Lisa Tamati and La Ultra

July 2011

An athlete who has run the length of New Zealand, the Gobi Desert and California's Death Valley, Lisa Tamati is now struggling to draw breath just sitting still.

The ultra-marathon runner arrived near the top of the world on Monday, New Zealand time, as she prepares to acclimatise for the La Ultra race through the foothills of the Himalaya's.

La Ultra will take her 222 kilometres over 60 hours from the Indian mountain town of Leh, winding through the two highest driveable passes in the world.

"I am still struggling to breathe and its a weird feeling to be sitting doing nothing and puffing," Tamati said on her blog recently. "How am I going to run at 2000m higher than this, and not for 5 minutes but for 60 hours? Incomprehensible to my struggling body right now."

The 42-year-old will reach a peak altitude of 5334m and experience temperatures ranging from 40 degrees Celsius to -6C during the challenge.

Megan Stewart Changed Her Life Via Running

Megan Stewart didn't want to be old, fat and miserable - so she ran a desert marathon.

When the Taranaki woman turned 40 she decided to make some life changes.

She weighed 94 kilograms and in six months she lost 22 kilograms and began running.

A Two-Hour Marathon?

ONE of the mighty un-scaled peaks of athletics lost a little more of its once presumed invincibility late last month when Haile Gebrselassie gave the world a glimpse of the first two-hour marathon

More than four decades since the sport's last great conquests - Roger Bannister's destruction of the four-minute mile barrier in 1954 and Jim Hines breaking 10seconds for the 100m in 1968 - the same lasting legacy achieved by these two men beckons in the marathon.

Gebrselassie sliced 27 seconds off his own world record to win in 2hr03min 59sec

By breaking through the 2:04 barrier, he scattered the clouds that had obscured the two-hour peak.

Expert opinion is divided over how long it will take before the summit is reached, and some even remain doubtful it will be.

Masters Runners: Running into Old Age

June 2000

The camera lens was getting too close and Dan Conway said he didn't want his wrinkles to show.

He was kidding, of course. At age 61, wrinkles are no bid deal. Conway isn't bothered by ego.

Running the Sahara with Ray Zahab

In Ray Zahab's world, a comfortable jog is 30 kilometres, a serious marathon is 200 kilometres in extreme conditions -- and an honest test of a man's endurance is the Sahara Desert.

Mr. Zahab, a 38-year-old reformed pack-a-day smoker from Chelsea, successfully completed that test last Tuesday when he dipped his hands into the Red Sea.

Interview with Alison Delgado

MATT LAUER, co-host:

We're back now at 8:10 with the call to action for an emergency physician that soon became anything but routine. That's because Dr. Tim Delgado discovered the critical patient he was working on was his wife. We'll speak with the Delgados in a moment, but first, TODAY national correspondent Amy Robach has their story. Amy:

AMY ROBACH reporting:

Matt, good morning. Twenty-eight-year-old newlywed Dr. Alison Delgado was a second-year pediatric resident, a marathon runner and in her free time an avid cyclist. But that charmed life took a tragic unexpected turn when a vehicle crashed into her while she was on her beloved bike.

Alison Delgado: The Backstory

The worst behind her, Alison was able to focus on rehabilitation and recovery. She progressed rapidly from her lowest point, when she had trouble remembering Tim’s name. They played Uno, Life and Scattergories. Using an iPad, Tim showed her photos and prompted her to search her memory for the words to describe them. Certain words, including “helicopter,” proved elusive at first. Tim also encouraged her to play the video game “Harbor Master,” which hones multitasking skills.

Alison Finishes 4th at Flying Pig Marathon

Eighteen months ago, Allison Delgado suffered numerous broken bones and a brain injury when she was struck by a car while bicycling.After surgery on a brain aneurism and a seizure after returning home, doctors weren't sure how well she'd recover. But Sunday, Delgado had recovered enough to complete the Flying Pig Marathon, finishing fourth among all women runners.

Alison's Recovery Continues Tomorrow

“An amazing medical miracle, an incredible athletic achievement and a love story,” Paul Farrell said of the Delgados. “It's a story worth reading every day. That's what I will tell my children.” Alison’s long road to recovery will travel another 26.2 miles Sunday when she runs her first marathon, the Flying Pig, since she finished the Pig in 2009.

Alison Wins Race 7 Months Later

Don't Let It Be Ally: Part I

Don't Let It Be Ally: Part II

Alison Delgado on E60

Alison Delgado, Crash Victim, Named Official Starter at Sunday's Marathon

Alison Delgado, who survived a life-threatening bike collision in October, will be the official starter of the 2011 Flying Pig Marathon on May 6.A resident at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Delgado was the women's winner of the 2005 Pig, her first marathon and had run two more marathons, including the 2009 Flying Pig.

A 10k Every Day

December 29, 2010

A FATHER-of-two is nearing the end of his 10k every day challenge in aid of Cancer Research UK.

Tim Bridle is due to finish his 365th 10,000 metre run on New Year's Eve after completing his first on New Year's Day.

Contemplating Immortality

IMMORTALITY is an age-old obsession. Plenty of literature deals with the subject, from the Sumerian Epic of Gilgamish to the poems of Homer and the writings of the Old Testament. The quest to live for ever has motivated medieval alchemists, modern techno-Utopians and mystics through the centuries.

Is it possible for a 60-year-old to be as limber as Gumby?

To regain that Gumby-like flexibility would require a real commitment, but it is possible. An excellent study published in the Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy in 2007 found that if older people stretched five days a week for six weeks, holding the stretch for 60 seconds and repeating it four times, they could improve their ankle movement by over 12 degrees, which is a lot.

10 Food Facts

1 RED FOR DANGER

In a study of more than 120,000 people, scientists at Harvard Medical School found a diet high in red meat increases the risk of dying from cancer and heart problems. They estimated each daily serving raised the risk by 13per cent, and 20per cent for processed red meat.

The British Heart Foundation say red meat can still be eaten as part of a balanced diet, but recommend using lean cuts and varying sources of protein by eating fish, poultry, beans or lentils instead.

Actress and healthy eater Gwyneth Paltrow cut red meat and processed food from her diet years ago but still eats fish and poultry, and a little homemade cake now and then.

Impact of Sleep Deprivation not Overcome by Healthy Lifestyle and Exercise

Ranjan Das, CEO and MD of SAP Indian subcontinent passed away after suffering from heart attack in Mumbai.He was just 42, one of the youngest CEOs.What killed Ranjan Das and Lessons for Corporate India sometimes ago, many of us have heard about the sad demise of Ranjan Das from Bandra, Mumbai.He was an active sportsperson, a fitness freak and a marathoner.He was commonly running on Bandra's Carter Road. One day he came back to home from his gym, collapsed with a massive heart attack and passed away.

It was a sudden realization for corporate India.However, it was even more grievous for runners among us.Since Ranjan was a keen marathon runner (he ran Chennai Marathon in February 09, simultaneously some of us were running Pondicherry Marathon 180 km away ), it comes to our minds that why an extremely active, sports person gave in to heart attack just at 42.

Was it a result of stress?

Running Shoes & Injury

There are several on-going, multi-year studies at Harvard, MIT and the University of Newcastle (AUS) that are looking at injury related to footwear. Harvard department of Anthropology is publishing a study that dissects unshod human running gait and injury (or lack thereof.)    If the only injury from running shoes is Achilles tendinitis, is the implication that the other “running related injuries” such as neuromas, plantar fascitis, blisters, bunions and joint problems would be present in if people didn’t run?

How Shoe Geometry Affects Running Gait

'Five Fingers' Shoes Sued Over Claims for Injury Risk

NEW ORLEANS, April 2 -- They have been spotted on some of the world's most famous feet such as those of Prince Harry, Kate Hudson and Shailene Woodley, according to the Daily Mail.

But Vibram USA Inc's Five Fingers running shoes, which are designed to simulate the sensation of running barefoot, have now received negative attention due to a class-action lawsuit against the company.Valerie Bezdek from Florida is suing the company for making misleading statements about the Five Fingers product.She claims that the shoes pose more risk to the wearer than regular running shoes, and even bare feet.Ms Bezdek, who purchased a pair of the Five Fingers footwear for $104.90 in April of last year, has made claims for damages and attorney's fees and costs on the behalf of 'thousands...the precise number is unknown.' daily times monitor Published by HT Syndication with permission from Daily Times.

Marshall Ulrich & the Badwater "Quad"

There is a 146-mile running race from the minus-282-foot bottom of Death Valley to the 14,496-foot top of Mount Whitney, which is bad enough. But Marshall Ulrich needed to make it more of a challenge.

He decided to run a quad Badwater 146. Nearly 600 miles of running from the lowest point to the highest point in the contiguous United States, and back. Twice.

Up and down, up and down.

Microscopic Tears: How Muscles Pay You Back

Active people know the feeling all too well: a stiff and achy sensation in the muscles that sneaks up on the body 24 hours or more after, say, a hard run, a challenging weight lifting session or the first day back on the ski slopes. Sports scientists call it delayed onset of muscle soreness. Athletes call it a nuisance because even simple movements like walking down stairs can be an ordeal. If the soreness is severe enough, it can hamper the next workout or even ruin a ski vacation.

Remembering George Sheehan, the Running Philosopher

Dr. George A. Sheehan (November 5, 1918 - November 1, 1993) was born in Brooklyn, New York. He is best known for his books and writings about the sport of running. His book, "Running & Being: The Total Experience," became a New York Times best seller.


Originally Published Circa 1991

If the Grim Reaper wants to catch Dr. George Sheehan, he had better drop his scythe and put on running shoes. A year ago, 69-year-old Sheehan, noted author, fitness expert, cardiologist and marathon runner, was diagnosed as having cancer. ``I have an alien in my body,`` he says, matter-of-factly.

Running into Old Age

George Sheehan

Winning Doesn't Matter, the Point is to Run

I first came upon the aging process in a race. I felt no sense of advancing years in my day-to-day activity. My work week was unchanged: I wrote, I traveled, I lectured. Some people marveled at my energy and endurance. It was my weekend race that finally told me I was no longer young.