Like the Wind #14
In a nutshell
An exception among the reviews: the British magazine Like the Wind, which fully matches my idea of what a running magazine should look like. Stories of runners from all over the world, from the first woman to run a marathon in Iran to Ellie Greenwood.
Who it's for: Anyone looking for a running magazine full of stories, not training plans.
All 67 previous reviews were about books and books only. Now it’s time for a change. I’d like to introduce a running magazine that fully matches my idea of what such a magazine should look like. It has only one drawback: it’s published in England. But even that can be solved. Read on; maybe it’ll be the right thing for you too.
Running magazines in the Czech Republic
Two very good magazines come out in the Czech Republic, and I read and subscribe to both. The first is the quarterly Svět běhu. For 50 crowns you get plenty of interesting interviews, tips on running routes, race stories and a look at new gear on the market. The downside is quite a lot of advertising, which in turn keeps the price low. Personally, I’m more bothered by articles from the same authors that repeat themselves to some extent. Sometimes I feel that unless I swallow something with Enervit written on it, I can’t run even a kilometre. And I definitely won’t break four hours in the marathon unless I follow Miloš’s plan…
The second, also very good magazine is B running magazine, which comes out roughly twice a year. It’s published by a group around Jan Havlíček. “B is a running magazine that emphasises honest journalism and quality design; it’s not so much about a specific topic as about an approach where the specific shows the general, where running is used to depict and reflect the world we live in, and authors are given enough time and space to go deeper and look at things from different angles, so that after A they can also say B.” The guys really pull this off, and every issue is a design gem. The downside is the higher price (the last issue cost 340 crowns), and still I have the feeling the guys haven’t got out of the red… I’ll keep my fingers crossed and I’m already looking forward to the next issue.
Like the Wind
Thanks to social media I came across Like the Wind magazine. For a while it teased me with beautiful photos on Instagram, but then I couldn’t resist and ordered one issue to try. The magazine comes out quarterly, and besides the current issue you can also order older ones. Right now the price is £9, but older issues can be bought from £1. And that’s well worth it. Why? What makes this magazine so different?
The magazine’s motto is “It’s not ‘How to Run’, it’s #WhyWeRun”. It’s not about how to run, but about why we run. It really combines the best of the two Czech magazines above. Don’t expect advice on how to run or what to eat for better performance. Instead, let yourself be inspired by stories from runners all over the world, written for runners like you. It’s all interspersed with great photos and graphics on matte paper. I’ve read the first issue and six more are waiting for me. It doesn’t matter at all that they’re older issues. It doesn’t make them any less inspiring. So let’s look at what issue 14 has to offer. If you can’t find it in the online shop anymore, try eBay or elsewhere. You’ll surely find a second-hand copy.
I won’t list all the articles and stories in this issue. I’ll pick only the ones that interested me most. Try to get hold of the magazine and dive into the other stories too. What grabs one person may not interest another…
Bandit running
Runners without a bib. Everyone has met them more than once, even at local races. What’s behind people’s urge to run outside the official rules of a race? Do they want to save money? Do they finally want to get into a race where the only chance of an official place is luck in a ballot? An objective look by Simon Freeman (the magazine’s co-founder) and the pros and cons of this approach.
Trail routes in Australia
Tom Le Lievre tells a story about why it’s not a good idea to set off from England to Australia with prejudices. Tom and a friend set out on an 80 km run around Lake Tali Karng in Australia’s Alpine National Park. Although they went in summer, they were caught by frost. How does it end when you underestimate your gear and food?
Books about running
Reviews of fourteen running books you shouldn’t miss. You’ll find many of them among my reviews too.
A run through the past
In 2016 the first edition of the Mount Gaoligong Ultra took place in the foothills of the Himalayas. The race was organised under the umbrella of the people behind the Badwater race (now the ultra is part of UTMB). A photo story tells of 72-year-old American ultrarunning legend Bob Becker, who took part in the shorter 124 km race. He ran through the same territory where his father fought in the Second World War.
But there’s much more
What else will you find inside the magazine? Katherine Lovrie tells the story of running the length of South America. Together with her husband she ran for 15 months from Chile to Venezuela. Total distance? 10,467 kilometres… Do you know a tougher test of a marriage? They wrote a book about it, Running South America.
Women in running? Six remarkable women who pushed the boundaries. Alice Coachman (the first African-American woman to win Olympic gold), Diane Leather (the first woman to run a mile under 5 minutes), Wilma Rudolph (3 Olympic gold medals), Bobbi Gibb (the first woman to run the Boston Marathon), Kathrine Switzer (the first officially registered woman at the Boston Marathon) and Mahsa Torabi (the first woman to run a marathon in Iran).
You’ll read an article about Ellie Greenwood, winner of the Western States 100 and gold medallist at the 100 km World Championships. Clive Whaley shares his view of what running gives him. It’s not that he runs because he feels bad, but he knows that when he finishes he’ll feel much better. You’ll surely recognise yourself in his story.
And much more…
