A full-body workout offering the mental health benefits of both nature and exercise, trail running is fast on the ascent. We sent our man to the wilds of Fuerteventura to race one of the world’s best. At least we gave him a head start…
In its broadest sense, trail running describes any run that isn’t on a man-made surface. There are various subgenres: among them, fell running (short and steep), skyrunning (high and technical) and ultrarunning (very, very long). Tom Evans is good at all of them. Lean, 6ft tall and bronzed, the 27-year-old British runner may be relatively new on the professional scene, but he has swiftly become the new poster boy of the fastgrowing sport of trail running.
I’m good at none. In fact, despite being a section editor of MH sister magazine Runner’s World and fancying myself as one of the fastest on the staff, it’s very rare that I venture off-road at all. And today, I will be racing Evans up a very steep hill on the volcanic island of Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands.
Before that, though, Evans manfully tries to get me up to speed. For starters, in this arena of cardio it seems that strong beats skinny. “I stand on a start line, look round and think, ‘I’m bigger than everyone here,’” he says. “But that’s a good thing. You’ve got to have that strength for climbing. And the bigger your quads are, within reason, the better you’ll be able to distribute the impact of coming downhill, and the less muscle damage there’ll be. You don’t have to be stick thin. There’s something in trail running for everyone.”
As well as rewarding a stronger frame, trail running helps to create one. “Because of the ups and downs, twists and turns, you’re becoming more robust,” says Evans. “Trail running is a real full-body workout. You may not be running as fast as you normally do, but it’s conditioning you and making you a better runner, whether you want to run on the road or off it.”
この記事は Men's Health UK の June 2019 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Men's Health UK の June 2019 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Every Question You Ever Had About Really Eating Well
Nutrition is a maddening business. Foods are in one day, compost the next; vitamins that cured ills last week are promptly debunked. We all want to eat better, but who has the time to sift fact from fad? Rest easy because this is your easily digestible, bite-sized guide to doing precisely that
The False Prophets Of Wellness
Muscle, fat loss, wisdom… Whatever you seek, there is now an entrepreneurial guru armed with hashtags who claims to have the answer. But is it gospel?
The Brexit Diet
Whether you voted Leave or Remain, the EU has transformed the way we eat – and crashing out threatens to deal a mighty blow to both our palates and our nutritional health. MH spoke to the experts worried that the true impact of Brexit will leave a very bad taste in our mouths.
Stamina? It's As Easy As Pie
Don’t flake on post-workout pastry. Pie and mash is your new performance enhancer
The Trip Treatment
Once the poison of the counterculture, psychedelic drugs are gaining credibility as a powerful, viable mental health tool that could transform the way we understand ourselves. Are you ready to turn on, tune in and dose up?
The Gastropub Nutrition Plan
New research suggests you don’t need to cut back on flavour either to satisfy your cravings or to cook off kilos. Better pass that piccalilli
Your Detox Doner Card
The vilified sat fat in your kebab is actually the antidote to offset booze’s impact on your liver. How convenient
Reach For The Stars
He has crossed the Atlantic, from Peckham to Hollywood, carrying multiple blockbusters on his newly broad shoulders. But while John Boyega’s star is in the ascendant, his feet remain firmly on the ground – thanks to a few fundamental life lessons learned along the way. Take note and look up.
One Word Answer #43
As tedious as they might have seemed at the time, most of the lessons our parents taught us as kids were worthy of adherence. Sit up straight at the table; look people in the eye when you thank them; try not to spit at strangers – even as an adult, these are values to live by.
Son Of A Gun
For most men, joining the family business is the easier option. Not so for Scott Eastwood, a man whose father might just be the most iconic Hollywood hard man ever. But while he is, in many ways, a chip off the old block, the firebrand’s son has his own life well figured out
