Adharanand Finn's Blog, page 8

Japhet Koech: from Kenya's Rift Valley to the Edinburgh marathon

Japhet Koech was like hundreds of other Kenyan runners, training in the vain hope of a race abroad. Then he struck lucky

As you enter the small town of Iten, up in Kenya's Rift Valley, a sign over the road reads proudly: Home of Champions. This is no understatement. Among those living and running here are David Rudisha (the current 800m world record holder and Olympic champion), Wilson Kipsang (the second fastest marathon runner in history), Saif Saaeed Shaheen (world record holder in the stee...

Running blog: how was your weekend running?

Were you living it up in the Caribbean, running around Prague or battling through the wind back home?

It was another busy weekend of races up and down the UK, from the Great Women's 10K in Glasgow to the Sheffield half marathon. Internationally, there was the Prague marathon and the St Kitts and Nevis marathon (anyone run that one?).

I was down in Ivybridge on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon for a rare evening race. The Ivybridge 10K was run in memory of former local club member Barrie Symonds,...

Running blog: how was your weekend running?

Were you living it up in the Caribbean, running around Prague or battling through the wind back home?

It was another busy weekend of races up and down the UK, from the Great Women's 10K in Glasgow to the Sheffield half marathon. Internationally, there was the Prague marathon and the St Kitts and Nevis marathon (anyone run that one?).

I was down in Ivybridge on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon for a rare evening race. The Ivybridge 10K was run in memory of former local club member Barrie Symonds,...

Haile Gebrselassie: 'In long distance, you have to be patient'

One of the greatest runners in history on his first ever race, the power of Scatman, and his own pick as the greatest runner ever

Hi Haile. When is your next race? In Switzerland on 19 May. That's 10 miles. And then on 26 May I have the Manchester 10K.

You've had such a long career. I remember when I was a teenager
watching you winning world titles. I'm nearly 40 now and you're still
running at the highest level. How have you managed to keep going for so long? You know, there is no secret. I am j...

Susan Partridge: 'Running is about pushing through boundaries'

Partridge was the fastest British woman at the London marathon, and has been selected for the 2013 world championships in Moscow. She talks to Adharanand Finn about her first-ever race, her top place to run – and how she toughened up mentally

Hi Susan. Well done in London. What are your plans between now and the world championships in Moscow? I'm just having a couple of weeks' rest. I haven't started thinking beyond that yet.

Did you find it hot? Some people say it was.
That wasn't hot. Conditio...

Guide to running: the best food and drink supplements - video

Adharanand Finn, author of Running With the Kenyans, and keen runner Kate Carter discuss the huge range of running supplements currently available

Adharanand FinnKate CarterMichael TaitAlex Healey

Running blog: how was your weekend running?

Some 36,000 people ran the London Marathon yesterday - were you one of them? Or did you watch in awe from the comfort of your sofa after a quick jog around the park? Come and share your weekend's running tales below the line

The sun finally came out, the wind dropped and on Sunday London came to life in a pageant of running. In defiance of the Boston bombings, huge crowds lined the entire route, cheering on the 36,000 runners.

I was there among them, and for the first half of the race, the crow...

Emmanuel Mutai: 'Winning the London Marathon is my career highlight so far'

The 2011 London Marathon champion and course record-holder on running with typhoid, why focus is vital and how it's always bread, tea and honey for breakfast before a race

Hi Emmanuel. What has been the biggest highlight of your career so far? Winning the London Marathon in 2011 [Emmanuel won the race in a course record time of 2hr 4min 40sec].

Do you remember your first ever race? It was a race at school, when I was about 16.

Did you win? Oh no. I was maybe top 10.

What made you want to become a...

There's more to 'barefoot' running than thin soles: technique is vital, too

If you switch to 'barefoot' shoes without adjusting your running form too, you'll probably just hurt yourself. You need to think about the software as well as the hardware

"If you're banging your head against a wall, you can tie a pillow to your head and it will help," says Ben Le Vesconte, an instructor at the Vivobarefoot running clinic in central London. "But it's better to stop banging your head."

I've come to learn about "barefoot" running from the experts. This is a growing trend in the r...

How to run barefoot - video

Barefoot-running expert Ben Le Vesconte talks to Adharanand Finn and Kate Carter at the VivoBarefoot Clinic in London

Kate CarterAdharanand FinnAlex HealeyEkaterina OchagaviaMichael Tait