Friday Finds is a regular feature in which I collate and share interesting articles and posts on running/health/fitness which I’ve read recently. Some might be inspiring, some might be scientific, some might provoke debate. All are things I’ve found in some way thought-provoking.
I don’t know about you but I am gripped by marathon fever. Since last Friday we have had the Commonwealth Games marathon, the Boston marathon and, this weekend, the London marathon. I’m so excited and pretty much have marathons on the brain right now. Unsurprisingly, that means this week’s Friday Finds is a marathon special.
I have to start with last Sunday’s Commonwealth Games and Callum Hawkins. As a Scot, I was backing Callum to perform well, so was shocked to see the footage of how his race ended when I awoke on Sunday. Quite the controversy ensued, however I found this piece by Tom English for the BBC worth a read:
Soon, news feeds were taken over by the Boston marathon on Monday. It was the coldest on record (I think), with wet conditions to boot and the results were, in some respects, unexpected. While the eyes of the world were on the US women challenging for the win, there were several surprises thrown in along the way, which is exactly why I love marathons. Here are some articles I enjoyed to round up the key stories:
- What it was Like to Run the Boston Marathon in a Freezing Deluge
- The Science Behind How Sportsmanship Helped Desiree Linden Win Boston
- The Nurse Who Took a Very Different Route to 2nd Place in the Boston Marathon
- 10 Reasons Why Yuki Kawauchi, Boston Marathon Winner, Should Be Your Favourite Runner
- The Story Behind the Oldest Woman to Complete the Boston Marathon
Of course now the London marathon is right around the corner and there have been plenty of articles looking forward to the big event on the UK sporting calendar. The BBC really summed it up with these compilations:
I for one will be comfortably ensconced on my sofa with a cup of tea taking it all in – the stellar elite fields, the possibility of records being broken, the icons – whilst willing those I know towards the finish line. But if you need just a little more cheer this evening, then here’s a video of a therapy dog supporting runners in Boston. You’re welcome!
Happy reading. And if you’re racing this weekend, happy running!
The Running Princess
The Running Princess 
I think that thing with Callum was awful- someone needs to step in, like they would in other sports, and say that he is finished and can’t go on.
Watching London yesterday was very exciting- I wasn’t envious of the runners though, it looked so hot.
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I agree – an athlete can’t always be in a position to request help and there are times when someone needs to intervene.
London was brilliant! I’m usually very envious but having fun hot marathons I didn’t fancy it so much this year!
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It was terrible what happened to Callum Hawkins. But it’s so hard isn’t it – to know what you’d do if you were in the crowd. It’s so official you’re not sure if you are allowed to step in. You can see some of the crowd edging towards and hesitating. Callum himself said he would have pushed people away had they tried to help. But glad he’s alright now!
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Very hard to know what to do if you were in the crowd. I certainly wouldn’t want to do the wrong thing in any respect, however in this situation I think Callum was pretty out of it and needed someone to step in and make the call for him. Really interesting conversation around this on the last Marathon Talk.
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