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Speed up your backpacking with our guide to getting started fastpacking.

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Tristan Miller and Darren Foss have already begun their journey around the world, during which Miller plans to test himself by running 52 marathons in just one year.

Run Like Crazy kicked off in Zurich, Switzerland on January 1, 2010. By the end of the year, Miller will have run just over 1,363 miles (2194.14 kilometers), not counting training. Foss is a newbie marathon runner who plans mostly to document the journey, but will also run in at least two marathons.

Photo by corono

Why are they doing it? Besides hoping to raise $100,000 to pledge to UNICEF, Miller says:

“How often do we sit around with our mates and wonder what it would be like to jump on a plane and do all the cool things you dream about, all the things that a friend of a friend enjoyed on his/her holiday? To do it all you’d need 4 weeks a year for the next decade to scratch the surface. If you’re a sports/rock/movie star, they pay you to be in these places and have these adventures. Well, Dazzler and I are none of those things, but we want to have those adventures too and in 2010 we’re gonna do it all!”

Their itinerary is impressive, jumping from the USA to Cyprus in one week, tearing through Europe and Africa, and then heading back to the USA a few weeks later for another race. It isn’t hard to see why they expect the trip to cost about $150,000.

Miller’s biggest fear is getting sick or injured. In an attempt to avoid nasty stomach bugs, the men intend to cook most of their own meals while on the road. Miller also has to watch his weight and muscle mass to avoid injuries like stress fractures, but he’s confident he can pull it off.

Community Connection

Set some marathon goals of your own with these 50 Walk/Bike/Run Events.

Original photo: TheTruthAbout

A paper published last week in Nature suggests that runners who go barefoot might be less likely to suffer stress fractures and other common use injuries.

Researchers from Harvard, the University of Glasgow, and Moi University analyzed the gaits of both shod and barefoot runners in the US and Kenya. The study, which was partially funded by minimalist shoe company Vibram, found that most runners who wore sneakers used a “heel-striking” gait that subjected their legs to massive shocks, while barefoot runners naturally adjusted their stride to land on the front of the foot.

“By landing on the middle or front of the foot, barefoot runners have almost no impact collision, much less than most shod runners generate when they heel-strike,” said Harvard evolutionary biology professor and paper co-author Daniel E. Lieberman.

“Most people today think barefoot running is dangerous and hurts, but actually you can run barefoot on the world’s hardest surfaces without the slightest discomfort and pain. All you need is a few calluses to avoid roughing up the skin of the foot.”

Photo: emilydickensonridesabmx

US runners stick to shoes

While many people in Kenya and other countries learn to run without shoes, barefooters have traditionally been a fringe group among US runners.

The practice started to get more attention in 2009, after the publication of Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. The book describes Mexico’s Tarahumara Indians, who run long distances at great speeds while wearing only thin sandals.

Born to Run also profiled “Barefoot” Ted McDonald, a marathoner and running coach who is one of barefoot running’s most famous advocates. In an interview with Runner’s World, Barefoot Ted said that he had received “thousands” of emails from readers since the book came out.

“Readers are so happy to hear that they’re not just broken by default,” he said. “Many people have been convinced, either by the media or somebody in the medical field, that they were not designed to run. They thought of their feet as injury-prone appendages that needed extra padding, protection and support in order to run.”

Even with science on its side, barefoot running isn’t likely to become the norm in the US anytime soon. In an ESPN poll conducted last year, only 34% of respondents said that they would consider running barefoot.

Geography also complicates things. In my home city of Chicago, running barefoot is out of the question during the winter, at least if you plan on keeping your toes.

Photo: vanRijn

Going barefoot

If you do choose to lose the shoes, it’s important to do it gradually. Because barefoot running uses a different set of muscles than shod running, runners who aren’t careful about making the switch risk damaging their Achilles tendons.

Dr. Lieberman recommends starting with short runs and increasing distance by no more than 10% a week.

Minimalist shoes can also provide some protection from scrapes and cuts without affecting your stride. Barefoot Ted’s site offers custom-made leather and rubber running sandals inspired by Tarahumara shoes. Vibram’s glove-like Five Fingers shoes are another popular option.

Photo courtesy of mikebaird

It wasn’t even nine in the morning and I was already drenched from the blanket of humidity that Jeju Island, Korea, had thrown on me. Still, I wasn’t going to let the heat deter me. I had finally discovered the perfect place to watch the people of the island interact with each other.

I was headed to the local park.

It was a huge park somewhere in the middle of Jeju City, with miles of tree-lined walking trails. With nothing on my schedule for the day, I wandered along, watching groups of old women in long pants and gloves speed by me. Young couples strolled at a much more casual pace, smiling and chatting with each other.

I walked for hours through that park, and I could have walked for hours more, sweat and all.

To me, it was the best walk in the world.

Or was it? Because there was that time I strolled along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon on Christmas Day. There was nobody on the trail, and the view of the snow-covered canyon was stunning.

And then there’s that walk I take several times a week, through a local park where kids shriek with laughter from the playgrounds and families eat sub sandwiches from the nearby grocery store. The familiarity and comfort of that walk makes it one of my favorites as well.

All three walks are different. The question is, what defines the best walk?

Is it a walk that helps a person discover the essence of a place? What about a stroll that inspires the muse?

Just as we categorize the best bars, restaurants, and activities across the globe, we’re more than content to try to nail down everything from the best English walks for book lovers to the best walks in cities like Seattle.

There is even a website dedicated to collecting the world’s best walks and hikes, complete with assessment criteria.

But even with a grading scale, can the perfect walk for one person really be the same for everyone?

Community Connection

What do you think is the world’s best walk? What makes it so special? Share your thoughts below.

Looking for a walk to remember? Check out one of these unusual, intellectual and downright scary walking tours. If you’re feeling gutsy, try walking on fire.

Photo by barbara.keyworth.

1. Bare Buns Fun Run West – Issaquah, WA

Now in its 19th year, this clothing-optional 5K challenges runners with a dirt course up Tiger Mountain, located outside Seattle. Fraternity Snoqualmie, a family nudist park, sponsors the event, whose tag-line is “Be brave, be tough, beat the mountain in the buff!”

2. Doughnut Run 5K – Ames, IA

The Doughnut Run, put on by the Iowa State University Triathlon Club, rewards participants for eating Krispy Kreme doughnuts at designated stations on the route. Runners earn subtractions from their finish time for each doughnut consumed and successfully held down.

North Carolina State holds a similar run, in which participants must run two miles to a Krispy Kreme store, consume a dozen doughnuts, and run back to the start.

3. Fat Boy 5K – Baton Rouge, LA

The Fat Boy 5K groups runners into three divisions based on weight: Clydesdale, for runners between 200 and 230 pounds, Super Clydesdale, for runners between 231 and 260 pounds, and Ultra Clydesdale, over 260 pounds.

Runners have the option of competing as a team, but members’ combined weight must be at least 650 pounds. The event provides refreshments like doughnuts, chocolate milk, beer, and coke.

4. Fremont 5K and Briefcase Relay – Seattle, WA

Teams of five compete in this 5K relay, passing a briefcase full of canned food from one teammate to the next. The cans are donated to a local non-profit, and participants are encouraged to dress in their own interpretations of “business attire.”

5. Chase the Gorilla Down Argilla 5K – Ipswich, MA

Put on by the Ipswich YMCA, participants in this road race chase a person in a gorilla suit, nicknamed Argy. Argy sticks around after for photos, but the gorilla’s identity is a well-kept secret.

6. Beat Beethoven 5K – various locations

Instead of competing against each other, participants in the Beat Beethoven 5k race against Beethoven’s famous Fifth Symphony, trying to finish before the last note of the 32-minute piece. The race has has caught on across the US and Canada, and various cities now hold their own versions. The music is piped in along the course or, like in Covington, KY, played by a live orchestra.

Photo by nolaclutterbusters

7. Pajama Run 5K – various locations

Several US cities host pajama runs, nighttime races run in pajamas. Participants tend to get creative with the pajama concept, wearing footie pajamas or nighttime face cream. In Charleston, SC, the race is followed by a pajama party, and benefits cancer research.

8. Red Dress Run – various locations

These runs are put on by chapters of the Hash House Harriers, a social drinking and running club. The events draw both male and female participants, and involve a significant amount of cross dressing, hilarity, and drinking. They’re essentially massive, costumed pub crawls.

The largest Red Dress Run is in New Orleans. About 2,500 people registered for the “three to four” mile run in 2009.

Community Connection

If you’d rather be pedaling, check out 8 Quirky Bike Rides Across the US.

Photo: kevinzim

I was less than a mile from the finish line of my first half marathon, and I wasn’t sure that I could make it. My mouth was dry and my legs were quickly filling with cement as I plodded down the red dirt path. Forward momentum was the only thing keeping me in motion.

Well, that and the fact that Bob, a 40-something diplomat from the local American embassy, was beating me. Me, a 25-year-old athlete and former high school soccer state champion.

Sure, Bob was an avid long-distance runner, and I had never run more than four consecutive miles in my life. But it was the principle of the thing: he was older and fatter than me, and I wanted to beat him. As long as the remainder of the course continued downhill, I thought I just might have a chance.

That’s when I spotted the Grevy’s zebra. It was trotting through the grass on my right, headed directly toward the path in front of me. The zebra hadn’t noticed me yet. I had no idea what it might do when it did. Zebras are notoriously ill-tempered and known to panic under stress.

I found myself trapped in a game of chicken that could have been torn from the pages of National Geographic. If I stopped now, so close to my goal, I might not be able to start again. If I didn’t yield to the zebra, I risked spooking it and suffering even worse consequences.

Photo: kevinzim

Described by Runner’s World as ‘one of the ten races of your life,’ the Safaricom Marathon isn’t easy. Held every June among the rolling plains of the private Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in northern Kenya, the footrace covers a 20 kilometer loop of trail usually traveled by photographers in all-terrain safari vehicles.

But a walking safari this is not. Averaging temperatures of over 80 degrees Fahrenheit and an altitude of 5,500 feet, the Safaricom Marathon’s course would be daunting even without the wildlife. It’s not a race for setting a personal record.

It was in no way a love of the sport that drew me to join Bob and his ragtag team of Marines and Canadian expats in the half marathon race. When strangers found out that I was planning to run, I felt obligated to clarify.

“I’m not really a runner,” I would say. “I don’t even like running.”

My feeble attempt at training in my Kenyan village soon became a chore. Afternoon runs ended with me surrounded by a gaggle of giggling, barefoot children who were as obnoxious as they were adorable, tripping over themselves and me as they ran to keep up. On pre-dawn runs, the ancient, 14-seater vans used for public transportation would screech around blind corners and drive me off the road.

As quickly as I had begun, I stopped running. I convinced myself that a lack of training would make the race more of a challenge.

Besides the harsh conditions and dangerous wildlife, the Safaricom Marathon is also run by some of the world’s fastest athletes. Kenya’s marathoners are famous for their endurance and speed, setting records almost everywhere they compete. At Lewa, Kenyan runners consistently take the top 20 spots.

In the half marathon, I competed against former marathon world record holder Paul Tergat. I didn’t even come close to catching sight of him. I didn’t catch Bob either, though he was much closer – just around the corner, only a minute ahead.

Fortunately, I won the contest that really mattered. Once my zebra challenger finally caught sight of me on the trail, he conceded defeat, pulling up short with a snort and a shake of his mane. I thanked him silently as I jogged past.

Community Connection

It’s not every marathon that has to be postponed because a lion is hanging out around the starting line, as happened in Lewa last year. Sign up for the Safaricom Marathon or learn more at the race’s website.

Photo: bredgur

Usain Bolt maybe be about to break his most important record yet.

Bolt’s new 100 m. record brings him to within a fraction of a second of the”human speed limit”, the maximum sprint speed predicted by researchers. It seems likely that, within a race or two, he may do what some scientists believed to be impossible: push human ability beyond its theoretical limits.

Breaking the curve

Statistically speaking, progress in sprinting world records usually fits along a curve. Over time, records are broken by smaller and smaller margins, eventually leveling off as they approach the absolute limits of the human body’s physical ability. In 2008, Stanford professor Mark Denny calculated this ceiling to be 9.48 seconds for the 100 m.

Usain Bolt, however, has been doing exactly the opposite of what the statistics say he should be doing. Instead of getting slower, Bolt is gaining momentum: he’s been breaking world records by larger and larger margins. His latest time, 9.58 seconds, is just a tenth of a second from beating Denny’s predicted limit.

Photo: thor_matt83

Bolt himself has said that he thinks he can run the race in as little as 9.4 seconds.

Peter Weyand, an associate professor at Southern Methodist University, believes that sprinters can do even better. Writing via email, Weyand told Matador Sports that Bolt’s large size means that he’s starting at a disadvantage.

“If we could magically increase the size of a great sprinter, say Carl Lewis, without changes in their proportions…the weaker in relation to body weight the person becomes,” said Weyand.

While Bolt “has developed other ways to compensate”, it still seems likely that a smaller sprinter with Bolt’s skill could eventually run even faster.

The sprinters of the future

There’s another factor that makes it tricky to predict the human speed limit: technology. One of the problems with mathematical models is that they ignore future improvements in equipment and nutrition, which often make a big difference in athletes’ performance.

“Look at what has happened to the swimming records with the introduction of the new body suits that reduce drag and what occurred in speed skating with the introduction of the klapskate,” said Weyand. “Both technical advances blasted the record books.” He went on to say that he expected engineers to make similar advances for runners “in the relatively near-term future”.

As advances in shoe and prosthetic technology continue, the question of where we draw the line is becoming more and more crucial. According to Weyand, it’s likely that the human speed limit may one day be decided by track and field authorities, instead of runners.

“The challenge posed to the sporting authorities will be…identifying sound and enforceable policies that distinguish between ‘clean and fair’ and ‘less clean and unfair’,” he said. “Given a landscape increasingly blurred by science and technology, I don’t envy them.”

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How much technology is too much? Sound off in the comments!

Photo: H Dragon

After years of watching friends train for marathons, I can say with confidence that I could not run one. Just the thought of running 26 miles nonstop makes my knees ache. Even more than the physical fitness, I’m amazed by the mental toughness that marathoners have to conjure up to make it to the finish line.

This July, however, the US is hosting two of the world’s toughest ultramarathons, multi-day footraces that make the garden variety marathon look like a fun run. By pitting participants against extreme conditions and distances, these two races aim to answer one question: just how far can our feet take us?

Racing Through Hell: The Badwater Ultramarathon

At 135 miles (215 km) long, the Badwater Ultramarathon is about five times longer than a standard marathon. Add in the fact that it takes place in the middle of Death Valley in July, when temperatures can exceed 120 F (49 C), and its not hard to see why Badwater’s organizers refer to it as “the toughest footrace on Earth.”

Conditions at Badwater go beyond brutal: in addition to food and water, many runners bring extra pairs of shoes in increasingly larger sizes, so they can trade up as their feet swell. Competitors have 48 hours to finish; organizers expect the winner of this year’s race, which begins on July 13, to reach the finish line in 22-26 hours.

The crazy part is that for some people, once isn’t enough. In 1989, two competitors completed the first “Badwater Double” by running to the finish line and back. Their feat was followed by the first Badwater Triple in 1994 and the first Badwater Quad in 2001.

Running to Heaven: The Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race

There are no medals or trophies at the finish line of the Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race. Instead, runners come for a much more profound prize: to discover and rise above their own limits.

The Self-Transcendence race was founded in 1997 by Sri Chinmoy, a guru from Bangladesh who saw long-distance running as a path to spiritual evolution. To finish, runners have to complete 5,649 laps around the course, which covers a block in Queens. At 3,100 miles (4,989 km), it’s the longest footrace in the world, and can take 50 or more days to complete.

This year’s edition of the race began on June 14. As of Wednesday, 9 out of the 12 runners had reached the halfway point.

Community Connection

What do you think – would you rather “run to heaven” or “race through hell”? Tell us your pick in the comments section!