This article is a sponsored post from SOAR Running. 

In the UK if you’re a fast runner you’re likely part of the club running scene. It’s the backbone of British endurance and representing your club, sweating for your teammates, is part of being a distance athlete.

Whether it’s on the cross country or the road relays, SOAR want club runners to have the best kit for the task at hand. Which is why they’ve developed the Elite race vest club edition.

It’s one of the lightest, most comfortable and, let’s be honest, fast looking, race vests on the market and now it’s possible to get them in your club’s colours.

The humble club vest

We’ve all been there. Speaking to SOAR you know you’re talking with club runners, people who are part of our sport, and they want to build partnerships with clubs.

Gone are the days when the only option for cross country was a heavy, nipple eating, non-technical singlet. If you’re putting in the time and effort to beat your PBs and give everything for the club then you deserve the right kit to match your work ethic.

You can wear your favourite shorts, pick the best shoes, and now you can wear the racing singlet you’d likely choose in your own racing.

How it works

SOAR have developed the elite race vest with dedicated club runners and it’s made in the same advanced factory as the Tour de France “Maillot Jaune” so you know you’re in good hands.

Small runs of individual club colours means you don’t need convince the whole club to get involved, just enough athlete who want to be running in the best vest.

Then let SOAR take care of the rest. Fitting in seamlessly alongside your current club kit, the techicnal specifications for competition are covered. Your PB run will count for the club.

We are club runners

The race elite vest has already graced some fine performances for clubs such as Highgate Harriers, Tonbridge AC, Kent AC  and many more.

SOAR has proved that the concept works and club runners want to be able to perform in the best possible kit, so talk to your club mates today.

The 44g ultra lightweight vest might not knock ten minutes off your marathon best, but it could make all the difference for the club. Where one position could make or break a team charge for the medals, overtaking a rival at the finish line can be all the difference.

From first to last counter, you want to give yourselves the best opportunity to maximise on the hard work that goes on behind the scenes into every club performance.

Talk to us

SOAR are part of the UK club running scene. They want to partner with as many clubs as possible to raise the game in terms of club vests.

Let your kit match your ambition. Do your club proud.

To find out more, or to get the ball rolling, get in touch here.

The SOAR X TOUR is our way of staying true to the pursuit of summer speed. With a three-staged virtual races series, open to runners worldwide.

SOAR X TOUR sees racers test themselves over 1km, 1 mile and 5km consecutively over a 10 day period, with both stage and overall rankings and prizes up for grabs.

The post SOAR are club runners appeared first on Fast Running.

All Kenyans and Ethiopians run fast for the marathon, every club runner in the ‘80s ran all their training below sub six minute mile pace and if you have a dodgy moustache like Steve Prefontaine then you must be quick. If you belong to a certain group, do you adopt the characteristics of the pack?

How we see ourselves in society may well have an impact on how we run. Identify as an elite runner because you run twice a day and only wear short shorts, then this actually might make you a quicker runner. A sense of belonging to a certain group and what we feel this entails can affect performance. Let me try and explain.

Some science that’s kind of related

Okay so this is a study about planking by Carly Priebe and Kevin Spink, but bare with me here. The researchers undertook a study with 68 regular pilates enthusiasts (only nine of whom were male to have a nice bit of female focused research for a change) and asked them to perform two planks to exhaustion.

The plank is a core exercise that just involves holding your body parallel to the ground in almost a press up position and can get a little tiring, especially if you’re not used to it. The study group was told they would do two planks, with a three minute break in between, and they would be given an average time for the two.

As expected the control group were unable to hold the plank for the same amount of time the second time around and dropped performance by 18%.

The other group were told that the majority of people like them (same age, gender, experience) are actually able to hold the second plank for longer and they were expected to have a better second performance than the control group. They actually outdid their first effort by an average of five per cent!

So what?

Just because they were told that their peer group should be able to outperform expectations, they actually came up with the goods. The subjects believed they were part of a social group that could hold the plank for longer in the second attempt, and so they did.

So what does this mean for runners? Could the Confucius saying “those who think they can and those who think they can’t are usually both right” be scientifically proven?

When a runner went down to the club back int he 1980’s they got there and likely saw a whole bunch of their peers, with similar age, build, jobs, hobbies etc. all running quick times. The fastest chap at each club was just like them, so they must be able to achieve the same things. The power of self belief.

If we were to tell a pack of runners that they should be able to run X because this is what their peers can do, then they should be able to perform better because of this. Your social identity can be used to push your own boundaries further.

The same could be said of Kenyan and Ethiopian athletes, although there are certain biological aspects that are highlighted in David Epstein’s The Sporting Gene that make a large difference too, but the self belief is there. It’s there for Jamaican sprinters, New Zealand rugby players and Scouse footballers (just kidding, I meant Brazilian). The stereotype oft born from great role models in the past creates a deep inner belief that they too can achieve in a certain discipline. 

How can this help?

On a personal level it might just be about finding a group to belong to that has positive habits. What can you do to be a little bit more like them? It might be training twice a day, rocking the club vest every weekend or always getting your stretching done before and after each session. If you’re in a social group that takes the things seriously, then you do too and then your subconscious will start to believe you can run as quick as everyone else in the group too.

Look at Sean Tobin’s comments about the Melbourne Track Club or Jake Shelley’s focus on the group he used to run with in the US at University. It’s not just having company on your run, but belonging to a high performance group that makes you expect more out of yourself. Feidhlim Kelly’s Dublin Track Club pictured above show is another fine example.

If you are part of a club then look for a role model, but also be a role model for those around you too. Help others feel like they belong in the group, something runners are great at, and that sense of belonging will bring with it a boost.

If you’re new to ultra running then even just doing things that make you “feel like an ultra runner” or like me training for Valencia marathon I donned my club vest as that is what fast club runners do. They represent their club and when I put on the blue and yellow North Norfolk Beach Runners vest I felt like I belonged more to a system that had produced so many great British marathoners in the past.

Find a way to identify with where you want to be. Help others do the same. Being in a great training group let’s you see first hand that those running quicker are just like you, therefore you can run quicker too.

Team NB Manchester can be as much about how it makes the athletes feel more professional than just a sponsor

Get to know those you train and race with

If you’re not part of a club then find other quicker runner to train with or race in your local area and try to get to know them. Those you might have previously put on a pedestal will become even more human. You can run as quick as them.

Look online for role models you can relate to. Seeing Mo Farah or Jakob Ingerbritsen run quickly might give a glimmer of inspiration but will it help you believe? Role models need to be relatable. The likes of Dewi Griffiths, Sonia Samuels, Robbie Simpson and Sarah Tunstall are all excellent British runners who I look up to and know that I’m not that different from. 

Head down your local club and get know the people there. We’re all after similar goals but meeting someone who has already achieved what you’re after can show you that it’s possible. Instead of focusing on the fantastic Instagram lifestyles of the super elite, look at the role models in your own social groups.

Start to believe you can achieve brilliant goals is the first step after all. Look at Big Nige. You might say he only ran sub 14 at Armagh International because it was just what his social group around him was doing. It was his normality that day. 

RELATED: Running faster than I’d ever believed possible

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The post Can your social identity make you a faster runner? appeared first on Fast Running.

The 32nd staging of the Timberwolf Round Norfolk Relay (RNR) took place last weekend (September 15-16) and once again this excellent event delivered.

This year saw 60 teams of 17 runners on the start line ready to take on the 194-mile challenge. Beforehand each team must provide a time estimate so handicapped starts can be assigned, with the goal of everyone arriving back in King’s Lynn around 9am on Sunday morning. 

The North Norfolk Beach Runners have entered the ‘club class’. There must be five veterans and five females within the 17 runners.

All the stages are unequal so range from 5.49 miles all the way to 19.67 miles. Some are on road the whole way, whilst others include trail, coastal path and even shingle beaches. 

The start

Every team starts and finishes in King’s Lynn and this year the Beach Runners started at 11:00pm with runners from Wymondham and Ryston. It’s an understated set of flags, some timekeepers (each team has their own) and a handful of runners. Such a huge undertaking, but so small at the start.

With my own leg being number 12, scheduled to start at 1:45am, first it was time to support. When a runner is ever on a road they must have a cyclist with them for safety. No roads are closed for this event, but a lot of the early stages go on and off-road periodically.

The handovers are managed by different clubs, with volunteers often running before or after their duties to support the event. It really is an event for the whole club, with runners, cyclists, checkpoint staff, drivers and just everyone out to support theirs and other club’s runners. 

As the end of your stage approaches everyone puts in an extra effort. Your club mate standing there, waiting for the passing of the baton, and your teammates all cheering you in. The faces of exhaustion at the end of each leg are a sight to behold. 

Start fast, hold on

With all the excitement plenty of runners go off like a rocket. One would be hard pressed to guess the length of a leg from the starting speed as everyone sets off as if running a 5km race.

As the day continues teams go back and forth with the clubs they start with. Some fudge their predictions to get better starting spots and therefore pass more teams along the way.

Prizes are awarded for closest to and furthest away from predictions and the Beach Runners were 16:35 away from a correct prediction (although that might have been my fault for going a bit quicker than planned). Yes, that’s a humble brag right there.

Teams try to get to as many access points as possible to cheer on and fuel their runners. Cyclists jump on and off the team bus when the route goes into protected areas along the picturesque North Norfolk coast.

Running on shingle could be every runner’s worst nightmare but it’s par for the course in the RNR. A lot of the beaches are set up to dissipate the energy of the North Sea. This makes runners’ legs easy game for the shingle as each footstep loses power.

Charlotte Neale’s stage five win was a record by just under 10 seconds, but the effort required over the cliffs, beaches and trails was huge. Knowing that your club mates are all relying on you can bring the best out of runners, as well as great photos at the finish.

Young and old

From club youngsters, like 17 year-old Jacob Stares and 18 year-old Finlay Swanson, to veterans like recent UTMB finisher Colin Stark and sprint finisher Lynton Battrick, everyone gets involved. Usually V50 powerhouse Tony Witmond features for our club, yet unfortunately had sustained a yoga injury this year, but was still on the support team. 

The relay is a chance for many to step up in distance with younger athletes taking on challenges for the club. Some even run faster than personal bests, just because they know their fellow club mates need them.

Into the night

As the day ends each runner must have a support vehicle with them. The winding A-roads that circumnavigate Norfolk become a nightmare for everyone else so all the teams can protect their runners. The flashing lights in sight for miles ahead.

Craig Holgate of Ely Runners, a RNR veteran, ran stage 12 (after missing the start last year due to a flat tire) and helped his team to first in the open category and second overall. “There’s surely nothing better than chasing orange lights for 20 miles on RNR night” half joked the British international ultra runner.

The night brings long stages and NNBR had athletes like Adam Smart, Alex Money, Alex Curtis, myself and Darren Neale posting some hard night time miles. Yet the teams ahead are coming back to us now and those orange lights Colgate (and I) so love are coming thick and fast. 

It really is a fantastic incentive. For the 19.7 miles I have the joy of nearly always seeing a flashing light ahead (and a lot of road kill). Some prehistoric hunting trait is awoken and each is chased with energy anew. For the final half hour, just one light is in the distance, never really seeing to get closer. It is only in the final few miles that the runner comes closer.

With just 400m to go, we’re side by side. A bit of encouragement spurs a sprint out of our fellow competitor and we both push up the hill to the finish. This is one of the joys of the RNR. With the baton safely passed onto Darren Neale, who has the unenviable task of trying to run faster than his wife Charlotte did on stage five, my running is done. 

Sunrise and the final push

Every year a mini story runs alongside the big race. Clubs can enter multiple teams, so NNBR has an A and a B squad. With the staggered starts it is always a handicap race to the finish. Every year I secretly cheer on the B squad as we hunt them down all night. 

This year is closer than ever as Lynton Battrick only catches them on the final stretch to King’s Lynn. Some fantastic performances from the B team made it an exciting race within a race. 

Other clubs have second teams made up of newcomers, verterans, female only and mixed runners. At a club level, everyone can get involved but the maximum time for the relay is 28 hours so a pace of 8:40 per mile is needed. 

The teams are very much bunched together now and a parade of clubs are on the road. The daylight hours mean the support vehicles can once again be a pushbike. 

The last leg into King’s Lynn is alongside the river Great Ouse and it is not easy going. Long grass and plenty of gates mean it is lovely running, but a huge effort on the supporting push bike. I was relieved to hear Steve Brown would be taking on the mighty stage 17 on his Brompton. The lack of suspension left Steve a little sore, but he did a fine job.

Round the track

Back to where it all began. The sports centre in King’s Lynn has a final track finish,  so crowds gather to cheer the final runners in and inevitably sprint finishes are encouraged.

It is a good year for North Norfolk Beach Runners A Team. We finished third overall, second in the club class and second Norfolk team. The mighty City of Norwich AC take the highest honours. Many Norfolk clubs feed athletes into the larger Norwich based club over the years so they are regular winners.

It becomes a running joke when the same chap steps up to collect all the stage winner trophies for CONAC as many had long journeys back home across the UK after the relay [although some have missed the irony of this comment being made by a runner travelling from France, I will add that CONAC only had two 2nd claim runners this year, both with strong connections to the club].

And then it is over again for another year. The RNR, the ultimate club experience, disappears. The fight to make it onto the team for next year begins. 

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The joy of a good track session or some sweet single track time is never to be outweighed by such things as an empty fridge after your run, but if you’re not slightly irritated by the five things below, you’re more of a zen master than most runners.

1) Running on empty cupboards

You’ve just run the session of your life. That last 400m effort was offensively fast and you barely managed to stay conscious on your cool down. You’re dreaming of all the food you’re going to eat when you get home.

Then you open the fridge and there’s just a month old tub of coleslaw and one of those bags of salad that’s never opened. The cupboard has some dry lentils but they’ll take hours to cook.

When it comes to running and fuelling, a little planning goes a long way, but forget, and it’s a stagger to an all-night supermarket and eating half your groceries on the way around. A supermarket is a dangerous place to be when you’re ‘rungry’.

A hotel buffet can end up as a danish pastry massacre.

2) The black hole of safety pins

Most races give you safety pins for your number. These build up somewhere and each of us probably owns thousands upon thousands of the things. Yet when it comes to a race without safety pins provided there are ZERO anywhere.

Darting around minutes before the start with one rusty safety pin you found in the glove box of your car, asking all and sundry if they have any spares.

Where do all the safety pins go? Answers on a postcard.

3) Last season’s cross country vest

It’s been the muddiest and wettest cross country season yet. You chuck all your wet kit into a carrier bag and then promptly forget it’s existence. Fast forward a couple weeks, months or a whole track season and your favourite club vest has it’s own ecosystem.

The same can happen when you forget to take a number off post-race. You might lose the safety pins that time, but the sweat and tears combined will rust horrible marks into your top. At least you’ll know where to pin it next time.

4) The bus run

The 6am club can be an important, nay vital, part of marathon training. Up early before work to get those easy miles in before a rushed breakfast. You’ve managed to stop sweating, change into your work clothes and are en route to the bus stop.

Then it comes round the corner. It could be the earlier bus running late or yours running early. You can’t take the chance so the sprint is on. Tired legs take a few seconds to get into stride, especially as you’re wearing brogues/heels now. Surely the driver has seen you?

You get close enough to see the contempt of the unfit and an unhappy busman’s face as it turns to a grin.  Trying to style it out as if you weren’t running for the bus, but just stretching the legs, you wait for the next one.

Then the sweating starts. Your body was already a bit warm from the morning’s run and now it’s just like someone turned the taps on. FML.

5) Bloopy nips

Last, but by no means least, chaffing. You see plenty of newbies at the London Marathon with the trademark thin red line from each nipple, but it doesn’t happen to an experienced runner like yourself… does it?

A new t-shirt, a particularly humid day or just a scream protest from your neglected teats, it can be halfway through a race and you start to feel them rubbing. The armpits are getting sore too. You thought you were over this and had decided vaseline wasn’t necessary.

Even worse between the legs. You’ve worn those shorts one time too many on sweaty days without a wash. The salt crystals have teamed up against you and suddenly you’re running like John Wayne.

RELATED: Why every runner should love Yuki Kawauchi

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us and become a patreon. For as little as the price of a monthly magazine you can support Fast Running – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

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