***In case you missed it, catch up on the wonderful interview with the inspirational Sarahjane Cooke from last week****

As is his wont, marathon man Mick Clohisey of Raheny Shamrock headed west on St Stephen’s Day (Sunday December 26) where he led home an entry of over a thousand at the Fields of Athenry 10km – the biggest road race of the day.

Clohisey’s time of 30 mins 45 secs gave him a comfortable victory over two Craughwell athletes – Jamie Fallon, who was second in 31:13 after sticking with Clohisey until the halfway point, and William Fitzgerald third in 31:26.

Class of the women’s field was Aoife Kilgallon of Sligo AC, who finished in an eye-catching time of 33:49. Kate Kelly of Athlone RC was second woman in 37:01 and Catherine Thornton of Crusaders AC in Dublin third in 37:24.

The race was one of many taking place on St Stephen’s Day (Sunday December 26), with the weather (mostly) a big improvement on the downpours of Christmas Day.

Not going down without a fight

Fastest 10km time of the weekend came from Ben Branagh of St Malachy’s AC who won the 10km at the Titanic Festival in Belfast in a time of 29 mins 29 secs after leading from the half way point of the race.

Marathon man Stephen Scullion of Clonliffe Harriers also broke the half hour, finishing second in 29:56, while third in 30 minutes exactly was Eskander Turki of Annadale Striders. These three finished two minutes – and more – ahead of the chasers.

First woman in 38:34 was Gillian McCrory of St Peter’s AC. She was followed home by Niamh Donnelly of Armagh AC in 39:10 and Fiona McFall of Roadrunners AC in 39:28.

Winners of the 5km were Gerard Heaney of North Belfast Harriers in 15:36 and Margaret Flyn in 17:47.

Big turn-out for Greencastle

Over five hundred turned out for the 36th annual Greencastle 5-Mile in the foothills of the Sperrin mountains in Co Tyrone, where Conor Maguire was the winner in a time of 24 mins 53 seconds. Second in 25:07 was Conán McCaughey of North Belfast Harries while third in 25:28 was Eoin Mullan of Omagh Harriers. Seventh and first junior in 26:59 was Lughaidh Mallon of Lagan Valley AC.

Grace Carson of Mid Ulster AC/Loughborough lived up to her billing when for a second year she finished first woman with a time of 28. The in-form Catherine Whoriskey of City of Derry Spartans AC finished one place behind Carson in 28:34 while Cassie Lagan of Finn Valley AC, home from her American college, was third woman in 32:17.

In Cavan, Conor Duffy of Glaslough AC – who had won at Greencastle a year earlier – won the Cavan Christmas 5km Dash.

His untroubled time of 14 mins 50 secs saw him finish well over a minute clear of the chasers. John Whelan was second in 16:09 and Catherina Mullen of Metro St Brigid’s AC third and first woman in 16: 35. Finishing sixth and second woman in 17:15 was the veteran Denise Toner of Clones AC.

Four miles of fun for all

Kilkenny City Harrier’s Shane McEvoy, home from the University of Tulsa, added his name to a distinguished list of winners at the annual Clonmel St Stephen’s Day 4-miler writes John Walshe.

Clonmel runners Kenny Brett, Brendan Walshe, John Laste, Sean O’Dea and Aisling English at their club’s annual St Stephen’s Day road race. Picture: John Walshe

On an ideal day, over 300 runners took part in the 32nd anniversary event. McEvoy was one of a group of six still in contention with a mile to go and a faster kick saw him get the verdict over West Waterford’s David McCarthy, a 3 mins 55 secs miler, by four seconds.

His winning time of 18 mins 44 secs was almost a minute shy of Sean Tobin’s phenomenal 17:45 course record set when the race was last held in 2019.

Kevin Moore of Dundrum AC took third spot in 18:59 with McEvoy’s Kilkenny clubmate Brian Maher showing a remarkable comeback from injury to finish fourth in 19:00, a second faster than his winning time at the race three year ago. Now 44, Maher’s last race was the National 10,000m in 2020.

Dymhna Ryan of Dundrum was first of the women, her time of 21:56 faster than Siobhan O’Doherty’s winning times from the two previous editions of the race.

Ciara O’Neill, a reserve for the Irish U23 team at the recent Euroopean Cross-Country Championships, took second place in 23:13. Prolific marathoner Angela McCann of the promoting club – now in the F50 category – finished third in 23:28.

Another outstanding masters’ performance came from Joe Gough of West Waterford, winner of the M65 age-group in 25:21.

A kick for the line

A chase for the line at the Streets of Wicklow 5km saw Tudor Moldovan of Clonliffe Harriers just holding off Ashford AC’s junior athlete Jonas Stafford for victory in a time of 15 mins 28 secs.

Stafford was just a second behind, with Gareth Murran of Sportsworld AC third in 16 mins 4 secs.

First woman in 17:19 was Sheila O’Byrne of Parnell AC. Claragh Keane of DMP AC was second and first junior in 18:36 and Ava Martin of local club Inbhear Dee AC third and second junior in 18:59.

Families were out in force, among them the well-named Foot family, the Sheeran Purcells, the McElhinneys, the Anderson Ludlows, the O’Sullivans, the O’Briens, the O’Dwyers, and the Coxes.

Paul Mitchell of Tullamore Harriers was the winenr of the Kilbeggan St Stephen’s Day 6km in a time of 18 mins 53 secs. Matthew Glennonr finished second in 19:05 andf Michael Murphy, another Tullmoare Harriers athlete, third in 19:19. Finishing 16th and first woman was Nadine Donegan of Tullalmore Harriers in 22 minutes exactly.

Tullamore legend Pauline Curley, now running in the over 50 age group, was just 18 seconds adrift for second place, with Joan Flynn of Mulligan Harriers third and first W40 in 22.44.

The post St.Stephen’s Day action – Irish round-up appeared first on Fast Running.

Our weekly parkrun top ten is sponsored by 1001 Running Tips by our editor Robbie Britton. Order your copy today.

It’s Christmas Day, but parkrun is part of the festive tradition for many, and it’s part of my day writing about the fastest times, after dinner of course. Firstly though, a big shout out to all the volunteers who made Christmas Day parkrun possible this weekend and the RDs who then uploaded all the results for us. Thanks!

The fastest lady of the bunch this weekend was Philippa Stone. Rocking up to Albert parkrun in Middlesbrough, the Middlesbrough AC and international cross-country athlete ran 16:32 to start Christmas Day with a bang.

A late addition is an excellent 14:50 from Finn McNally, at Preston Park in Brighton. The speedy athlete from Brighton Phoenix just pipped Daniel Jarvis to the fastest run of the Christmas weekend. We’ve updated the rankings but kept the 11th spot as we’re not one to take away Christmas presents, but we’ll just give extra.

Second quickest male was Daniel Jarvis at Grovelands parkrun, Enfield. Jarvis ran 14:52 to top the Christmas charts by just three seconds. The Bedford and County runner broke 14 minutes on the track for 5000m this year, with 13:55.02, so just goes to show the calibre of athlete enjoying parkrun this weekend.

Under 15/17 minutes to hit the podium

Scotland Morag Millar was another lady under 17 minutes, with 16:42 at the parkrun in Perth. The youth talent has been back in form in recent years with 2021 no different and including a track Pbs of 9:23.99 for 3000m and 15:43.57 for 5000m.

Sam Charlton at Town Moor parkrun was third quickest chap in 14:55. The Wallsend middle distance runner has mainly raced over 800/1500m this simmer and is now having a great time on the cross country too, with top 20 in the Euro Cross Trails in Sefton Park and a fifth place in Cardiff.

The two other athletes who got into third and fourth place were Bea Wood (16:53) at Salisbury parkrun and William Richardson (14:56) at Worcester Pitchcroft, young athletes with bright futures ahead of them for sure. Wood just recently represented Great Britain at the Euro Cross in Dublin-Fingal.

In case you missed it, there was an excellent interview with Sarahjane Cooke this week, who set a new course record at Belfast Victoria parkrun last weekend.

Fastest course

It seems fast people travelled in pairs this weekend, with plenty of people doubling up. Four courses saw two people feature in our rankings this week, with Grovelands Enfield, Worcester Pitchcroft, Salisbury and Bushy.

The fastest then? With a third and fourth it goes to Salisbury parkrun. Now I’m off to eat some mince pies and Christmas chocolates.

Men’s top 10

1) parkrun: Preston Park, Brighton
Finn McNally, 14:50, Brighton Phoenix
2) parkrun: Grovelands, Enfield
Daniel Jarvis, 14:52, Bedford & County AC
3) parkrun: Town Moor
Sam Charlton, 14:55, Wallsend Harriers & AC
4) parkrun: Worcester Pitchcroft
William Richardson, 14:56, Birchfield Harriers
5) parkrun: Salisbury
Jaymee Domoney, 15:00 City of Salisbury A & RC
6) parkrun: Southsea
Alex Teuten, 15:01, Southampton AC
7) parkrun: Norwich
Barclay Izzard, 15:09, Loughborough Triathlon
8) parkrun: Ecos, Ballymena
Peter Avent, 15:13, Shettleston Harriers
9) parkrun: Folkestone
Charlie Brisley, 15:14, Deal Triathlon Club
10) parkrun: Bushy
Sam Dykes, 15:15, Loughborough Students AC
11) parkrun: Coventry 
Miles Clisham, 15:19, Coventry Godiva Harriers

Women’s top 10

1) parkrun: Albert, Middlesbrough 
Philippa Stone, 16:32, Middlesbrough AC
2) parkrun: Perth
Morag Millar, 16:42, Central AC
3) parkrun: Salisbury 
Beatrice Wood, 16:53,City of Salisbury A & RC
4) parkrun: Woodley
Kirsty Walker, 17:03, Reading AC
5) parkrun: Cassiobury
Alex Eykelbosch, 17:11, Dacorum AC
6) parkrun: Luton Wardown
Rebecca Murray, 17:27, Bedford & County AC
7) parkrun: Worcester Pitchcroft
Chloe Richardson, 17:31, Birchfield Harriers
8) parkrun: Bushy
Nancy Scott, 17:32, Aldershot, Farnham & District AC
9) parkrun: Grovelands, Enfield
Katie Brown, 17:15, Trent Park Running Club
10) parkrun: Southampton
Emma Howsham, 17:36, Reading AC

If you would like to run faster at parkrun we highly recommend 1001 Running Tips by Robbie Britton, found here.

The post 10 fastest UK parkrun times on 25th December (2021) appeared first on Fast Running.

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.

On the last weekend of 2020, a year which many will be pleased to see the back of, some speedy performances came to the fore. This weekend wasn’t about quantity, but the quality was definitely high.

Over cross country, the road, and even in the sky, some of the country’s best tore up the ground with their speed. However, with the tightening of restrictions for a lot of people and Christmas Day ending in ‘tiers’ for everyone, many were saddened by the inability to leave their local area to head to races further afield. 

The podium 5k offered those in the area the chance to test their fitness one last time this year. The course, well known for being fast and flat, has come to be one of the most used courses for racing this year.

Plenty of athletes have flocked there in search of PB’s which the competitive field has always provided. This weekend allowed athletes to finish the bizarre year of 2020 with a bang. 

Head to head battles

The race saw multiple battles commence between Beth potter and Kate Avery, Emilie Cairess and Ross Millington, Eleanor Bolton and Hannah Nuttall, and between Luke Duffy and Josh Cowperthwaite. However, with the lack of regular racing, there was no predicting who would take the win. 

In the men’s event, the competition was really on between Cairess and Millington to see who would come out on top. In the back of Storm Bella, athletes gave their all to push in the conditions. From the outset a large group of athletes formed, all working together.

Emile Cairess is at home on the road, track and cross country. Photo: Pete Brown

This pack remained for the majority of the race but taking home the win was Leeds City AC’s Emile Cairess, who crossed the line with a narrow 1 second lead in 14:11. Ross Millington came in second with 14:12.

The field was stacked with just seconds between the runners as third place went to Joe Wigfield (St.Mary’s University) in 14:13. Yet just another one second behind was Richard Allen (AFD) in 14:14 and Sam Charlton (Wallsend Harriers) in 14:16. All 12 athletes in the race finished well under the 15-minute barrier, proving just how strong the field was.

No Potter, but Avery one’s a winner

In the women’s race the win went to the incredible Kate Avery, who despite an extremely difficult morning, pulled through and gave a hugely strong performance.

Avery (Shildon AC) crossed the line in 16:18, with a much clearer winning margin than the men’s race.

After competing over the 10k distance a few weeks ago, Hannah Nuttall dropped down in distance. The Charnwood AC athlete, who came 3^rd in the steeplechase at the British Champs, had a strong race to clock 16:38 for second place. It was GB U23 cross-country athlete, Eleanor Bolton, who secured the bronze medal position in 16:59. She was shortly followed by Mollie Williams (Stockport Harriers) in 17:06. The fifth female finisher in 17:16 was Anna Bracegirdle. 

This is a photo from a Guernsey XC race in 2018, but maybe some of the people were racing this weekend too? Photo: Phil Nicolle

Always a race on Guernsey

In Guernsey there was hot competition at the Boxing Day Cross Country. The strong field boasted a depth of 160 runners who battled it out through the mud, hills and grass, before the rain arrived. Alex Rowe returned to defend his title from last year and had a clear win ahead of his fellow Bath teammate, Dan Galphin.

Rowe came in with a time of 26 minutes and 43 seconds just ahead of Galphin in 27:04. The UK based Island Games Triathlon champion, Josh Lewis, took home third 40 seconds behind 2nd place. 

Alex Rowe heads bumper Boxing Day field whilst Megan Chapple makes light work of windy contains to lead women home. https://t.co/wwYRdYmeNa pic.twitter.com/riXp83Dd7g

— Guernsey Athletics (@GsyAthletics) December 26, 2020

The middle part of the race saw the arrival of some brutal headwinds; however, this didn’t seem to slow athletes down.

Taking home the win out of the women was Megan Chapple with a solid time of 31:11. Nix Petit was seconds just 24 seconds behind, followed by Rosie Williams (32:48). Summer Woodhead also had a commendable race, coming in in 32:54 at only 16-years of age. Definitely an upcoming youngster! 

One last dash for the line

However, the highlight of the weekend was at Santa’s reindeer dash, where Santa’s reindeer battled it out over a lap of the world to see who would lead the sleigh next year.

Last year’s winner, Rudolph, who has taken the win on multiple occasions due to his lighting benefits of having a bright nose to light the way, sadly lost after a wrong turn in the final quarter of the race.

Rudolph lost sight of earth just as they had flown over Africa and instead headed to orbit an unknown nearby planet. This immediately put him out of contention for the win and meant it was anyone’s race.

It was Comet whose performance heated up as they neared the final stages of the race, but Blitzen had a lightning surge putting them neck and neck. With just metres to go both reindeer had the chance to make it to the top of the podium and they crossed the line together.

It was then down to the photo finish to decide. It was Comet’s fiery determination (and maybe that extra carb-loading mince pice) that earned him the gold medal, with Blitzen in second and Dasher in third after a late charge. Rudolph sadly DNF’d and is rumoured to be investing in a new GPS watch with navigation features for next year.

We wish everyone a positive and healthy 2021 filled with plenty of fast racing!

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 Speedy times draw 2020 to a close appeared first on Fast Running.

Two years ago (Christmas, 2017) I was visited by the three Christmas Ghosts of Distance Running. It was a particularly low point in my athletics career where I was seriously considering throwing the towel in on competitive running.

My immune system was a complete wreck. I had picked up chest infection after chest infection on an almost 1-2 month cycle for as long as I could remember. On top, of this my insomnia had become a real problem, I struggled to get any more than 4-5 hours per night perpetuating a vicious circle of illness – poor recovery – poor immunity – illness.

When I wasn’t in a drug-induced stupor from necking a cocktail of cold & flu meds and other anti-histamine based sedatives, I had begun to get quite grumpy. Bah humbug!

I was coming to the sad conclusion that I just wasn’t physically cut out for the hard graft needed to be successful in this sport. How could I possibly hope to ever train for a marathon one day if I couldn’t stitch together more than 6-weeks of good quality training? Additionally, the negative impact of chronically low immunity and poor sleep could have on my long-term physical and mental health hadn’t passed me by.

That was when I was visited by the equivalent of Ebenezer’s old friend ‘Jacob Marley’ whom shall be referred to here as such for interests of maintaining anonymity.

Jacob Marley, distance runner

“I am here tonight to warn you, that you have yet a chance and hope of escaping my fate” said Marley. Truth be told the ‘fate’ he spoke of didn’t look too bad on the surface of things. Once a very promising junior athlete, Marley had walked away from the sport as an u23 following a string of classic running related ailments (plantar problems among other tendon-related issues).

Since then, Marley had made the most of all the additional ‘free-time’ not spent training, thinking about training, racing and everything in between. He rarely turned down work socials, didn’t have to mentally book out race weekends months in advance and certainly no longer worried about fitting in 60+ minute runs every evening of the week. So Marley’s next (somewhat adapted) words came as quite a shock:

“I wear the chain I forged in my running life” exclaimed Marley. “How I long to once again feel the lactic burn of a session, the start line butterflies and the joyous camaraderie that comes with endless discussions about ‘shape’, ‘segments’ and bowel-related mishaps.

My PBs are now but a relic and I find myself condemned to mentally re-running the glory-days thinking of what might have been”.

“Bloody hell Marley, that’s a bit heavy for Christmas Eve” I replied as Marley began to fade. He muttered something further about being visited by three more ghosts at the strike of 12 then buggered off.

The Running Ghost of Christmas Past

True to his word, at precisely midnight I received my first visitation. The figure’s unmistakeable 80’s short-shorts first came into sight. The ghost at first forgot his purpose, unable to resist a few questionable anecdotes on how much faster everyone was back in the golden era on a diet of beer, curry and 150 mile weeks.

“But spirit tell me, how accurate really were courses back…

“SILENCE!” The spirit interjected.

“For I am the Running Ghost of Christmas Past – now follow me”.

So I did. The ghost took me back to where it all began – my first race at five years old. It was the local five mile village fun run where my dad paced me around (not much health and safety back then, all the kids did it – there was even a key stage 1 trophy up for grabs!).

Quickly, the spirit guided me through my adolescent years, school cross country and athletics trips, my mediocre stint as an 800m runner and then onto my undergraduate days at Birmingham University. I saw all the wonderful friends I’d made through running, all the fun and laughs we’ve had on runs whether they be pre-9AM lecture shakeouts, blood curdling sessions or hungover hobbles.

“Look spirit – look how happy I look!” The beginnings of a smirk began to be betrayed beneath the spirit’s handlebar moustache.

Then after collecting my thoughts “But I can just as easy still see all my friends and support at races if I packed in the running – Bah!
With that, like old Marley the spirit began to fade. Partially because his work here was done, but also because he had just heard that something about Parkrun had been posted on Facebook, thus urgently necessitating his input.

The Running Ghost of Christmas Present

The ghost came in with a crash. He had to jog a few laps of my bedroom because his GPS read 9.98 km. Even then, the spirit was obviously hurried, unimpressed by my poor WiFi that was delaying him from plastering a Strava activity screenshot on all his other social media channels.

“I am the Running Ghost of Christmas Present” exclaimed the spirit with an air of irritation, at last lowering his phone. “Follow me… also on Instagram – my handle is @xmasrunningghost2”.

I was transported to the house of my friend whom I shall refer to under the appropriate pseudonym of Tiny Tim. All poor Tim ever wanted to do was run.

Sadly, he hadn’t been very lucky in the genetic or biomechanical lottery. Plagued by lingering injuries for nearly a decade, the only running Tim’s poor over-pronated feet could manage was loops of a 300m field day after day. Yet how grateful he was of even this small pleasure.

“Oh spirit, how selfish I have been. Why if Tiny Tim can find so much pleasure in running with such geographical restriction, then what right do I have to complain?

“Are there no workhouses or prisons for such pathetic cases” mocked the spirit. “What are you talking about?” I replied. “Oh maybe that was somebody else…” the spirit confessed, confused and with a snap of his fingers I was returned to my room.

The Running Ghost of Christmas Future

As the clock struck 12 for the third time I shuddered for I knew the time had come for my final ghostly visitation. The ghost was more horrifying than any of those that had proceeded him. Towering over me at 10-foot tall upon 30 stacked carbon plates I began to stammer.

“I know I am in the presence of the Running Ghost of Christmas yet to come” said I. “I fear you more than any spectre I have seen tonight”. The towering spirit answered not. Instead it pointed onward with its hand. Once again, I followed.

It was Christmas day. My grandchildren and future self were sat around a holographic TV that was showing a documentary about the evolution of marathon running. As the first sub 1.50 marathoner came onto the translucent screen the little girl turned and innocently asked:

“Grandad – how good were you at running?”.

My aged self replied: “I was quite good, but of-course you have to remember the standard in those days was much higher… I winced.

“And of course I stopped at 22 I could have been much better” I cringed again. A short time passed before the little girl’s curiosity once again got the better of her.

“Did you ever run a marathon?”. The room went deathly silent. I tried to shout out but nobody could hear nor see my protestations.

“…Well I did do one… for a bit of fun via a ballot a few years…!”

“ENOUGH! Spirit I beg you to show me no more. I will change, I will continue to run please I beg you have mercy on my wayward soul

God bless us, everyone!

I awoke and immediately ran to the window – it’s not too late I cried!

“Hey you there sportshoes.com – are those expensive, well-structured trail shoes still available”?

“Why yes sir and if you add this item to your basket now we can guarantee one day delivery.”

“Thank heavens, I’ll take two and chuck in some more of those socks!”

Instead of continually over-training to squeeze as much as possible into every single week I tried to maximise how many weeks in a row I could run a more moderate amount of miles (~60 per week). Among many of the things far better detailed in my last more serious article “Stop copying and start personalising”, I started to adapt my training to my own needs.

I stopped hammering sessions at 100% all year round, I ran miles even easier on recovery days and stopped doubling in favour of pure singles to allow myself a bit more sleep. I also tackled my insomnia head on, but that’s another article in itself.

Bampton running for England. Credit: Richard Own

Is it worth all the toil and trouble?

Many, if not all athletes at some point or other face this conundrum of whether it’s really all worth it. I don’t mean to trivialise this issue. There are some perfectly legitimate reasons why an athlete may want to pack in competitive running and many reasons why at the very least a break may actually be an advisable course of action.

However, taking a look at what running means to all of us from a past, present and future perspective can help to ground us and at least stop us from catastrophising. Maybe the problem isn’t the sport itself but just the way we are playing it.

Tiny Tim spoke to me very recently after a festive parkrun and, despite running far short of his potential said “you know, even if my body doesn’t allow me to ever run 50-60-70 mile weeks and I can’t fulfil my competitive ambitions. I really enjoyed being a part of a run like that and don’t want to give that up”.

Merry Christmas Fast Runners and God bless you, everyone!

The post Three running ghosts of Christmas appeared first on Fast Running.

Alongside fellow ultra-runner, and friend of Fast Running, Allan Rumbles, they have come together with an excellent list of raffle prizes that includes a GB vest signed by the entire British 24hr team that was running at the recent World Championships in Albi, a gift bundle of Maurten Running fuel (in partnership with FR) and a whole host of race entries and goodies.

To enter you simply have to donate £5 per ticket, with Canary19 in the comments, alongside full name and email at Mark’s fundraising page here. 

Over the couple of years Mark has already raised £114,000 for the excellent King’s College Hospital charity fund. KCH is a leading NHS hospital and home to the well renowned Institute of Liver Studies. Mark writes on his page that “Everyone I’ve met there, from porter to nursing support to Consultant have been off the chart with their dedication to patient care.”

“Research into liver cancer is really underfunded” informs Mark. “In terms of incidence it’s 17/18th in the UK charts, but for mortality it’s around sixth each year, so it’s not as big a target as it should be in the UK.”

The stats might be against Mark, who’s at the final stage D with his own cancer, but he says “I absolutely will not stop fighting, they’re only stats after all.”

Night running is a way to support as well

It’s not just through the raffle that you can show your support, but also through the 3rd 1st Annual Head-Torch Marathon. We’re not sure how the 3rd/1st thing works either, but you can sign up via Canary Trail Events and enjoy a cracking evening in the Surrey Hills, all in support of a great cause.

It’s a guided event starting from Mickleham Village Hall on the 28th December, so great to get the legs moving again after a festive break or just to meet some good people, share some trail times and support a great cause.

The full list of prizes is shown below, with details on entry too. The Fast Running package includes a box of Maurten 320 and a box of Maurten 160 so is a great prize for anyone preparing for spring marathons wanting to run a PB.

Don’t miss out and enter here straight away. You could be getting extra Christmas presents this year!

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us and become a patron. 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 Ultra runners club together for charity raffle appeared first on Fast Running.

Robbie Simpson has once again proved the versatility of mountain runners in 2018 with a bronze medal in the Commonwealth Games marathon and wins at prestigious mountain races across Europe.

When the whole of the British Isles was focused on Callum Hawkins front running and suffering in the heat down under, Simpson ran an excellent race to come through the field and take third place with a 2:19:36 marathon in tough conditions.

The build-up for the Commonwealth Games had also included a personal best of 64:27 and a win over the half marathon distance in March at the Inverness Half Marathon.

After the marathons season was finished for Simpson there were standout performances at a highly competitive Sierre-Zinal, where the Scottish mountain runner was once again second to multiple winner Kilian Jornet, before another win at the Jungfrau marathon. There was even time for a 30:01 win at the Simply Health Aberdeen 10k in-between to further demonstrate his versatility.

Now back in Scotland for Christmas, will the Deeside Runner enjoy a well earned break? Fast Running caught up with Robbie to find out.

Fast Running: Will you train on Christmas Day?

Robbie Simpson: Yeah, I plan to do an easy run of 60-80 minutes in the morning then relax the rest of the day. It’s nice to get out as everywhere is quiet and if you do see people they’re all in a good mood.

FR: What about Boxing Day?

RS: Usually I do a local 5k fun run on Boxing day which is always a good blast.

FR: Have you ever run a race over the Christmas period?

RS: Over the years I’ve done quite a few races between Christmas and New Year. Although it’s not officially a race my favourite is the Banchory Boxing Day fun run as it’s in my local town and has been going since 1981.

The course has a big hill in the first mile so I enjoy fighting up that and then enjoying the downhill most of the way to the end. The first time I ran I was 13 years old and I’ve done nearly every one since. Normally some very good local runners turn up so it can be tough.

FR: What is the best running related present you have received at Christmas?

RS: So far it would be a head torch for dark winter off road runs.

FR: What is your favourite childhood memory of Christmas?

RS: Waking up at 6am to open lots of presents. Now I prefer to sleep in a bit and there aren’t many presents to open!

FR: Do you have a funny Christmas memory that stands out?

RS: We’ve had a Christmas tradition of someone in my family getting sick from overeating most years. A few years ago it was my turn and after being ill all night and lying in bed until 30 minutes before the start I decided very last minute I’d have a go at the Boxing Day 5k.

I hadn’t eaten since Christmas lunch but somehow managed to finish 1st then go straight home and lie in bed the rest of the day.

FR: Who are you spending Christmas 2018 with?

RS: This year I’ll be with my parents, one of my brothers and my girlfriend.

FR: What is your favourite food at Christmas?

RS: I like the combination of everything together but really crispy roast potatoes are a favourite of mine.

FR: Will you be doing the cooking?

RS: I’m assuming my mum is cooking it but I’ll have to check!

RELATED: A runner’s Christmas: Marc Scott

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us and become a patron. 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 A runner’s Christmas: Robbie Simpson appeared first on Fast Running.

Irish international Ciara Mageean enjoyed a successful year winning two national gold medals on the track and her first senior cross country title.

Following her move to England to team up with Steve Vernon and the Team New Balance Manchester training group, the 2016 European bronze medalist strived to rediscover her best form.

The 26 year-old competed for Northern Ireland over 800m and 1500m at April’s Gold Coast Commonwealth Games before winning double Irish gold in the events in July.

It was then off to Berlin to compete in the European Championships where she was denied a 1500m medal after a strong finish from GB’s Laura Weightman, but still clocked her fastest time of the year in the final.

Mageean then made a return to the cross country terrain where she showed her class to win a first Irish National senior cross country crown.

Now back in Northern Ireland for Christmas, will the Portaferry athlete enjoy a well earned break? Fast Running caught up with Mageean to find out.

Fast Running: Will you train on Christmas Day?

Ciara Mageean: I will, I have a bit of a tradition to do a run on Christmas morning at home.

I try to get my family out (usually only my daddy is persuaded) and as many people from the town. This year the run will be a bit harder as I actually have a tempo session to do on Christmas morning. I haven’t warned the regular Chrismas Day runners yet!

FR: What about Boxing Day?

CM: Every day is a running day, so I will be out on Boxing Day too. I’ll have to run early as I usually spend the day out in the country with my daddy and our Springer Spaniels.

FR: Have you ever run a race over the Christmas period?

CM: I didn’t grow up in a running environment and being a camogie player when I was younger Christmas was usually the off season.

I have a lot of friends that have local Christmas Eve runs or Goal Miles but that’s not the case with me. I will be racing on New Year’s Eve this year though in Italy which will be fun.

FR: What is the best running related present you have received at Christmas?

CM: Hands down my first pair of spikes were the best running related gift I ever received.

My grandparents bought them for me. Up until then I ran cross country races in my football boots or borrowed some of the other girl’s spikes when I went to the All Irelands.

FR: What is your favourite childhood memory of Christmas?

CM: Oh I don’t know how to narrow this down. Some of my fondest memories are of the mundane things.

My family always got together on Christmas day, aunties, uncles, and my grandparents. I do miss that, and I miss my Granny Kathleen falling asleep in front of the fire after Christmas dinner.

FR: Do you have a funny Christmas memory that stands out?

CM: Even though I’m 26 years old, Santa still comes to our house… I know, I’m very lucky!

My sister is always up at the crack of dawn to wake us at 5 am on Christmas morning. I’ll add that she is now 19 years old. Needless to say, she is sent back to bed.

Another funny memory was when my brother drank fish oil that was sitting in a cup. He thought it was orange juice and it certainly ruined his appetite for a while.

FR: Who are you spending Christmas 2018 with?

CM: I will be spending Christmas with my family, my parents, three siblings, my grandfather, and my uncle. Plus our cat Michia and dogs Rio and Duke.

FR: What is your favourite food at Christmas?

CM: I love roast potatoes, though I can never make them the way my mummy does. My granny taught my sister how to make stuffing the way she always did, and I love that.

Oh and I also love the prawn cocktail starter and my mummy’s pavlova. I love it all!

FR: Will you be doing the cooking?

CM: I will be the first to admit I am the least talented Mageean in the kitchen. I’m usually out running or sorting the dogs in the garden, but I’ll help where ever I can.

Most likely chopping and cleaning as the rest of the family won’t leave me in charge of anything.

RELATED: A runner’s Christmas: Marc Scott

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us and become a patron. 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 A runner’s Christmas: Ciara Mageean appeared first on Fast Running.

A string of impressive performances throughout the year showed why Marc Scott is one of Great Britain’s most talented long distance runners.

The 25 year-old won 5000m gold at the British Championshionships in June before finishing a strong fifth over the distance at the European Championships in August. His time of 13:23.14 in Berlin was the fastest 5000m by a UK athlete in 2018.

On the roads, Scott also recorded the fastest 5k in the UK this year after a superb 13:45 at the Mid Chesire 5k in August. It was, in fact, the quickest time since 2012 by a British athlete.

RELATED: Marc Scott is the UK’s fastest over 5k this year… but he wants more

The Bowerman Track Club athlete also ran the UK’s fourth fastest 10k in 2018, clocking 28:57 to win the Trafford 10k in September.

A top three finish at the Liverpool Cross Challenge secured his spot on the GB team for December’s European Cross Country Championships, where he was the top finishing British athlete in ninth place.

Now at the end of the year, will the Richmond and Zetland athlete enjoy a deserving break over Christmas? Fast Running caught up with Scott to find out.

Fast Running: Will you train on Christmas Day?

Marc Scott: Yes I always do. It gives you a great appetite to eat lots of turkey afterwards.

This year I’ll be doing the Bury parkrun with my girlfriend and her family, just a steady run out with a good warm up and cool down.

FR: What about Boxing Day?

MS: Boxing Day will be a standard Wednesday’s training for me. This will be 70 minutes in the morning and a 35 minute run in the evening.

FR: Have you ever run a race over the Christmas period?

MS: Just last weekend I raced a local Poultry Run, that’s usually on the calendar (only due to the prizes) and then I am planning to target the Ribble Valley 10k on December 30.

It’s a good race to put a marker down and see how things are going after the festive period. You usually get a good bunch of runners going for quick times.

FR: What is the best running related present you have received at Christmas?

MS: The best present I have received is ‘Sneakerballs Shoe Fresheners’. There’s not a runner out there who wouldn’t make good use out of these!

FR: What is your favourite childhood memory of Christmas?

MS: Waking up to a mountain of presents on Christmas morning.

FR: Do you have a funny Christmas memory that stands out?

MS: There’s too many, one doesn’t stand out but there is usually a lot of laughter at home.

FR: Who are you spending Christmas Day with?

MS: I’ll be spending half the day with my girlfriend and her family and then we will travel up North back home to see my family for the rest of the day.

FR: What is your favourite food at Christmas?

MS: Pigs in Blankets and then on Christmas evening I love turkey rolls with salad cream.

FR: Will you be doing the cooking?

MS: No haha. My dad is usually the chef at Christmas!

RELATED: A runner’s Christmas: Jenny Nesbitt

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us and become a patron. 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 A runner’s Christmas: Marc Scott appeared first on Fast Running.

Jenny Nesbitt had a year to remember running personal bests over 3000m to 10,000m on the track and road bests from 3k to 10k.

The 23 year-old competed for Wales at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in April and the inaugural Commonwealth half marathon in October.

May was also a big month for the young distance runner. She won bronze over 5000m at the BUCS Championships before representing Great Britain at the European 10,000m Cup, which was incorporated into the Highgate Harriers Night of 10,000m PBs.

Now at the end of the year, will the Worcester athlete enjoy a well earned break over Christmas? Fast Running caught up with Nesbitt to find out.

Fast Running: Will you train on Christmas Day?

Jenny Nesbitt: Christmas Day falls on a Tuesday this year. From looking at my current schedule, it looks like I have 7×4 mins with two minutes off ‘float’ (aka still fast) recovery.

My family live in North Wales (literally as far as you can go before you hit Anglesey), so I will be getting up at the crack of dawn to get my training done before we drive there. I guess I’ll be feeling pretty smug come lunchtime (or shattered and wanting a lie down).

FR: What about Boxing Day?

JN: I will certainly be getting up and out on Boxing Day. It is my favourite morning to go running, especially as I can run along the coast.

Since it is on a Wednesday I have 12 miles easy, so it will be nice to get it done before spending some time with my family.

FR: Have you ever run a race over the Christmas period?

JN: I have never actually run a race over the Christmas period, but I have done a Boxing Day parkrun. It was the most horrific weather, knee deep in water and freezing cold. But so much fun.

It was the first time I managed to get my mum to come along too, so it felt like quite a special achievement!

FR: What is the best running related present you have received at Christmas?

JN: I have received a lot of running related presents over the years (very imaginative of my parents!), but I think the best gift I received was many years ago.

Described as a ‘stocking filler’ by my dad – but a torture tool by myself – my first foam roller was possibly the best present I received.

I had never considered post run recovery as a part of training before I got one, so I reckon this present saved me a lot of tight muscles and potential niggles – I’d take less missed days off running due to injury as a pretty good present!

Of course, there are socks too – you can never have too many socks.

FR: What is your favourite childhood memory of Christmas?

JN: I don’t know if I can class this as my favourite childhood memory, but I clearly remember as a child never being allowed to open ANY presents until after lunch. It was literally the most torturous thing as a little kid.

I’d sit by the tree all morning, picking up every single present that had my name on, shaking it, weighing it and pressing it, and doing everything I could to guess what they were. I guess my parents were trying to teach me to be patient. I’m still learning how to achieve this.

FR: Do you have a funny Christmas memory that stands out?

JN: There is one moment that really sticks out to me. My parents had recently divorced and it was our first Christmas with our dad. He was trying to make a big effort and cooking Christmas lunch (and he CAN NOT COOK).

All I remember is my dad walking into the house after going to the butchers, slamming down a Christmas ham on the worktop and getting out a carving knife. He began to carve the ham, cutting it up and taking a slice to eat. He kind of chewed on it, nodded his head, and stated how amazingly delicious it was.

It wasn’t until I mentioned to him that it needed to be cooked in the oven for a number of hours did he turn to me and say ‘I wondered why it tasted a little funny’. It is something I will never forget!

FR: Who are you spending Christmas 2018 with?

JN: I am spending Christmas this year with my mum, brother, granny and grandad, aunty and uncle. That is the extent of my mum’s side of the family, and we rarely get to spend time together, so it will be nice to spend some quality time with everyone for a couple of days.

FR: What is your favourite food at Christmas?

JN: Chocolate Yule Log. Hands down THE BEST food at Christmas. I have a massively sweet tooth and if I had the choice I would easily consume a whole one to myself over the space of a few days.

The more chocolate the better. For a more savoury option, I love Christmas ham (when fully cooked).

FR: Will you be doing the cooking?

JN: I don’t think I will be allowed anywhere near the kitchen to cook. My gran is cooking lunch this year and will want to have full control.

Although I don’t mind being the taste tester for any form of dessert. Or if the washing machine is full, I can certainly help cleaning the cake bowls.

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us and become a patron. 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 A runner’s Christmas: Jenny Nesbitt appeared first on Fast Running.