For those of you who like to read elite runner profiles and interviews, there are two good stories up at Runner's World (yes, that's right RW) at the moment. So tonight's homework assignment is to read them!
1)A Brief Chat with Ron Hill. Is on British marathon and "streaker", Ron Hill. He is an interesting guy, the second man to break 2:10 in the marathon, former Boston marathon winner, he helped form modern run wear and claims to have not missed a day of running since December 1964 (*some of his "runs" have involved crutches and one leg, but that is some impressive commitment).
All the barefoot/minimalist die-hards will like the story, since he touts the benefits: I've always been a big believer in minimalist shoes. It's all a matter of angles. Big shoes have too much wobble to them. That increases the strain on your ankles, knees and hips. You're much better off with your feet close to the ground--almost barefoot. That's how humans evolved to run, and through evolution we're well designed to run barefoot.
Anyway, for more on this runner have a peek. Definitely a man with a passion for the act, business and sport of running.
2)THE KING OF PAIN A (rather dark) profile on Ultra-running stud Scott Jurek and his challenges the past few years. This preamble sets the tone of the article: No one knows how to push through a bad patch better than Scott Jurek, one of the better known ultramarathoners. But recently, Jurek has endured a string of painful setbacks that have him questioning everything—even if he wants to keep running.
I have never met him, but have definitely admired his accomplishments as an athlete. Winning Western States 100(miles) 7-times, along with numerous other ultra races is impressive and I hope that he finds his mojo again. I would love to race him on form. I have no idea how much of the article is journalistic license and how much is true, but you don't often get to read this much on an ultra runner, so take the time to have a look. His reasons for choosing veganism are interesting, much less idealistic than I would have assumed (you know what they say about assumptions:"ass u me").
2 comments:
Thanks for the link to the Ron Hill article. I missed it and have always admired his career. If you get a chance, his books 'The Long Hard Road' (parts 1 & 2) are quite fascinating.
The Scott Jurek article had me questioning things as well. It kept me wondering how much was sensationalized for a good read.
Yeah, Ron Hill is interesting. Seems like one of the first true "professional runners," of the modern era with his clothing line and travels etc...
I haven't read his books, but would love to. I love reading about runners, old training methods, the big races. I'll have a look around for it.
Although somewhat sensationalized, I'm sure the Jurek piece has a lot of truth to it. When you have to compress info into a few pages, the story can often appear over done.
He wouldn't be the first champion to have had a hard time dealing with real life adversity and when your genre of racing gives you that much time for thought and self-reflection, as well as so many highs and lows, it is bound to affect you.
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