It was all done in the name of charity – specifically the Breast Cancer Foundation. In order to participate heels over 3″ tall had to be worn and they were all measured before the race to ensure fairness.

Britney McGlone, one of the race contenders, said, “Running in stilettos is as easy as sprinting. You just need to get up on your toes and don’t let your heels touch the floor.”

Check out the video from the event below:

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1. Great Urban Race, London 23rd July 2011

Described by the organisers as a ‘wild urban adventure’, this is a fun, interactive event where teams of two complete 12 mental and physical challenges along the way, starting and finishing in Notting Hill. Sort of a cross between a treasure hunt and It’s a knockout. Brilliant fun.

More info : http://www.greaturbanrace.com/

2. JogScotland 5K, Throughout Scotland 8th – 29th June 2011

These 5K fun runs are taking place on midweek evenings in June all over Scotland. You can participate in a team and there are prizes to be won. You can walk, jog or run and it’s a great opportunity to make the most of the summer evenings in the fresh air with your friends. If you’re a more serious runner, it’s a good chance to attempt a PB.

More info. : http://www.jogscotland.org.uk/challenges

3. Baxters Loch Ness Marathon, 2nd October 2011

For spectacular scenery, you’d be hard pushed to beat this event. The natural beauty of the area is the big draw here. A great opportunity to raise money for your favourite charity whilst enjoying the scenery and indulging in a spot of monster spotting along the shores of Loch Ness! Really rather special. If you’re not quite up to a full marathon, you can participate in a 10K or 5K instead.

More info : http://www.lochnessmarathon.com/

4. Bupa Great North Run, Gateshead, Newcastle 18th September 2011

A large half marathon event with over 50,000 participants, now in its 31st year. Tremendous fun, and with so many runners taking part, the atmosphere on the urban route is electric, with live bands and massive crowds to cheer you on. If you’d rather do a 10K, there’s the Great North 10K event on 17th July.

More info. : http://www.greatrun.org/

5. The Prince’s Trust Wild UK Challenge, West Somerset – South Devon, 23rd-25th September 2011

Off road, rugged terrain and spectacular scenery is the order of the day here. Hike, cycle and kayak 100 miles in 3 days, from Somerset to Devon and raise money to help disadvantaged young people in the UK.

More info : http://www.princes-trust.org.uk/support_us/adventure_challenges.aspx

6. The Sumo Run, London 18th June 2011 & Manchester 2nd July 2011

This 5K event is what fun runs are all about. Utterly ridiculous and for a great cause. Dress up in an inflatable sum outfit and take to the streets with your friends to raise money for Gemin-i, which is an educational charity that brings 60,000 children in both developed and developing countries together to raise awareness of and tackle the world’s health and human rights issues.

More info. : http://www.sumorun.com/

7. Liverpool Marathon, 9th October 2011

Expect a great atmosphere and big crowds, taking in the city parks and docks and the residential streets of Liverpool, on both sides of the Mersey. The last marathon in the city was the Mersey Marathon back in 1992, this new one replaces the old with a brand new 26.2 mile course. Be one of the first to try out Liverpool’s new marathon.

More info. : http://www.runliverpoolmarathon.co.uk/

8. London Duathlon, Richmond Park 11th September 2011

The world’s largest running and cycling duathlon, taking in the sights of beautiful Richmond Park. You can take part as an individual or in a relay team and there’s also the chance to take part in the Ultra Distance 20km : 80km : 10km event if you want to go for a longer distance.

More info : http://www.thelondonduathlon.co.uk/

9. Pants in the Park, Leeds 12th June, London 25th June and Andover 17th July 2011

Pants in the Park is a 5K  fun run and, as its name suggests, is completed in pants – on the outside of your clothes, you’ll be pleased to know. Money raised from Pants in the Park goes to Prostate Action, which funds research and education to beat prostate cancer. Very much a family orientated event with face painting and entertainment going on throughout the day.

More info : http://www.prostateaction.org.uk/pantsinthepark

10. Run Kingston 9th October 2011

On flat road and gravel track over distances of 16 or 8.2 miles, taking in the scenic river views of Kingston-upon-Thames, Hampton Court Palace and through to the centre of Kingston, this is a nice, relaxed run and great for marathon training.

More info. : http://www.humanrace.co.uk/events/run/runkingston-2011

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Doctor Daniel Pereles at George Washington University in America, along with a number of other colleagues, conducted an experiment involving 2,729 volunteers who all recruited online and ran at least 10 miles per week, thus increasing the reliability of the findings.

The runners were split into two groups. One of which were asked to stretch their quadriceps, calves and hamstrings before running, whereas the other group were asked to run as normal without stretching before hand.  However in the latter group volunteers were asked to report any injuries which would prevent them from running for a whole week.

The results of the findings, which were published at the 2011 annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, showed that injury rates in both groups were exactly the same at 16%.

The most significant risk factors for injury were having injuries in the last four months or a higher BMI, which stands for Body Mass Index. Injuries were also increased when competitors were asked to switch groups, which is mainly due to the fact that their usual routine was being abandoned which causes the body to respond accordingly.

Dr. Pereles said:

“Some insist you need to stretch, others say you don’t, and every time I tried to assess a study on this I found that the authors were extrapolating the results from gymnasts or wrestlers or soccer players or other sprinting or short distance athletes, and nothing was related to running.

“I just wanted to know whether stretching before going for a run would be beneficial for recreational runners like myself.”

The important to thing to bear in mind is that this study is solely aimed at runners who did not compete in any other activity. If you take part in Football matches, (or soccer to our American friends) Tennis games or just the occasional Squash encounter then stretching your muscles is highly advised to decrease the risk of injury and to gain optimum performance from your body. By not stretching it has been proved that it is more likely you will pull or tear a muscle, or just incur other problems which stop you from taking part in physical activity.

In professional sports, competitors train every day and then stretch before a match, and then warm down following their activity to gain maximum results from the most important muscles in the body. By not stretching it is doubtful their bodies would last for the length of time their match or game takes place.

However, judging by this study, if you’re a regular runner then perhaps you could add 10 minutes to your route, rather than using the time to stretch your muscles!

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David McNally will run the 26 miles for the `Too much too young appeal` which helps to support up to 15,000 young people in Norfolk who live with parents or guardians who have addictions to drugs, alcohol or gambling related issues.

It will be the third time that he’s competed in the captial and (reportedly) around 25,000 people will join him for the race this year, which is considered one of the biggest running events in the world.

This year the event takes place on April 17^th which could be an exciting time for McNally who may be preparing himself for an exciting end to the Football season with Norwich currently in a position where they may be promoted to the Premier League.

The Chief Executive of the club has already run the race twice before and wasn’t planning to do so again until he met the representatives of NORCAS. He said:

“I felt it would be a fantastic way of supporting the appeal because I was really taken aback by some of the awful statistics surrounding these vulnerable children who need our support. What we are trying to do is employ professionals who can support these children who have to live with parents or guardians with alcohol or drug problems.

“We want to make sure they don’t end up in a cycle where they might experience the same problems. We would really appreciate whatever money people could spare us, because I can genuinely say every penny raised goes to supporting these vulnerable children. I feel desperately sorry for the parents, of course, but we have to support these young children by giving them the confidence and reassurance to know they can get help.”

His training will consist of up to 50 miles running per week, (which will equate to 200 miles per month) until the race comes round later in the year, but he appears ready for the challenge and determined to raise money for a charity that he feels very strongly about.

“It would be nice to finish in under four hours,” he said. “But the most important thing is trying to raise as much as we can for NORCAS. It’s not easy to find the time but what I tend to do is if I need to be at work for 6.30am, I will get up an hour earlier. My problem is with the job I do, I’m not sure how my day might develop. If I plan to run in the evening and something happens, I can’t do that.”

The record for the men’s race is 2:05.10 which is held by Martin Lel of Kenya. Judging by these statistics the elite runners are capable of running the marathon at a consistent pace of thirteen miles per hour.

Preparing for a race such as this one is not easy work and it requires an awful lot of determination, training, and above all, resilience. If you choose to run it then you must have undertaken fitness training or have some experience of marathon running. The marathon is around 26 miles and its certainly not a case of turning up on the day and going for a jog. Any previous competitor will tell you its a gruelling event which requires buckets of determination and grit, although if you think you have what it takes its also very rewarding at the same time, and in David’s case even more so as he’ll be raising money for a charity close to his heart.

You can enter for next year’s London Marathon shortly after the completion of this year’s event.

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Teacher Neil O’Maonaigh-Lennon, 30, started in Brighton, East Sussex, on September 10 and has proceeded to run anti-clockwise around the coast of Britain.

Throughout December he completed the final stages through the West Country, Dorset and Hampshire and finally crossed the finishing line at Brighton Pier.

A shattered Mr O’Maonaigh-Lennon, from Harrow, north-west London, told cheering crowds: “I feel absolutely elated.

“I knew I would find it hard to reach the finish but I’m just so glad I made it and got to the pier. The most difficult part was in the Highlands.

“It was tough but I worked through it and now I’m here.”

Asked what challenge he might take on next, he said: “I’m not sure. I’ll see what comes up in the pipeline.”

Mr O’Maonaigh-Lennon has already broken the Guinness World Record for the consecutive number of marathons run in one attempt, of 52 marathons in 52 days.

He went through several pairs of trainers in his bid to raise £10,000 for Cancer Research UK following the deaths of both his grandfathers from the disease.

Mr O’Maonaigh-Lennon, who teaches English as a foreign language, endured months of cold winds, snow, high mountains and soggy moors.

It took him about seven hours to complete the 26.2-mile distance each day and he wore a satellite tracking device to record his mileage.

When each marathon was completed, a marker was placed on the road which he started from the following day.

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LiveScience has reported that the temporary heart damage suffered by runners during the 26.2 mile (42.2km) event could explain the rare instances of deaths during races.

Results of the study in Quebec found that during the race, over half of the heart’s segments lose function due to an increase in inflammation and a decrease in blood flow through the muscle.

Eric Larose from the Graduate Institute of Cardiology and Respiratory Medicine Quebec and Universite Laval in Quebec City led the study, prompted by the death of a fellow runner in the 1999 Quebec City Marathon.

The younger runner collapsed and died near the finish line, leading Larose and his colleagues to recruit 20 runners in the 2008 Quebec City Marathon, aged between 21 and 55, to investigate what would cause an otherwise healthy person to die during such a race.

Larose said: “We know that regular exercise reduces cardiovascular risk by a factor of two or three in the long run, but while we’re doing vigorous exercise such as marathon running, our cardiac risk increases by seven.

“This is the first potential explanation as to why a runner has increased risk while he’s running or she’s running.”

Within three months after the marathon, results showed that the heart damage had generally disappeared.

Larose said that the risk of dying while running a marathon was still very low, but warned: “People should not enter a marathon lightly.

“Training needs to be well done. You can’t cheat the marathon.”

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Mike Buss, who completed his challenge at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre, hopes to raise £100,000 for Help for Heroes in this year alone.

The 36-year-old managed to cover over 2,600 miles on treadmills at various locations around England.

He completed the challenge seven weeks after breaking the previous world record of 50 marathons in 50 days.

The former Army physical training instructor – from Highworth, near Swindon – intends to raise £1,000,000 for services personnel by 2014.

He was medically discharged from the Army 10 years ago due to ear damage suffered in an IRA bomb blast.

Describing the latest challenge, Mr Buss said: “I reached my lowest point during the first third of the challenge – with 70 marathons still to go.

“Physically I was fine, but mentally I was tired of running on a treadmill. I have been indoors from 7am to 8pm every day for three months.

“It was mentally very tough and I was unprepared for the solitude of travelling around the country for 100 days, living alone in hotel rooms without much conversation.”

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The ultra-marathon feat will begin on November 8 and take Andy Murray through Scotland, England, France and Spain before he reaches his destination of Merzouga in Morocco on January 27.

The gruelling charity challenge will see the Aberdeen GP complete about 35 miles every day for nearly three months without a rest day.

Last year Japan’s Akinori Kusuda, who was 65 at the time, ran the 26.2-mile marathon distance for 52 days in a row to claim the Guinness World Record for the most marathon runs on consecutive days.

But if Andy achieves his goal the world record will be his – with both the number of days and the distance run each day being bettered.

Andy said: “It would be amazing to be the benchmark for marathon running. I’m not at that stage yet though so I need to keep focused on getting the job done.”

To get in shape for the Scotland-to-Sahara adventure he plans to run 100 miles every week until he sets off.

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Ten soldiers serving with the 39 Engineer Regiment in Cambridge are getting ready to take on 10 marathons in five days as part of the St Dunstan’s Forces Challenge.

The attempt, which begins on November 1, will test squaddies’ limits of endurance as they tab (quick march) through day and night in winter weather carrying backpacks weighing 39lbs.

Money raised by the team will go to the St Dunstan’s charity which provides lifelong support to blind service and ex-service personnel.

The challenge is the brainchild of Staff Sergeant Jim Offord, who has set himself an additional target of completing a series of treadmill marathons as he trains for the event.

SSgt Jim Offord said: “A march of this magnitude has never been attempted by the Regiment before and I’ve picked a strong team as they need to be physically and mentally fit to complete two marathons. Especially wearing the 39lb Bergen’s and doing a marathon through the night. The squaddies vary in age and experience, but they have already come together as a team.

“We will cover a distance of 266 miles in total, which means we will complete a marathon every six hours, followed by six hours recovery. We will tab, which is short for Tactical Advance to Battle, at a rate of 4.5 to five miles per hour, which exceeds the standard Army fitness levels, which is to complete eight miles in two hours.”

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