Adharanand Finn's Blog, page 5

How was your weekend running?

How - and what - do you pack for a multi stage desert race? Adharanand Finn needs your tips. And as ever, share with us what you got up to at the weekend, whether it was your first attempt at this running malarky, a PB, or chasing around the park with your dog.

In a couple of weeks I’ll be half way across the Arabian desert, hauling six day’s worth of food and provisions on my back, attempting to run one of those crazy multi-stage races I always swore I’d never do.

So this weekend, in some so...

A moment that changed me - I discovered the joy of running | Adharanand Finn

Aged nine, I had little interest in sport. Then came my first cross-country race at my new school

We were standing in a line outside the changing rooms on a blustery September morning. I was nine years old and had just started at a new school where I didn’t know anyone. “Watch out, Peter’s our secret weapon,” the other boys were saying, jostling and pointing at a skinny boy in a red rugby shirt. We were all wearing the red of our house, Thursby. Next to us were three other rows of boys, in gre...

Missing in action: TV producers fluff coverage of men's marathon in Beijing

For viewers in Europe, staying up late to watch the men’s marathon at the world athletics championships was totally worth it, if you like watching hurdles

Dear President Seb, can you make it one of your first priorities as head of IAAF to improve television coverage of athletics? After staying up into the wee hours to watch the men’s marathon in Beijing last night, I have a few simple suggestions.

Firstly, put people in charge of the live feeds who actually understand the sport. It’s no wonder...

'I was almost the marathon world champion'

On the eve of the World Athletics Championships in Beijing, Adharanand Finn hears the remarkable story of Kenya’s Simon Biwott, who came second in the marathon in 2001, in the closest finish in world championship history

It was a warm August evening in Edmonton, Canada. People were standing out in the streets in shorts and T-shirts, watching the empty road, waiting for the runners to come by. Helicopters churned in the sky, not far away. The world’s television cameras zoomed in on the two lead...

How was your weekend running?

Have you ever blown up in a race, seemingly out of nowhere? What did you put it down to? As always, come and share your weekend’s triumphs and minor tragedies below the line

I once beat the marathon world record holder Dennis Kimetto in a race. Only because he dropped out, admittedly, while I plodded on to the finish, but my “win” illustrates one thing at least: even the very best runners have bad days.

On Sunday, I had a bad day.

Continue reading...

London Marathon 2015: why I’m running, by Guardian writers and staff

Six of the people from the Guardian who will be wearing through their footwear on Sunday explain their motivation for braving the 26.2 miles

Chief sports correspondent

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What I learned when I met the monk who ran 1,000 marathons

In their quest for enlightenment the legendary monks of Mount Hiei put themselves through an excruciating endurance challenge: 1,000 days of long-distance running. Do they have any wisdom to share with us?

Why we love to run

Somewhere in the mountains around Kyoto live the marathon monks. Legend has it that the monks of Mount Hiei run 1,000 marathons in 1,000 days in their quest to reach enlightenment. Those who succeed become revered, as human Buddhas or living saints. It is rare that a monk e...

When should you wear racing flats?

When it comes to running shoes, how light is too light? When do you need cushioning? Adharanand Finn finds out more, and tries some of the top models

Marathon season is looming and you may have noticed some of the runners around you getting more and more obsessed with marathon-paced efforts, stocking up on energy gels and furiously entering and re-entering numbers into online race-time predictors. You may even be one of those runners. I am.

I’m running the London marathon in April. I’ve set mys...

Running blog: How was your weekend running?

Do you follow a structured programme or ad lib? I have been trying the former for the first time – and it seems to be paying dividends ... As always, share your own triumphs and woes below the line

With marathon season looming, tis now the pre-marathon half marathon warmup races season. Of course, for many people running the Bath Half on Sunday, the race was the culmination of weeks of training and preparation, but for me and many others it was a stepping stone towards The Big One.

London in Ap...

'I feel like a wild animal': trail running in Dartmoor

Fancy straying away from the pavement? Why not head to Dartmoor, where rain is plentiful but tarmac scarce

If you plan to go running in Dartmoor, you can’t be too precious about the weather. All night, the rain has been hammering down on the roof of our holiday cottage near the village of Brentor on the western edge of the moor. Every time I wake up, I think about my run the next morning. Will the hills be washed away?

The next morning, while my family – fledgling runners at best – tuck into pa...