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The Big Five Marathon is a real adventure. In one of the most spectacular game reserves in Africa this challenging route crosses right through the habitat of the African game, including the famous Big Five: Elephant, Rhino, Buffalo, Lion and Leopard. There are no fences, no rivers, nothing at all separating the runners from the African wildlife! It's a package only trip but could it well be one that's worth the investment.

There are so many charities that you can support. It can be very easy to make the wrong choice if you don't follow these 5 top tips. Remember that you don't have to raise a fixed amount unless you are running for a charity on a 'guaranteed entry'. This is when the charity gives you a spot in a race in exchange for a specific amount of fundraising. If you aren't running on a 'charity entry' you can raise whatever you can. But who should you run for?

One of the largest marathons in Europe it's a fast and flat course through Greater Manchester starting near Old Trafford football stadium and heading towards the city centre before looping around some of east Cheshire's favourite towns and back to Old Trafford. The race has a rich history dating back to 1908. April is a busy marathon month in the UK, with Manchester, Brighton and London all happening within a month of each other.

Being an elite runner means total dedication and a phenomenal amount of running. We have a fascinating interview with Daniel Mateiko who trains with the legend that is Eliud Kipchoge. Two runs a day and just one on Sunday. '30k easy' shows just what you need to do to become a runner that competes on the world stage. He won the RAK Half Marathon in the UAE, one of the fastest half marathons in the world. It's not hard to see why he's a winner when you watch this. Have a watch

Want to run your next event for free? Fancy a new pair of running shoes. Find out more right here.

Hoka One One means 'Fly over the Earth' in Maori and devotees of this brand will absolutely agree with that sentiment. Hoka as the brand is more readily known has based its shoe design on cushioning and after becoming the shoe of choice of trail runners and triathletes. It's now a favourite of distance runners worldwide, as well as fashionistas. Why?

ON is a Swiss company and another of the relatively 'new kids on the block'. A real 'disruptor' in the running shoe industry, it's another that started life in the triathlon world, before becoming established in road running. As its popularity grows it has moved across to mainstream fashion, just like many before it.

One of the most successful companies in the world Nike was founded as recently as 1964 by Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight and was known initially as Blue Ribbon Sports. Seven years later it took on the name with which we are all now so familiar, being named after the Greek goddess of victory. It's one of the most successful companies in the world and it's safe to say that most of us have worn a pair of Nike shoes at some point in our lives. But what about their running shoes?

Honolulu is a tough place to run, unless you're used to heat and humidity. If you live in somewhere like Singapore this one would be fairly straightforward but coming from the mainland US in December it's tough. But then 'tough' is a challenge and challenges are good. The Honolulu Marathon weekend is made up of 4 events, a mile and 5k on Saturday and the 10k and the Marathon on Sunday. We tried out the 10k. We'll do the Marathon another time :)

The second biggest sportswear manufacturer in the world after Nike, Adidas is a German company that began life in 1924 as Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory, the brainchild of the Dassler brothers. In 1948 they had a major falling out, leading to the creation of Puma. Adolf founded adidas and Rudolf created Puma. Running shoes were an early part of the Adidas, but they have not always been a priority.

There aren't many running shoe manufacturers that only make running shoes. Brooks is one of them. They have seemingly been around for ever and most runners who have been pounding the miles for a while will have had a pair of brooks. The likes of Ghost, Glycerin and Adrenaline have been part of the running world for years and can always been be relied on. They are available in over 60 countries so if you love running the chances are that you'll try them at some point.

The name consists of the acronym of the Latin expression, Anima Sana In Corpore Sano, meaning “a sound mind in a sound body”. It is the philosophy under which the company operates, and the fundamental platform on which it still stands. ASICS’ long-standing corporate vision is to “create quality lifestyle through intelligent sport technology”.

One of the most popular running apps, Runkeeper uses the GPS technology found in your phone to track your fitness activity, giving you results comparable to a GPS watch. The intuitive and easy-to-use interface of the app makes it easy to track how far you went, how long it took, what your pace/speed was, how many calories you burned, and the path you travelled on a map! The website stores all the information.

Swimming: it's non loading bearing, a great stress buster, an all over workout, and it burns calories in a big way, what's not to love?

Veggies are essential to all diets, let alone a runner's diet, but most of us don't get enough. We don't have a problem eating potatoes but it's the green ones that most of us don't get enough of. And the other ones that are really good for you like beets etc. We'll discuss them here and detail the best ones for runners.

It's not one of the World Marathon Majors but the Paris Marathon is still right up there as one of the big ones; one of the marathons where you just know you're going to be seeing some of the most recognisable landmarks on the globe and where you'll be rubbing shoulders with tens of thousands of other runners. It doesn't have quite the spectator support in places, as the likes of London and New York, but it is still well worth ticking off the list. We tell you more.

Dubai shares the spotlight with some of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world. One of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates, the city is home to more than 200 nationalities and offers an unforgettable experience to all visitors. One of these is the marathon and 10k that starts in the shadow of the iconic Burj Al Arab. It's a flat course and the weather during race month is perfect.

If you're taking part in an upcoming major marathon you need to think really carefully about taking part in a big race beforehand.