running on the web

Following the first instalment, here’s another list of interesting running-related articles I’ve come across recently, in between overdoses of the grumpy cat and the Ikea monkey memes.

One

Some days are just way too busy for me to even consider lacing up my running shoes. Surely I’m doing something wrong, especially if it’s true that Ron Hill has been running at least a mile a day since December 20, 1964. That’s a whole lotta running.

Two

Andrew Murray ran 7 ultra-marathons in 7 continents in less than 7 days. Is this some sort of conspiracy to make me feel guilty about having stayed in bed this morning?

Three

Total Sport founder Aaron Carter spoke to the New Zealand Herald about the tough road to organising running events. An interesw Zealand.

Four

The Washington Post wonders what it would be like if Disney’s Sleeping Beauty was a runner.

Five

Your daily dose of goosebumps is courtesy of Debbie Heald (via Fit and Feminist’s Facebook page).

Did I miss anything good? The internet is kind of big and, in between work, bathroom breaks and a few hours of sleep, there may have been something I missed. Fill me in!

I post an awful lot of running-related stuff on my Facebook, often forgetting that my non-running friends and relatives might not actually give a crap about it.

Before I alienate them all and suddenly stop getting invited to birthday parties (and start missing out on free cake), I thought it’d be a good idea to link to those other sites here and then link to this post on Facebook, thus decreasing the number of running-related updates on my Facebook profile and creating the illusion that I actually do have a life beyond running (hahaha, fools).

One

The Badass of the Week website this week features one of the nicest badasses of all time – Cliff Young, a “toothless 61 year-old potato farmer from Beech Forest, Victoria, who’d lived in a one-room bark hut with six brother and sisters during the Great Depression and showed up to the starting line of the [Westfield Sydney to Melbourne Ultra Marathon] race in overalls and rain boots”. We’re talking 875km, people.

So you think “whatever, old dude thought he’d have a go and then realised it wasn’t for him”. Wrong. Try “had a go at it, beat all elite athletes and smashed the record by two entire freaking days”. Head over to the Badass of the Week site for the whole story. It’s a great read, simultaneously inspiring and hilarious.

Two

Running naked (and I mean birthday-suit-type-of-naked, not “naked running” to refer to running without a tracking device or music, like some runners do) has been deemed legal in New Zealand. I’m all for personal freedom and all that stuff but I’m also hoping this doesn’t become a thing.

Three

The Hairpin nailed my usual half marathon training plan. Mine usually has more beer and less trips to Brazil but the rest is pretty much the same.

Four

The T-Rex Runner found and interviewed Thomas, the man in the “50, fat, diabetic, ahead of you” that has been doing the rounds on the internet. You can read all about it here.

Five

Holy muddy shoes, New Zealand has a new magazine dedicated to trail running! Can you tell I’m excited? I’d be happy even if the magazine was a little bit shit because, who cares, it’s about trail running! But not even! It’s really well written, super interesting and with a great design. It wins all around.

I got a copy with my subscription of Wilderness magazine (published by the same company) and headed online for the digital issue. The full digital version is available online for free (!!!) until December 24, by which time you’ll have to be smart enough to realise you really ought to fork out the mere NZ$30 for the yearly subscription.

Righto, that should keep you out of trouble for a while.