Runner's World December 2013

LOCATION Chamonix, France PHOTOGRAPH BY Scott Markewitz RUNNER Hamish Moeller THE EXPERIENCE Tucked beneath the snow-capped Mont Blanc massif range in the French Alps, the Col des Montets pass links Switzerland with eastern France. “The trails here run the gamut from easy and flat to steep and rugged,” Markewitz says. “I love running here in late fall, when all you can hear is the sound of your feet crunching on the frost-covered ground.” FOR DIRECTIONS, RESOURCE INFORMATION, AND DOWNLOADABLE WALLPAPER IMAGES, VISIT RUNNERSWORLD.COM/RAVERUN.…

I’M WRITING THIS on October 17, but it’s already safe to say it: What a year! I don’t recall another one when the running world changed more, grew in so many new ways, or bounced back from such adversity. Sadly, there was lots of awful news: Oscar Pistorius fatally shot his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day, then the bombs went off in Boston, a 28-year-old drowned during a Tough Mudder, and a World Anti-Doping Agency survey revealed that 29 percent of the athletes at last year’s World Championships admitted to using PEDs. But for proof that the good far outweighed the bad in 2013, turn to “The Year in Running” (page 79). Here’s a taste: The world record in the marathon fell to 2:03:23, Deena Kastor returned to her record-setting ways…

CRAZY TRAINING As a longtime avid reader of Runner’s World, I can say with absolute certainty that “The Maniac Next Door” (October) was one of the more amazing and entertaining articles ever included in your magazine. While most dedicated runners like myself think that we maintain an ambitious and dedicated workout routine and training schedule, Junyong Pak’s efforts make our schedules look like child’s play. Thank you for bringing us this inspiring story of one adventure-race champion whose dedication and commitment seem to know no boundaries. —STEVE MENAUGH LaGrange, Kentucky MAKING HEADWAY As a high school runner who feels pressured to do my best, I was eager to read Mackenzie Lobby’s “Taper Stress” (Mind+Body, October). The article made me realize I was doing more “don’ts” than “do’s.” Using the recommended…

CALEB DANILOFF Daniloff’s solitary running days are over. After covering the renegade fitness tribe November Project (“Hugs, Sweat & Cheers,” page 68), the Bostonian has embraced the lively group. “I bought into it; I’m going on five months.” KEVIN LYONS Lyons’s hand-drawn monsters—“furry, wild dudes who yell and scream”— embody negative race-day thoughts in “Breaking Bad Races” (page 51). A lifelong RW reader, he says, “It’s truly a dream to blend my love of running and my passion for illustration.”…

AS ZELIG MANDEL circles the six-mile loop of New York City’s Central Park one morning in June, another runner calls out: “Hey, nice beard!” Mandel takes it in stride and smiles and tugs on his ample whiskers in response. It’s a comment he hears a lot from other runners he encounters on his training grounds, where he logs 20 to 40 miles a week as he preps for his third 26.2-miler, the New York City Marathon, held on November 3. Mandel doesn’t sport facial hair because he’s an aging hippie or a trendy hipster: He’s an Orthodox Jew. “I’d probably be described as ultra-Orthodox,” the 52-yearold rabbi says. In some communities, an Orthodox Jewish runner is almost a contradiction in terms. But Mandel is one of a growing number who…

SHOE SELLER NFL retiree Warren Sapp’s running-shoe collection is sold at a bankruptcy auction in a bid to regain his lost fortune. Collected: $6,390. TRICK SHOT In a faked video posted on a French Web site, Usain Bolt tells NBA player Tony Parker, “Your jump shot sucks,” and proceeds to hit three shots on an unbelievably high basket. NOTE TO SELFIES After a runner causes a starting-line pileup snapping a self-portrait, the Hong Kong Marathon launches an “anti-selfie campaign.” Good luck with that. ROCKY RUN A Philadelphian calculates how far Rocky ran in Rocky II— 31 miles!—inspiring a Rocky Run ultra, which will retrace the fighter’s steps December 7. SHUTDOWN MELTDOWN Republican Rep. Mark Sanford denounces the closing of the Lincoln Memorial after seeing it chained up while he was…