National Post

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Our Massive Map of marathons, half marathons, charity runs, 5Ks and other ways to get moving in 2013
Ben Kaplan, the Post’s resident marathon man and running expert, has compiled a list of 56 races across Canada, conveniently already in fridge-map format for easy viewing. Enjoy!
[Graphic designed by Richard Johnson/National Post]

Fall marathon season: 42.2 ways to get ready for your big race
It takes a lot of different factors coming together for a race of any distance to go perfectly, but by adopting a few of the following suggestions, you can probably make your outing wearing a bib running through city streets a bit more comfortable, and maybe even improve your time, too.

nationalpostsports:

An aerial view shows cross-country skiers climbing a hill during the Engadin Ski Marathon near the Swiss mountain resort of St. Moritz. More than 11,000 skiers participated in the 42.2 km (26.2 miles) race between Maloja and S-chanf near the Swiss mountain resort of St. Moritz. (Photo: REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann)

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This winter, Canadians are expected to take up running in record numbers, so we spoke to Jessica Britton, head product designer for the Running Room, and present this guide to dressing for runs in wind, snow, cold and everything else.

Gary Clement’s week in review for Oct. 16 to 22, 2011 

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Good news: 100-year-old becomes world’s oldest marathon runner; Bad news: Runner, 27, dies in waterfront marathon
Mere seconds from completing the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon on Sunday, a 27-year-old man collapsed and died just short of the finish line.

The half-marathon runner had just 300 metres to go when he dropped near the intersection of King and Wellington streets at 11:15 a.m. and never got up, race organizers say. He was transported to hospital “with no vital signs,” the race’s medical director Bruce Minnes said in an emailed statement, but not before a bystander rushed in to help by administering CPR with the help of the Marathon’s first responder units. Their efforts to revive him failed.

But there was indeed joy at the race’s finish despite the runner’s tragic death. 100-year-old Fauja Singh of India broke a record Sunday, becoming the world’s oldest marathon runner when he crossed the finish line approximately eight hours after his start. The centarian’s feat will go down in the Guinness Book of World Records. Kenyan Kenneth Mungara won his fourth consecutive marathon title, finishing the race in two hours, nine minutes and 51 seconds — the time it takes many runners to complete the half marathon. (Photo: CNW Group/Scotiabank)

Baby steps: How old should a child be to run a marathon?
It doesn’t take an expert to realize that there was something wrong with Budhia Singh’s training schedule. Singh, who lives in India and was coached by a trainer, ran 48 marathons and 20 half-marathons in one year. At the time, Singh was four years old.

“It’s easy to tut at a developing country from the vantage point of the West, but it’s too simplistic to talk about human rights abuse — the boy didn’t have any rights,” says Gemma Atwal, who spent five years with Singh to make her new documentary, Marathon Boy. “I don’t approve of a boy made to run such long distances, but it’s important to remember — no one was protesting when Budhia was scouring through the rubbish for something to eat.”

While Budhia’s story is like something out of Dickens — the child was sold by his mother, became a folk hero for his running and ultimately lost everyone he loved — it also raises difficult questions. Most of the biggest Canadian races offer some sort of kid’s run, in which children as young as Budhia are encouraged to compete. We hear a lot about the importance of exercise for children, but how far should they be running, and at what age should they be allowed to start? (Photo: AFP/Getty Images)

Measuring heart: Racing isn’t only about getting faster times
You see a lot of things at the end of a marathon. People bursting into tears, people falling into wheelchairs and people looking triumphantly for their husbands or wives. I was at the Ottawa marathon this past weekend and got some stories from the race participants.

“I got really emotional,” said Lucas McAneney, 24, who was the top Canadian finisher and still fighting back tears after the race. “I saw my dad while I was running and nearly lost it, I could just tell he was so proud.”

Photo: Kenyans Silas Sang, left, and Hosea Rotich, right, gave Ben Kaplan a few tips on technique before racing to fourth and fifth place finishes, respectively, in the Ottawa Marathon. (Dave Chan for National Post)

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Kenya’s Mutai wins Boston Marathon in record time 
BOSTON — Kenya’s Geoffrey Mutai won the Boston Marathon in 2 hours, 3 minutes, 2 seconds – the fastest anyone has ever run the 26.2 mile distance. The previous best of 2:03:59 was by Haile Gebrselassie in Berlin 2008. Because Monday’s race had a strong tailwind on a downhill course, Mutai’s run is not recognized by track’s international governing body as a record. But Mutai was almost three minutes better than the course record set just last year by Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)