Introduction

You never forget your first time do you? Mine was a hot, sweaty affair at the seaside which lasted just over four hours and fourteen minutes that left me dehydrated, exhausted and totally smitten.

Blackpool Marathon took place in the middle of a heatwave at the height of summer on 19 June 2005, and I spent six months training, thinking about and preparing for the race. I still recall the feelings I had at the time, of excitement, anticipation, self-doubt and ultimately relief once I reached the finish line… oh, and the soreness that meant I could hardly walk for days. As soon as I could, the desire to repeat my brief encounter started leading to regular trips to the postbox with race-entry forms. Despite many subsequent wonderful running experiences, Blackpool will always stay with me as the place that I lost my marathon virginity.

The act of running has played a pivotal role in the evolution of humanity since the birth of mankind. It has been important to many different civilisations throughout the ages for a wide variety of reasons. Early hunters relied on foot power to support their carnivorous diet; armies deployed long-distance runners to relay messages; the Ancient Olympics was initially a religious festival combining ceremony and athletic endeavour; promoters staged races and charged the public to watch, and running was central to the development of a wide variety of sports such as rugby and football.

Running races of one form or other have been popular for thousands of years, and to this day continue to attract both professional and amateur athletes the world over. The growth of participants in organised races continues to spiral upwards, with today's runner being able to choose from pure athletic races, obstaclebased events or those that involve another sport, such as triathlons. We have the luxury of being able to pick and choose what we enter, where we go and how we get there. The Internet and budget airlines have contributed to the rise in the number of 'running tourists', who think nothing of hopping on a flight to another country just to enter a race, before returning to work the next day with their colleagues none the wiser. Closer to home, the parkrun phenomena has brought fun, free and pressure-less access to 5 k events up and down Britain.

The benefits of being a runner are vast. Not only can it aid weight loss and depression, assist with sleeping problems and extend life expectancy, it can also help us to escape momentarily from the pressures of life. It can lead to friendship, love and an improved sex life. Far from causing problems such as 'runner's knee', it can actually help prevent injury as bone density increases even in older athletes. It can take you to places that you might never have gone, and to see things that you might never have seen.

For me, that has meant watching the sun rise and fall from the side of mountains, experiencing the beauty of a trail run in every weather condition, discovering the stillness and peace of running throughout the night and early morning, marvelling in the wonder of nature and all its glory and, perhaps most importantly, reawakening a level of enjoyment for the sport that had been locked away for too many years; an enjoyment that can be shared with anyone who laces up a pair of running shoes and simply runs, no matter the distance, speed or terrain. I hope I can share that enjoyment with you.