RUNNING ADVICE, SUPPORT AND CHARITY FUNDRAISING

Setting up a JustGiving page takes only a few minutes, but creating a really effective one takes considerably more thought. If you are running a 10K, half marathon, marathon or another challenge for charity, your JustGiving page is where potential donors discover what you are doing, why you are doing it and why the cause deserves their support.

Garmin Connect and Strava are two of the biggest platforms in running technology. Both can store and analyse runs, track progress and provide tools to help runners understand their training, but they have been developed with quite different priorities. Garmin Connect is primarily the training, health and activity platform behind Garmin watches and other Garmin devices. Strava is a broader fitness platform built around activity tracking, performance analysis, routes, segments

One of the biggest challenges when you are in Dublin for the marathon might be keeping out of the pubs in the days leading up to the race. This is a city famous for its nightlife, with Guinness never particularly difficult to find, but there will be plenty of time for that once you have crossed the finish line.

Stress fractures are among the more serious overuse injuries that runners can develop. Unlike an acute fracture caused by a fall or other sudden trauma, a running related stress fracture develops when repeated loading causes bone damage faster than the body can repair it.

Pasta has been associated with distance running for decades. Mention marathon nutrition and it does not take long before someone starts talking about eating a large bowl of pasta the night before the race. There is good reason for the connection because pasta is rich in carbohydrates, which play an important role in fuelling endurance exercise.

Looking for a fast autumn half marathon with big crowds, an international field and a course through the heart of a capital city? The Cardiff Half Marathon should certainly be on your list. Taking place on Sunday 4 October 2026, it has grown into one of Europe's largest half marathons and is now Wales' largest mass participation and multi-charity fundraising event.

Heart rate training gives runners another way to judge how hard they are working. Instead of relying entirely on pace, you use your heart rate to help control the intensity of different runs. This can be particularly useful because the same running pace does not always require the same effort. A comfortable pace on a cool morning may feel considerably harder when you are tired, running uphill or training in hot weather.

The Vancouver Sun Run is one of the great mass participation running events in North America. First held in 1985 with just 3,200 participants, it has grown into Canada’s largest 10K road race and an annual celebration of running that takes over the streets of Vancouver each spring.

A modern running shoe might look relatively simple. There is a fabric upper around your foot, a thick layer of cushioning underneath and rubber where the shoe meets the ground. Take one apart, however, and you discover a surprisingly sophisticated piece of engineering made from numerous materials and components.

For many runners, caffeine is already part of everyday life. A coffee before work, a cup of tea in the afternoon or an espresso before a weekend run might have nothing to do with sports performance, but caffeine is also one of the best researched performance aids available to endurance athletes.

The best vegetables for runners provide a combination of carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and plant compounds that can support training, recovery and overall health. Every runner knows vegetables are good for them, but many of us still don't eat enough. Potatoes often make it onto the plate because they're familiar and filling, yet the colourful vegetables that provide some of the biggest nutritional benefits are often overlooked.

Vitamin D might not receive as much attention from runners as carbohydrates, protein or electrolytes, but maintaining adequate levels is important for anyone who runs regularly. It plays an important role in bone and muscle health, helps the body absorb calcium and contributes to normal immune function. For runners, this matters because training repeatedly places stress on muscles and bones, making good nutrition an important part of supporting recovery and long term health.

Creatine is one of the most extensively researched sports supplements available, but most runners probably associate it with weight training rather than endurance sport. Its reputation has largely been built around improving strength, power and repeated high-intensity exercise, which might make it seem less relevant if most of your training involves running.

The BOLDERBoulder 10K is one of the biggest and most distinctive road races in the United States. Held every Memorial Day in Boulder, Colorado, the race attracts more than 50,000 runners, joggers and walkers to a course that winds through the city before delivering one of the most memorable finishes in running inside the University of Colorado's Folsom Field.

Calcium might not receive as much attention from runners as carbohydrates, protein or iron, but it is an important part of a healthy diet and particularly important for maintaining healthy bones. It also contributes to normal muscle and nerve function, so its role extends well beyond simply keeping your skeleton strong.

For people working in charity fundraising, supporting runners through their training and fundraising can become a familiar part of the job. You encourage them, provide fundraising ideas, check how their training is going and help them towards their target, but experiencing the challenge yourself can give you a very different perspective on what those runners are actually going through.

Taking on a half marathon for charity gives you a brilliant opportunity to raise money for a cause that matters to you. You might have secured a charity entry with a minimum fundraising target to reach, or you may already have your own place and have decided to use your 13.1 miles to support a charity of your choice.

The Loch Ness Marathon is one of the most distinctive marathons in the UK, taking runners through the spectacular Scottish Highlands and along the shores of one of the most famous lochs in the world before finishing in Inverness. This is very different from a major city marathon. There are long stretches of beautiful Highland countryside, relatively few spectators through parts of the course and enough changes in elevation to make pacing important.

The Peachtree Road Race 2027 takes place in Atlanta, Georgia, on July 4 and will once again bring together tens of thousands of runners and walkers for one of the biggest mass participation running events in the world. Starting in Buckhead and finishing beside Piedmont Park, the 10K has become an important part of Independence Day celebrations in Atlanta.

Iron probably does not receive as much attention from runners as carbohydrates, protein or hydration, but it plays an essential role in both your health and your ability to exercise. One of its most important jobs is helping your body produce haemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells responsible for carrying oxygen around the body.