This book is not about breaking records and winning medals. It is about the joys and experience of running for fun at home and in different countries. It illustrates how it is possible to run big city marathons over the weekend and on a limited budget and still meet the locals and take in some of the sights. It is also about the fun in running local events in all weathers. I have commented on my personal training program and how it has changed over the years. The book is part biographical and I have not hesitated to give my thoughts and reflections on issues that include: war, national traits, diet, lifestyle and much else. May I apologize in advance if any of the views expressed in this book offends the reader- challenging perhaps but not intended to cause offence. It is hoped the book inspires others to join the marathon trail and see where it takes them.

Every person has an interesting life story to tell and I do not claim that my story is unique. I write about my experience of living alone with my grandmother on an Irish farm and why it shaped my national identity. My life-changing move to London and the need to become street wise and still make it to university is covered. I describe how my debating exploits at school and university got me an invitation to The House of Lords and how I met my future wife, and entering a grammar school for the very first time as teacher. My passion for comprehensive education, more enlightened science teaching and my role in senior school management all get an airing as well as my camping, political and sporting adventures. Space is given to how we made lifelong friends with some Germans and our many years of skiing in Austria and Norway. The book also covers the period from early retirement in 1999 to my years teaching in some of Englands elite private schools and why girls really do love chocolate. I describe how I coped with a heart bypass in 2012 and got back to marathon running and took up marathon bike riding for charity. I conclude with my take on the human predicament.

Ultra-marathons are not the preserve of the fitness elite - with hard work and solid training ordinary people can take part. At first 100k and 5000m ascent/descent may seem intimidating but, as experience grows, this turns in to an achievable adventure in the Alps. Starting with the flagship UTMB 'Courmayeur Champex Chamonix' (CCC) race this book traces a journey across Europe ending back in Chamonix with the 'Sur les Traces des Ducs de Savoie' (TDS)'. The races on this journey include UTMR, Ut4M, Transylvania 50 and 80, South de France 100, Arctic Ultra, Lakeland 100 and Ecotrail events in Oslo and Paris. Each event is covered in detail so you know what to expect should you decide to enter.Written from the back half of the pack, the steps to success are unpicked and laid out (including how to deal with a 'Did Not Finish') showing what is possible with planning, training, self-belief and a touch of luck.Come with me on a journey in to the night.

Guidebook to fastpacking - multi-day running trips carrying the bare essentials - in the UK, Europe and beyond. Includes 12 route ideas (all tried and tested), fastpacking stories from around the world (featuring Jez Bragg, Anna Frost and Jasmin Paris), and invaluable tips and tricks to help you prepare for your own running adventure. A summary of each route idea is provided, together with mapping and a gradient profile, as well as highlights, tips and 'tales from the trail'. Invaluable practical information is also included, covering everything you need to know to prepare and plan for a trip: training, accommodation options, safety, equipment, apparel, nutrition, hydration and more. The route ideas and stories featured showcase an impressive range of fastpacking opportunities, both in the UK and abroad. From mountain hut hopping trips, bothy discovery tours and wild camping expeditions, the inspirational tales and selected trails are guaranteed to entice 'everyday' runners to try their hand at a multi-day journey, be it in the Brecon Beacons, Bhutan or beyond.

Analysing in-depth data from 11 European countries, this collection explores the rise of the European running market, the reasons and motives for running, and the most important players in the field. The volume sets out policy challenges and marketing possibilities and addresses issues of participation, cost and health.

The story of Scotsman Andrew Murray's attempt to run from Scotland to the Sahara without a break. It is 2,659 miles from John O'Groats at the northern tip of mainland Britain to Merzouga in Morocco and Andrew planned to complete the distance in 85 days. That's the equivalent of 100 marathons run end to end--and not a single day off to recover. Attempting to cram in a staggering 8,000 calories every day is extremely difficult and doesn't stop the body from beginning to break down. This book is the story of that run, interwoven between tales of extraordinary endurance events in some of the most extreme locations in the world. It answers the question, 'why do it?', and offers a gripping insight into what drives an extreme athlete to break new ground. Murray's epic journey was the subject of a BBC documentary.

John Wallace is no ordinary runner. Over the course of his career, Wallace completed 376 marathons in 125 countries. He holds eight world records, including being the first to run thirty-one marathons in thirty-one different countries in a single year. Join Wallace as he recounts the path he took, or rather ran, to become one of the most successful international marathoners in this engaging, humorous, and motivational memoir. Plenty of obstacles appeared along the way, including the need to locate, register, and make accommodations in foreign countries without the benefit of the Internet. And when he decided to run a marathon in every country in Europe, Wallace had to find people willing to help him organize races in countries without established marathons. But Wallace persevered and, in 2009, crushed another world record when he crossed the finish line in Tahiti-breaking the record of a marathon in ninety-nine different countries. He continued to set goals and break records, completing a marathon in nearly every capital in the world. Whether you run, travel, or prefer the comfort of your living room couch, you'll love this celebration of the world's vastness-and the perseverance of the human spirit.