After recently talking to the wonderful people at ReRun it would be poor form of us to recommend bowing down to commercialism and spending hundreds of pounds on some pieces of plastic that may or may not make you run faster.

If there are holes in their shoes and their last surviving race t-shirt has rabies then maybe they need kit, but always ask the question.

So if we’re not buying “things” what can we buy for our loved ones?

Buy a tree, not a tee

Adopting a sloth is so 2019, so why not give all your friends and family a tree for Christmas? A real life tree is cumbersome and difficult to wrap, so Trees not Tees have got your back. You don’t even need to keep it in your flat.

“Choosing to plant a tree means you give a long-lasting, memorable present and make a positive impact towards reversing climate change,” say the environment initiative.  “All the trees we plant are native broadleaf species as part of our sustainable reforestation across the UK – always planting the right tree, in the right place.”

This gift is especially great if you’re reading this on 24th December and can’t find anything good in your local petrol station.

It’s all in the mind

Think outside that box. Do you know someone who is always at the front in training, but never gets the PB they want? Could there be a stumbling block that isn’t physical? There are several books, such as Dr. Steve Peters’ ‘Chimp Paradox’ that broach the subject but the experts might be an excellent option.

It might not feel like much and be seen as a strange Christmas present, but in the years to come it could be the one they look back on as key to their running successes. Someone like Dr. Josephine Perry has a good grasp of the running mind and the challenges it might face. 

The race entry 

It may be coming harder and harder to get in those dream races, but there are plenty around they offer affordable, exciting adventures on road or trails. You could be a little selfish and pick one somewhere you want to visit too, get matching race entries or just pick one on the weekend you want the house to yourself.

Maybe don’t enter a 100 miler for them if they’ve only just run their first parkrun, but races in strange places are a gift that will get them excited and have something to look forward to until game day.

Next year might not be one for making plans in advance, but it might be just the light at the end of the COVID tunnel needed.

An adventure

For the more adventurous you don’t need to just book a race, you could plan an adventure. This has changed with COVID as well, but only that you might have to explore more of the British Isles.

Finding somewhere new to run within the UK and Ireland is easy as we have such beautiful hills all around us. Even using the extensive Youth Hostel Association across the UK means an affordable trip away somewhere beautiful is never too far away.

It could just be a bit of parkrun tourism, trying a new event somewhere.

Photo: parkrun UK

Of course though we want runners to think sustainably whether its with races and there is a world to explore at your front door with less environmental impact so don’t always think you need to jump on a plane.

Good books

There’s some good books out there but if you want to save some paper there are e-book and audio book options.

That said, there’s only one book I’m going to be recommending at this time: 1001 Running Tips: the essential runners guide by yours truly. Now this may seem like a shameless plug of my own book, but even if you only enjoy 10% of the tips in the book that’s still 100.1 tips.

Here’s a taster: Tip 799. Of all the kit to compromise on to save weight, head torches are the worst option. It’s a false economy, especially if running on trails.

You could also visit a publishers returns website, like Vertebrate’s Seconds and Sales, where books returned from shops with minor scuffs are available for great prices too.

Preloved run clothing

They were the inspiration for this article and if new kit is really needed then why not look at some preloved gear on the ReRun website. Dan Lawson and Charlotte Jalley are prolonging the life of running kit, helping it keep out of landfill, even if just for a wee while longer.

Even better are their up-cycled vests and t-shirts. The bold juxtaposition of colours stand out in any crowd and you’re doing a good thing too. Check out the website and find the perfect present today. 

The gift of knowledge 

The next step on your runner’s journey might be one of knowledge. Something like the Uni of Kent’s physiology in endurance course on line at Future Learn could be an insightful gift that helps them improve their own performance and racing.

Knowing a little bit more about your body, psychology and training could lead to much bigger, longer lasting improvements then a fancy new watch and they might even be able to help other runners down the club too.

Another great option are the Nav4 adventure courses with Joe Faulkner and Stuart Smith. If you want your loved one to be safer in the mountains then there’s no one I’d recommend more than Joe and Stu. Years of ultra running and mountain experience and a lovely chap to boot. From one to one coaching, night navigation courses and a range of events too you should check them out.

Map it out

Owen Delaney is a modern day cartographer and his work really is art. Commissions by the London based artist make a beautiful gift and can be based on a race route, a favourite map or a dream journey for the future.

Check him out on Instagram or one of the Centurion Running t-shirts being proudly worn by the 50 and 100 mile finishers. There’s even a host of prints you can order on the website if the person you want to buy a gift for has already done one of them.

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.

The post Last minute Christmas presents for the runner in your life appeared first on Fast Running.

That annual glut of spam emails and pop up ads about unbelievable sales, Black Friday and Cyber Monday. It’s just a load of old bollocks to make you buy the stuff that’s stuck in the back warehouse and half of it is probably on sale at the same price for the rest of the year too.

The Black Friday idea actually comes from the first day of the year that retailers go from “in the red” to “in the black” financially, mainly because in the US it signifies the first day of holiday shopping.

So what doe the sales mean? Companies see these big sales as an okay to over produce clothing and kit, then we’ll just buy them at a reduced price so they aren’t punished for producing too much. We’re basically saying it’s okay to overproduce, which it’s not.

Don’t get me wrong, if you’re waiting for the sales to get something you really need, then no shame in that at all, this isn’t targeted at you. But, if like me, you start looking at shoes, shorts, tee-shirts and socks that you don’t actually need, just because they have a 50% discount, then could we think twice?

“Use these Black Friday sales as a practice in changing habits around over consumption.” says ReRun’s Charlotte Jalley.  “If you really need it, this might be a good opportunity to buy. If you don’t need it, resist the urge to spend on something new and shiny just because it’s cheap.

“Black Friday is one of many sales throughout the year, let your actual needs dictate when you purchase rather than when brands want you to.”

What can we do?

To start with start asking these brands what they are doing to reduce their waste, improve their employees welfare and generally produce better clothing that lasts for longer. The Fashion Revolution website has some good social media templates and advice on what we can do, but here’s a tweet ready made for you from them:

“Hey [@fashionbrand], this Black Friday, I want to know how you’re taking responsibility for the waste in your operations, ensuring the wellbeing of everyone who makes your clothes and tackling fashion overproduction? Tell me #WhatsInMyClothes? #WhoMadeMyClothes?”

I’m sure some are thinking “but Robbie, you’re an Odlo sponsored athlete, why don’t you get off your high horse and do one.”

Rather than all sponsored athletes just leave their brands and have a moral high ground to tweet from, why not use your position to ask questions of those in the brands themselves? Talking to Odlo, sustainability is clearly something on their mind and I’ve sent a few annoying emails asking as such.

#Beawareofwhatyouwear is their most recent initaitive and their aim is to “improve the way we create and consume our clothes.” Are they doing enough? Check out some of the information on the Odlo website, but also research elsewhere. We need to be cynical when looking at a brand’s own communications.

What are brands doing?

Brands like Patagonia have been leading the way for years, but you can have a look at the environmental impact and sustainability targets of different brands on The Ethical Consumer website, but also just a great website to find “all the information and inspiration you need to revolutionise the way you spend, save and live.”

Look to see if the fancy media campaigns actually have some substance or if they’re “greenwashing” or “gaslighting”, like when major oil companies run campaigns about individuals lowering their carbon emissions whilst still trying to totally fuck the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge with new drilling and pipelines.

Back to the sports industry, we need to look at the quality of the clothing we buy, how it’s made and what from. If we’re buying trainers that fall apart after 200 miles or plastic t-shirts made in a sweatshop, then can we use better quality kit that lasts longer. It might cost a bit more but think of it in terms of price per year of usage and suddenly it’s better value.

Dan Lawson takes his disdain for excessive tee-shirt wearing very seriously, whereas I’m simply wearing a ReRun mash-up. The weight saved could have helped Lawson up the hill, but it’s likely just superior fitness. Photo: James Ian Vincent

But I really want to buy something that I don’t need

A bit of retail therapy needed in this shit show of a year? Well don’t worry, Trees not Tees have extended their race t-shirt replacement service to all types of shopping. If you want to buy a t-shirt in the sales, but deep down you know you don’t need it, then why not buy a tree?

A present for the runner who has everything? It doesn’t need to be an extra pair of trainers that will sit in the cupboard. How about a great book about running, a virtual race entry, a real race entry, some coaching, some trainers for someone who needs them or another tree?

If you really need the kit then look at good quality, long lasting clothing and do some brand research. Maybe even think about some pre-loved kit at ReRun?

ReRunClothing.org from Dave MacFarlane on Vimeo.

Nobody is perfect

Nobody is perfect and you don’t have to be. We just need to think a little more, try a little better and spread the word a little. I’m not writing this as someone who’s immune to the wonderful world of Black Friday Sales and discount filled emails. I won’t buy anything I don’t need on the weekend and when Odlo ask if I need any new kit, I try to reflect and answer honestly. Do I really need any need kit?

Add to that I try to re-home my older kit responsibly too. Repair anything that needs doing before finding someone who actually needs and might use a new jacket or pair of barely used shoes that didn’t fit right.

The more time I spend with Dan Lawson and Charlotte Jalley, the more it makes me think about my use and consumption of sports kit. I’ll always ask the question “Do I really need this” before buying anything these days, and a lot of the time it does stop me actually buying something I don’t need.

Yes we do have advertising on FastRunning too, but it’s literally just to keep the virtual doors open and if we work specifically with a brand we like to be aware of their own environmental impact too. 

The post Start fast: Get the best black Friday deals appeared first on Fast Running.

“Can we make it completely unacceptable for a race organiser not to offer an alternative?”

Those are the words of mountain runner Jim Mann, who this week announced the launch of Trees Not Tees, an initiative that gives race directors the option to plant a tree instead of giving out a tee-shirt to their finishers.

“Even a cotton t-shirt” often seen as a more sustainable alternative to cheap plastic tees, “uses the equivalent of 2.5 years of drinking water in the production process, as well as over 2kg of carbon, for each top.”

Mann, who studied ecology at university, said that having been inspired by the likes of Dan Lawson and Charlotte Jalley’s ReRun Clothing initiative, started thinking about commercially viable ways for us to plant more trees and Trees not Tees was born.

With a 480 acre site up in Scotland, although they are already looking for more viable land, the initiative will give race directors “a credible alternative to the countless “free” t-shirts that are given out at the end of nearly every single race”.

What about the people who really want that tee?

Not unsympathetic to the idea that some really do want and will use a race t-shirt to show off their achievement, it’s more about changing the default option of giving them to everyone.

“Psychologically we struggle in turning down the t-shirts as we feel like we’ve already paid for them” says the runner who’s representing Scotland over 100k this May. “We want to change the default and give organisers an option that doesn’t leave their runners feeling ripped off.”

The Manchester Half announced last year they would no longer be giving out finishers t-shirts as standard and there was a backlash on social media from some of the runners. For a business it can sometimes seem an unappetising option. For the environment it’s an important step in the right direction.

“I realise we’re in a bit of a bubble in the hill running community as generally we’re more likely to value the great outdoors, but it’s a good place to start making a change.” If it comes from the runners, of they start demanding the change from race directors, then it’s going to be easier for everyone involved.

Has Jim turned down every t-shirt in the last few years?

“I understand that some people really do value the finishers t-shirts and I certainly have mine from the Dragon’s Back race as I’m really proud of the achievement, but do we need them from every event?

“We don’t want to take away the t-shirt option from those who really want to wear them, but educate on the production process and change the default” said the man famous for running big mountain loops in the winter.

Providing an alternative doesn’t take away the option for runners to have a finisher’s top, it just makes them choose. So many of the tees travel halfway around the world just to end up in our bottom drawer at home or in the charity shop unworn.”

Some of the thousands of races tees at ReRun HQ

Dan Lawson, of ReRun Clothing, often states that the best method is for people to “opt-in” for t-shirts instead of a choice to “opt-out”. Even going as far as asking race organisers to ask on multiple occasions if the runner “really does need another t-shirt?”

Lawson should know as they have thousands of race t-shirts donated and stored in their office, often unopened and unused.

Recently at the National Running Show ReRun were at the front door and many handed off large bundles of unwanted, but perfectly usable, clothes before trotting along to the nearest stand to buy new, feeling like they had done their part for the environment by donating, missing the point of ReRun by a country mile. The most sustainable item of clothing is the one you already own.

Lawson puts it like this “Does the world need another t-shirt or another tree?”

Making it affordable for businesses too

Back to Trees Not Tees and Mann is aware of the backlash races might get from their athletes but wants there to be a credible alternative.

“We have a base cost for tree planting, but we’re also happy to price match to the cost of the tees if a business sends over the pricing from the year before. We do have a limit of £2.50 per tree though” which seems very fair. If you’re getting your t-shirts for less than that then they’re probably extremely poor quality.

Centurion Running, who organise 50k to 100 mile trail races, got on board straight away. “The race tees for long events in particular are still really popular with a lot of runners,” acknowledges race director James Elson “They are proud of their achievement and will wear a good quality tee with pride.

“For those who don’t want or need it however, Jim’s initiative is an alternative that will make a fundamental difference to the battle we are all facing. At no additional cost to the organiser this has to now be under consideration for all presenting tees as an included option.”

Will people take the choice?

It’s no surprise that Centurion Running’s Elson co-hosts a podcast with ReRun’s Dan Lawson, but the race director has been trying to reduce his races’ carbon footprint for many a year, but people really do enjoy wearing their 100 mile finisher tops. The hope is this gives an option to some and provide something for all to think about.

If business give people the option of a t-shirt or a tree then they’re not disappointing people or losing money. If the default option is to plant a tree, then runners have the option of a t-shirt then it might cost more for those individual t-shirts, but organisers could offer a higher priced, higher quality t-shirt for those that really want it.

Mann laughs that he’s “still got Helly Hansen tops from when I was 15 years old and they’re still going strong,” after which we have a good conversation about brands that produce high quality, long lasting kit, as opposed to investment bank owned business cutting cost margins and lowering quality just to make a profit. Ultimately the consumer can help with their choices.

So ask yourself the question again

Do you need another t-shirt? Or is the world going to be a better place with another tree as Lawson suggests.

“We need to reduce, reuse and recycle” says Mann, “but if we’re not reducing first, then it’s madness.”

Often people talk about climate activists scaremongering and the climate crisis not being as bad as people make out, but think about your options and the consequences of the path we take.

If we keep trying to be more environmentally friendly then we’ll have more trees, less pollution and less junk filing up landfills. Generally the world is going to be a better place in 10, 20, 100 years time if we make an effort.

Choosing to plant a tree instead of taking a t-shirt might not solve everything (hint: it won’t) but it’s a start. It’s improving our current model to make the hobby of running more sustainable. Ultimately who does it harm?

The other option? Choose to ignore everything. Then we fuck up the planet beyond repair. So do you really need that t-shirt?

If you want to find out more then visit the TreesnotTees website or the Rerun Website.  For ReRun you can also follow them on Instagram for good times and knowledge, all in one account. If you know a race director then why not tell them about the option of Trees instead of Tees? 

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.

The post Millions of trees, not millions of tees appeared first on Fast Running.

It wasn’t the fast times (although they were impressive) and the amount of Nike Next % shoes that impressed us at Fast Running, but the biggest improvement made on the day by Virgin Sport, making the race plastic bottle free.

Virgin Sport has successfully eliminated 500,000 single-use plastic bottles from the routes of its three UK races (Hackney Half, ASICS London 10K and Oxford Half) and replaced over 25,000 plastic kit bags with long-life natural cotton tote bags.

It’s great to see a bigger race company like Virgin Sport taking such a progressive step towards making their races more sustainable. Using recycle-able cups at all of their checkpoints didn’t stop anyone running personal bests and makes a big different on the impact the race has on the environment.

Do you need that t-shirt?

As one of the questions ReRun Clothing ask is whether we need finishers t-shirts so we asked and they were interested to hear about ReRun’s work. They did say that sister race “ASICS London 10K finisher’s t-shirts were made using recycled PET bottles. One of ASICS’ projects that also includes collecting used gear and partnering with organisations such as Worn Again to support technical development and scale up the recycling of used textiles into new textiles.

We like the move Manchester Half took by removing the race finishers t-shirt and explaining why on their website here. After having “wastage of over 100kg of leftover t-shirts [in 2018] heading off with no owner isn’t something we were comfortable with.”

That’s 12,000 plastic t-shirts removed from the equation by Manchester Half and 500,000 single-use plastic bottles removed by Virgin Sport. It’s great to see races being proactive and making a difference. Keep up the good work.

RELATED: ReRun Clothing ask “Do you need that race t-shirt?”

The Oxford Half itself and what the winners said

The 2019 Oxford Half male winner Alex Milne ran in just 01:07:31. “This my third time racing the Oxford Half. I finished second here twice before so really pleased to come back and get the win! It’s a great course. Amazing for PB’s. I’ve run a personal best on this route twice now.”

Stephanie Davis completed the course in 01:12:58 for the women’s win, a fantastic result and PB for the 2:32:38 marathoner. It will be exciting to see to how this improvement can translate to the 26.2 mile distance for Davis.

“I won the Hackney Half two years ago. I’m so pleased to have won Virgin Sport’s two half marathon races! Thank you to everyone that came to support us, it was a huge boost especially in this weather.”

Women’s winner Stephanie Davis

Charity efforts

Cara Waller, Events Manager, Sobell House Hospice Charity, said: “This year we’ve had an amazing response with over 400 runners taking part for Sobell House. Collectively they have so far raised an incredible £50,000 which will go towards caring for people in Oxfordshire with a life- limiting illness.”

Joshua Sowerbutts, Running Events Coordinator, Alzheimer’s Society, said: “We have been blown away by volume of interest we have received for this event. This year we have seen our team double and are looking to exceed our target of £50,000.”

Jessica Frey, CEO, Virgin Sport, said: “Thank you to all the local spectators, vendors and businesses that supported us – it’s the community spirit in Oxfordshire that makes today a very special event in our calendar. The 2019 edition of the Oxford Half Marathon was the most sustainable to date and had the biggest charitable impact with double the number of charity runners and partners from 2018.”

The Oxford Half was the third event produced by Virgin Sport in 2019 following the sell-out Hackney Half Marathon on 19th May, and ASICS London 10K that took place on 21st July.

If you want to find out more then visit the Rerun Website or follow them on Instagram for good times and knowledge, all in one account.

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.

The post Progressive steps from Oxford & Manchester half marathons appeared first on Fast Running.

Re-Run clothing, a social enterprise set up by British international 24hr runner Dan Lawson and his wife Charlotte, aims to make runners think more about their impact and how a few simple choices could improve our environmental impact.

Lots of companies are getting behind the environmental movement, with Patagonia leading the way for decades and smaller brands, like Rockay socks moving towards sustainable materials, who felt that “its just the way that the world needs to be going, and anything less than that seems like a failure in our book”.

The simple race t-shirt is a prime example. Since setting up the project and taking in second hand kit the vast majority has been race tees. Huge amounts are still in their plastic packaging they were received in.

“We could cut out over 50% of the textile waste within the running community just by removing the finisher’s t-shirt,” says Lawson in a recent interview. “It’s always the easy option just to take the shirt. You’re at the end of a race, tired and sweaty, and someone thrusts a free t-shirt and a medal. Even if you don’t want one, you’ll probably take it.”

There are some who treasure their race tees and wear them to work for the next month straight to let their colleagues know they finished a 100 miler (or a 5k), but many just have large collections in the cupboard.

Make the t-shirt a tougher option

Lawson and Jalley aren’t suggesting we get rid of the t-shirts altogether (well they are but they realise it might be too much for some) but just making it a tougher option.

“Even if it were just a little bit tougher to pick up your commemorative top you might see less people taking them. Most of them are basically just plastic bags in another form. It’s similar materials, but we don’t think twice about the waste it can cause,”

When you put these tops in the washing machine there are micro fibres that come loose and get into the water system. These micro fibres all end up in the ocean eventually,” says the ultra runner. “That’s without thinking of the pollution caused by the manufacturing and shipping process of the kit.”

Zero-Waste runners

Some events, such as Basingstoke Half, give runners the option to be a ‘zero waste runner’ and not take home a tee, a medal or any of the other items potentially unnecessary to the athlete. In turn the race offers a discount in price too so everybody wins. How many people would take up this offer in more races?

What races can do to help the environment is a whole other article in itself, but first we can all focus on what we can do as individuals. If we start asking or demanding different standards from our races then we will have a positive impact.

Ultimately the answer is for us to all consume less in our lives in general. How many items of clothing in your wardrobe haven’t been worn at all in the last 12 months? Do you need that new pair of shorts or trainers. Could you make a difference.

ReRun Clothing

The aim of ReRun is to get the running community thinking. Could you purchase “pre-loved” clothing instead of new kit?

“By extending the lifetime of our clothing by two or three months we see a 5-10% reduction in the carbon, water and waste footprints of that item,” remarked Jalley, “extending the life by 9 months would result in a 20 to 30 % reduction.”

And extending the lifetime is one thing ReRun do, by up-cycling unwanted kit into something beautiful that will live on longer. Their running vests, constructed of multiple unwanted pieces of kit, are stylish and functional. Lawson himself is running in entirely second hand or up cycled kit going froward. He is committed to the message they want to send out.

If an elite international ultra runner can run all his events in second hand kit then what is your excuse?

Dan and Charlotte getting into my head

It is working too. As I’m fortunate to consider Dan and Charlotte good friends we’ve spoken about their mission on a few occasions. Now I have their voices in my head every time I look at new kit. I’m asking myself if I really need it, stopping myself collecting race t-shirts that I won’t use and being more aware in general.

I’m not perfect, I have purchased new shoes recently. But I am making an attempt to batter the ones I do have before I pass them on. A lot of my kit ends up with friends or family, rather than dumped or thrown out but even that means I’ve got too much in the first place.

Becoming part of the problem?

Even this early into the project ReRun are finding themselves encouraging commercialism. “We have one runner who’s purchasing a lot on our website. It’s great that they’re really buying into the idea and, hopefully, not buying loads of kit elsewhere too. But we also want to ask if they really need all the ReRun kit they’re buying too!”

The demand for ReRun custom up cycled kit and pre-loved items is going really well. If you look on the website you’re certainly going to find a gem or too for your next race, but before you buy anything, ask yourself “Do you really need that t-shirt?”

Ultimately ReRun is about extending the life of the products we do use and maybe finding a new purpose for them after they had been worn out. Companies thinking about sustainable materials is great, but are they thinking about where their product will end up and trying to avoid those ocean plastics ending up back in the ocean or a landfill?

What can we do?

On the website there is even advice on what we can do as runners:

*Donate any unwanted clothes or equipment to ReRun
*Organise a collection of unwanted running gear or equipment for us at your local club.
*Donate your unwanted clothes or equipment to another project or runners you know.
*Sell on your own unwanted clothes or equipment to prolong the life of it.
*Smile and tell everyone how wonderful they are.
*Encourage everyone else you know to do one of the above

The other thing that will make a difference is to turn down that race t-shirt and make sure the race organiser knows why. The more runners that voice this opinion, the more events will start to think.

If you want to find out more then visit the Rerun Website or follow them on Instagram for good times and knowledge, all in one account.

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.

The post Do you really need that race t-shirt? appeared first on Fast Running.

Running around 90 miles per day on the side of busy roads, Dan Lawson is making steady ground and is feeling good on his record attempt. The crew had to leave the busy A9 in Scotland as traffic was intense and road users called police about the runner.

“We’re having to stop five or more miles down the road with the support vehicle,” said team member Michael Seymour. “Dan sometimes has to run large sections on his own and it would be great if he had other runners with him.

“Dan has decided to stick on the A9 and there are articulated lorries coming past at 70mph. The more people that can come out and join him will be an encouragement. It’ll perk up Dan and keep him safer on the roads.”

There was one word of warning though from the team.

“We want people to come run with him, but they have to bear in mind that he’s going at a fair pace,” added Seymour. “It’s a record attempt. I tried to keep up for a few miles and it was bloody hard work. We had a local policeman join for 15 miles and it was a solid effort for him.”

How’s it going?

“When he stops for the night he’s tired, but every morning Dan’s up at six am and fresh as a daisy,” continued Seymour. “His feet are good and he’s eating well. Right now he’s getting six or seven hours of sleep per night, but we’ve got to keep on pace.

“You start to see the size of the task ahead when an extra five miles at the end of the day is taking away an hour of sleep.”

Sleep will be paramount to success in the challenge. From experience of multi-day runs myself, it is the hours of sleep, as well as the miles covered, that determine how a runner feels the next day. Cut out those quality hours of slumber and it’ll feel like you’ve run another 50 miles the day before.

“We’ve all been learning along the way, the crew and Dan,” said Seymour. “Initially we tried to do a big meal at the end of each day, but now we’re starting that meal in the last couple of hours so Dan can eat it bit by bit and then just climb into the van at the end. Straight to sleep with a full belly.”

Fellow British International 24hr runner James Elson said: “Dan’s made a superb start. There’s still a long way to go, but with his ability he’s able to get increased rest each day whilst still covering the required distance. If he can keep the pace up and recover well between each day, then he can do it.”

Where can you join Dan?

The whole attempt is being tracked by Open Tracking and at any one time, you can see exactly where Lawson is. As the time of writing the British ultra runner is approaching Pitlochry in Scotland and aims to be travelling through Perth and towards Edinburgh today (Wednesday).

The crew have asked that if anyone would like to join Dan to run sections of the record then please do. From experience, the miles can be a lot easier with good (or even bad) company.

Although initially the aim had been to front load the attempt with slightly further finishes each day, the former European 24hr champ is instead averaging 90 miles a day. The light footed runner paced excellently to his victory at the European Champs in 2016 and looks to be doing the same here.

ReRun Clothing

Fashion icon Lawson is sporting solely second hand clothing for the record attempt and excitement builds to see what will be worn each day. Who said ultra running isn’t sexy?

Up in the wild norths of Scotland, the attire was colourful leggings, gloves and wooly hats. The slight figure of Lawson could well have been on his way to a trendy London fashion show.

Lawson, who often spends six months at a time training in India, is not known for dealing well with the cold. On a 2017 GB squad training weekend the Scottish contingent were in shorts and vests whilst the southern Lawson was in a full down jacket.

Hopefully, everything warms up as the West Ham fan heads further south and we start to see some summer wear. The athlete’s yellow ‘Team Centurion’ t-shirt is a hand me down from 24hr team mate James Elson.

The second hand clothing is part of the ReRun clothing social enterprise set up by Lawson and his wife Charlotte Jalley to raise awareness of the huge levels of waste within the running industry.

Community

So if you can get out and help Dan then please do. Check when he will be coming past your town, tell your friends and start supporting one of our greatest British athletes.

Already today the team have been met by Scottish ultra running stalwart Adrian Stott. Edinburgh based Stott was actually part of the support staff for Don Ricthie’s record breaking run back in 1989. Fellow 24hr runner and massage therapist Neil MacNicol will be helping prepare Dan’s legs for the next day of running too.

The ultra running family is known for how supportive it can be. The same can be said for the whole of British running culture so let’s prove it this week. If you can help then get out on the road, but even if you can’t run then get out and cheer. Maybe even come help with dinner or the washing for the crew? Mick and Charlotte could probably do with a cuppa.

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The post Dan Lawson’s 874-mile JOGLE record attempt needs your help appeared first on Fast Running.