know this. You do it—or your brothers and sisters do it, your friends from…
I'm looking to maximize my triathlon training days. Could you recommend a few places?
Pounding pavement can leave you cramped after a hard run. These four stretches will remedy those tight hips, calves, and IT bands to keep you going.
I'm looking for ways to gauge improvement. If I can soak through my wicking base layers, I call that a good day. Do better athletes sweat more?
True in Copper Canyon. Photo: Ryan Heffernan Ultramarathoner Micah True died of heart disease according to an autopsy released today, the Associated Press reported. The 58-year-old went…
My Vibram FiveFingers and Merrell Gloves are so different from the traditional high-drop running shoe that it can be hard to figure out when to turn them in
Before our first daughter was born, I obsessed over what kind of stroller to buy. I coveted the fancy designer Bugaboo with a quilted bassinet attachment for strolling around town during naptime. (I found a used Frog on eBay.) I wanted a knobby-tired jogging stroller for getting…
Frank Quan at China Camp Village Photo: Mary Catherine O'Connor I found Frank Quan at a picnic bench, just off the beach, as the waters of San Pablo Bay lapped gently on the shore. It was an unseasonably warm, windless April afternoon and…
Wilson Kipsang & Mary Keitany 2012 London Marathon champions, courtesy of Virgin London Marathon Athletics Kenya announced their Olympic marathon teams today, and in what may be the biggest surprises, they left off world…
https://www.youtube.com/embed/SurbrF-HrZA In the days after ultrarunner Micah True’s death, remembrances of his life sprang up all over the Web. Ultrarunners offered their condolences to the friends and family of the man known as Caballo Blanco, runners inspired by the description…
Fluorescent colors and reflective stripes certainly make you more visible to drivers when you're running at dusk or in the dark. But a new study by Brooks Running shows that low light perception is more scientific than just throwing some glare at oncoming traffic. Brooks Running product…
12:13 Update: Wesley Korir wins the men's race with a time of 12:12:40. A Kenyan sweep on the podium. American Jason Hartmann takes fourth. 12:12 Update: Wesley Korir's brother was killed by a black mamba snake. Korir has started a foundation to raise money to build a medical…
1. Commit to your goal. “The secret weapon is making the race a priority,” says Sarah. “You have to commit to the goal and find the time to train. This absolutely means checking in with your spouse, and telling him [or her]: ‘This is my…
Photo of Vibram Sprint FiveFingers via stevendamron/Flickr A Florida woman has filed a lawsuit against Vibram USA alleging misleading advertising in promotional materials for the company's FiveFingers line of shoes. The plaintiff, Valerie Bezdek, accuses Vibram of inflating…
When you're coming back from injury there is a moment when you are finally healthy, everything is fine, and you're badly out of shape. Nate Jenkins, whom I've written about in the past, and whose struggle to become a very good marathoner I find…
Kate Kernerman on her way to a campground. Photo: Ryan Branciforte It was a brisk and sunny morning, typical for the dry winter we're having in San Francisco. As I locked my bike up to a sturdy fence and started down the escalator to the 24th…
Get ready to maximize the endurance, strength, flexibility, speed, and power you never knew you had.
We asked four top fitness coaches for their tape-it-to-the-fridge-door advice. Here's what they told us. (Bonus: We kick your excuses to the curb.)
To keep a workout program fresh, you need to make it your own, and some days you need to break the rules—within reason.
In our obsession with minimizing exercise damage, we may have lost sight of the reason we exercise in the first place: to force our bodies to adapt and get stronger
Medical malpractice is scaring physicians away from popular sporting events—and leaving racers facedown in the dirt
What are the best running pants to wear in the dead of winter when the wind is blowing and the snow is flying?
A close up of the spikes On Sunday, I (sort of) ran from Vail's Lionshead base area up 2,200 feet to Eagle's Nest. This is not how I normally travel at ski mountains. The run was the final of three events in the Ultimate Mountain Challenge and part…
Duct Tape Then Beer captures five days of backpacking in the Wind Rivers. Here’s how you can repeat the trip.