One Man's Mission to Make Running Everyone's Sport |
 | | Desiree Rios for The New York Times |
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On a recent Sunday morning jog through Prospect Park, Martinus Evans was received like a conquering champion. Every few minutes, a passing runner would smile and nod, congratulating him as they sped by. |
But the runners weren't applauding him for winning any races. You might even say they were celebrating him for his track record of finishing last. |
Mr. Evans is the founder of Slow AF Run Club, a virtual community for back-of-the-packers with more than 10,000 members worldwide. At 300 pounds, he is a beloved figure among runners who have felt left out of the sport. He's graced the cover of Runner's World, posed nude for Men's Health and appeared in an Adidas ad. His Instagram account, @300poundsandrunning, has around 62,000 followers. And this month, he's releasing his first book, "Slow AF Run Club: The Ultimate Guide for Anyone Who Wants to Run." |
The idea for the club was born at about mile 16 of the 2018 New York City Marathon, just after the grueling Queensboro Bridge into Manhattan. Mr. Evans was cruising along when he noticed a man gesturing from the sidelines. He took out his AirPods. |
"You're slow, buddy," the man shouted, adding an expletive to indicate just how slow. "Go home." Mr. Evans tried to ignore him, and turned his attention back to the course, which he eventually finished in just over eight hours, or six hours behind the winner. But as the bystander repeated his taunt, Mr. Evans got angrier — then inspired. |
The next time Mr. Evans, now 36, raced, he wore a shirt emblazoned with the man's phrase, SLOW AF, and a cartoon of a smiling turtle. When he shared photos of his new racing uniform on Instagram, followers asked for shirts of their own. By early 2019, a running club was born. |
Mr. Evans, who lives in Brooklyn and is now a certified running coach, is helping lead a global movement to make the sport feel safe and welcoming for anyone who wants to run, whatever their size, pace, fitness level or skin color. He said his driving message is simple. "I want everyone to know that they can run in the body they have right now." |
Read the full article here. |
How to Run in Extreme Heat |
 | | Max Calderan crossed the Rub' al Khali, one of the world's hottest and most brutal deserts.Michael Haertlein |
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Last August, I made a classic summer running mistake. I hit the snooze button. I really wanted just one more hour of sleep, and the heat surely couldn't be that much worse a bit later, right? |
When I did roll out of that comfortable bed and that sweet, sweet air-conditioning, I was hit with a wave of regret, heat and eyeglass-steaming humidity. I knew that was coming. My long run more closely resembled a long slog. |
When you have to get out the door for a run, and the temperatures are hot no matter how early you wake up, how can you successfully train? Sure, I know the basic tips. But how do extreme athletes excel in those conditions? |
I talked to Max Calderan, whose Instagram account is titled "Son of the Desert," for advice. Calderan, a 55-year-old desert explorer — who described himself as a 25-year-old "who spent too much time in the sun" — has spent much of his life training for extended treks through the world's most extreme climates. In February 2020, he crossed the Rub' al Khali desert in the Arabian Peninsula, some 700 miles in temperatures over 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Surely he'd be able to tell me how to better train in the heat. |
"The key word here is deprivation," he started. Oh, boy. I asked him to walk back the suggestions. We're talking about running in the heat, I clarified, not necessarily trekking hundreds of miles across untouched desert. |
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