Category: News

In less than two weeks,  around 30,000 runners will participate in the Marine Corps Marathon, which is now the fifth largest 26.2-mile race of its kind in the U.S., trailing behind New York City, Chicago, Boston, and Los Angeles. Nearly half of these MCM runners are first-time marathoners. When Oprah ran in this race in…

  The New York Times recently published a short essay by veteran running icons Amby Burfoot and George Hirsch, “The Honorable Clan of the Long-Distance Runner,” that considered today’s marathon runner in the wake of fabricated times (yes, that means you Rep. Paul Ryan) and the 26.2-mile race’s continued popularity. “There are no shortcuts to…

Planet Wild Launches! It’s a new adventure, travel and fitness site that will bring readers and multisport athletes an even greater taste of the great outdoors. Editor and founder is Bill Katovsky, and the site is done in conjunction with RailRiders Adventure Clothing. Feature Stories Include: Amazon Crossing: Mickey Grosman’s 5,000-Mile Quest Becoming a Navy…

Jeremy Johnson, a three-time All-American and two-time USA national XC team member, received his Masters of Science Degree in Applied Mathematics at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In 2007 and 2008, he was University of New Mexico’s Male Track and
 Field Athlete of the Year. His PRs are impressive: 13:35.13  for…

Wow. What a wonderful, dizzying past two weeks it’s been as many of the world’s greatest athletes competed in the London 2012 Olympics. The running events were especially exciting to watch (online or live for the lucky spectators); from the sprints to the middle and long-distance, the races were epic and inspirational. Who can ever…

The color green, or rather an eye-popping fusion of lemon and lime green took center stage at the track and field events at the London 2012 Olympic Games. This “green” is the new gold. The reason? Look to the athletes’ feet. Many are wearing shoes from the new “Nike Volt Collection.” About the only runner…

Please visit our Facebook page here (and please don’t forget to “like” us if you haven’t already). You will find photos as well as links to a number of articles about the Olympics. Additionally, as you scroll down the timeline, you will find articles and photos on a wide range of running and health topics,…

The start of the women’s marathon at the 2012 London Games was moments away. Here’s what a few of the 116 starters wore. Tiki Gelana, of Ethiopia, went on to set an Olympic record by winning the women’s marathon in 2:23:07. Americans Shalane Flanagan and Kara Goucher finish 10th and 11th.

*** For the first several Olympics, there weren’t any clothing requirements for athletes. At that time, the Olympics were not yet considered a nationalistic competition among countries but of amateur athletes competing against each other. According to Marathon and Beyond, “Many of these athletes were sponsored by athletic clubs or colleges, but often the Olympic…

Welcome to the second edition of the M-Factor, a regular feature of the Natural Running Center that provides readers with the latest trends and news in the minimalist running world. – Nick Pang and Bill Katovsky *** In our first M-Factor column, we asked, “where is minimalism headed?” The answer is a steady increase of…

“The Really Big Show” is a top-rated sports talk radio show that’s broadcast every morning from 9-12 on WKNR-AM in Cleveland, Ohio, and is a primary affiliate of ESPN Radio. So when Jeff Fisher, the owner of  Cleveland Running Company (the Natural Running Center store affiliate is actually based in nearby Shaker Heights), found out…

It’s the kind of news story that leaves one feeling terribly sad and depressed.  In this week’s issue of Newsweek, though you can read the article here on Daily Beast, reporter Aram Roston sheds disturbing light on a most unfortunate casualty of Mexico’s intractable drug war: the Tarahumara. Their remarkable ability to run far and…

As the third stop on its 10-city tour, the Naked Foot 5K had its largest turnout so far last weekend in the Washington, D.C. suburb of Chevy Chase, Maryland. Presented by Altra Running, which has helped make “zero drop” the go-to term for those interested in minimalist footwear (as well as the name of a…

by Dr. Nick Campitelli. For those unaware, adidas has now been named in a lawsuit regarding its version of the “toe shoes” called the adiPure Trainer shoes. Joseph Rocco claimed in a class-action lawsuit filed last week in New York federal court that the $90 pair of adiPure shoes that he purchased did not deliver…

    The key to walking on a high-wire is the heel!  So says this ESPN video by John Brenkus and the Sport Science team that analyzes the biomechanics and physics  behind Nik Wallenda’s successful high-wire walk across Niagara Falls Typically, the foot is supported by three main balance points. But on a narrow surface…

by Bill Katovsky. I keep a close watch on this heart of mine I keep my eyes wide open all the time I keep the ends out for the tie that binds Because you’re mine, I walk the line — Johnny Cash, “I Walk The Line” On Friday night before a crowd of a 100,000…

  Technology and natural running might seem mutually exclusive, though any number of minimal and barefoot purists regularly log their GPS-tracked workouts on mobile devices and social networking sites. The newest entry to Future Jock is the Joggobot, an airborne robot running companion.The robot is actually a quadrotor, or helicopter with four rotors. It carries…

I admit that the past few months have been busy. In  addition to co-authoring “Tread Lightly: Form, Footwear, and the Quest for Injury-Free Running” with Pete Larson, I also edited and assembled a new collection of running quotes. And so I am pleased to announce that “1,001 Pearls of Runners’ Wisdom: Advice and Inspiration for…

Kílian Jornet Burgada is a Spanish ski mountaineer, ultrarunner, mountain biker and duathlete. With that said, the 2011 Western State 100 winner is considered the world’s fastest billy goat, possessed of an uncanny ability to fly over steep, treacherous, foot-slipping terrain. Only 23 years old, his natural running talent is totally off the charts, and…

The following is excerpted from the chapter, “The Running Shoe” in the new book, Tread Lightly: Form, Footwear, and the Quest for Injury-Free Running, by Peter Larson and Bill Katovsky — NRC *** Man spent several million years evolving as a runner. The athletic shoe has a much shorter history—about 180 years. But the modern…

Natural Running Center is now on Facebook!  We’ve been adding posts since late April. Lots of new stuff that you won’t find here on the NRC website. Like what, you ask? Here’s a sample: Fighting Father Time: Does Getting Older Automatically Mean Slower Times? A Mind-Blowingly Simple Way to Keep the Laces of Your Running…