bare to breakers

  1. Go naked
    There’s something to be said for baring all. The surprisingly popular Naked Pumpkin Race (see above) has Americans disrobing annually and then putting vegetables on their head. While the Bare to Breakers race is an offshoot of the 100-year-old Bay to Breakers event in San Francisco. Do it there, rather than Romford high street – you’re less likely to get bottled and/ or arrested.
  2. Go beer running
    In our first ever issue, we featured Joe Kukura, who drank 13 beers during the San Francisco Half Marathon and vomited a lot. That’s one way of beer running, but there’s also Tim Cigelske, who ran and drank a beer every day for three years. More famously, there’s the Beer Mile – four laps of a track, each one interspersed with a 330ml beer. The world record? An astonishing 4:47.17. Noble achievements, all three, and something to aspire to, wouldn’t you say?
  3. Go in the dark
    At the risk of looking like a Chilean miner, strap on a headtorch and take your chances on a night-time trail run. Even if it’s the same route you usually do, running it in the dark will provide a different and more exhilarating challenge. Watch out for strangers lurking in the bushes. In fact, run with other people if you’re going at night. Seriously.
  4. Go on an adventure
    Get a mate along and take on a multisport adventure race. At the top end we’re talking stuff like the Red Bull Dolomite Mann that encompasses mountain running, paragliding, kayaking and mountain biking, but you might find something like the Open 5 more suited to novice adventurers, where you’ll have to visit a host of points, some accessible by bike, others by foot, in five hours.
  5. Go parkrunning
    The phenomenon that is parkrun allows you to add the element of competition to your run without having to enter an organised race. Sign up at parkrun.org.uk, find your nearest parkrun from the 3,632 available routes, get a barcode, scan it in when you turn up, run the 5K route, and then look online to see how you measure up against your other parkrunners.
  6. Go backwards
    Retro running, as it’s called, looks weird but can bring benefits that going forwards doesn’t. According to reverserunning.com, “Forward running works your hamstrings but neglects calves, quads and shins. Running backwards restores balance to your body and if all your muscles are being worked and are all of equal strength, there’s no dominant pulling force, which is one reason for lower limb injuries.”
  7. Get hunted
    Fox hunting might be on the way out, but in a strange twist of fate, some hunts have turned to humans as their quarry. The Four Shires Bloodhounds hunt in Derbyshire offers you the chance to be chased by a friendly pack of mutts who won’t rip you limb from limb if they catch you. And when we say if they catch you, we mean when they catch you. Try not to
    scream like a little girl as they close in.
  8. Go join a club
    You might not have joined a running club for your own reasons, but if it’s motivation and camaraderie you’re lacking, there’s a lot to be said for the benefits of membership, plus reduced race entry costs. runbritain.com
  9. Go barefoot
    We spoke to barefoot ace Lee Saxby – bit.ly/1Nzm4xj – who explains why all runners should take a more natural approach.
  10. Go with your dog
    Canicross has boomed in the last few years, with more and more runners taking ‘walkies’ to a new level. We caught up with a dog running maestro, who says normal running is boring! bit.ly/1rhrhjyHave you tried any of these or do you have further suggestions for alleviating the boredom or maintaining motivation? Send your ideas to mensrunning@wildbunchmedia.co.uk.