That’s right: I made Running Sucks running socks with Swiftwick.

Designed in a retro style using the blue/yellow colorway of my book, the words are on the back of the sock especially so that the people you pass can have a chuckle. If you’re reading this newsletter, I hope you also like spreading a little joy while you’re running.

The socks themselves are super high quality, moisture wicking with light compression, of course, but they have a lifetime guarantee. Running Sucks running socks will last forever. Go grab a pair from the Swiftwick site.

Running Sucks running socks

I’m giving away a pair of Running Sucks running socks (I’ll not tire of typing or saying that) over on Instagram this week. All you have to do is 1) repost this post and 2) tag a friend in a comment.

A little bit of lore: I was editor of a website about heavy music from 2008-2015 called Thrash Hits. A funny observation about the logo was that it could be read as Thrash Hats. Well, I never got Thrash Hits thrash hats made, so these Running Sucks running socks feel like overdue closure on that very specific anecdote.

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A family business

For Global Running Day last Wednesday, I ran 1.22 miles with my son. He’s been bugging me to come running with me for the past year, so this run was a huge bonus of my return from injury.

I ran with him two more times last week on the road to him running a mile race at the end of this month at the Abbot Kinney One, hosted by Venice Run Club. Closing down one of Los Angeles’ most iconic streets for half a day is an enormous undertaking and achievement. I can’t wait to take part.

The Mayors Who Run

I popped down to the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Long Beach last week to run almost 5k with a handful of America’s mayors. I was interested because quite a lot of LA28 Olympic events will be hosted in Long Beach, which is one of the coolest areas in this massive conurbation.

Of the 1,500 mayors of cities with populations over 30,000, over 200 attended the conference. 10 of them braved the June Gloom to reach the Boardwalk.

On the run, I had a chat with Mayor Matt Tuerk of Allentown, PA. We met when he complimented me on my vintage Arsenal shirt (all I’ve been wearing for the past two weeks) and then we talked about a shared love of punk music, Arsenal FC, and running – he instigated this annual group run. I think we’re friends now.

I also asked Long Beach city officials what their goal is for Long Beach in the Olympics and the line that kept getting spoken was that they want to make sure local residents are involved. What does that mean? I don’t know exactly, but it’s a nice sentiment.

Los Angeles is currently suffering its own heinous mayoral election, where we were subjected to the threat of reality TV man Spencer Pratt taking charge. I believe that we’ve escaped that now, but MacArthur Park’s homeless residents and encampments were unceremoniously cleared last week in the name of dismantling open-air drug markets. Coincidentally, there’s a World Cup viewing party at MacArthur Park next week…

At the track again

This weekend, I’m planning to attend the USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix. I want to see Josh Kerr in the 800m as he continues his progress in Project 222, as he aims to break the men’s mile world record next month in London.

The lack of discounted tickets for children is disappointing at a time where track and field has gained an unwelcome reputation for being a sport that people don’t really want to attend. Make it easy is my suggestion.

W is for your Why

Do you ever think about why you run? How do you figure that out?

I just wrote a six-pager for issue 49 of Like The Wind magazine. The mag’s tagline is ‘It’s not how we run, it’s why we run,’ which is exactly how I write about running.

Sure, I’m a trained running coach, but my approach is more holistic. I care about why my clients are doing what they are doing. That allows me to help them think about how to train for their event, their life.

For instance, I don’t run to win. Even when I was a teen running track, it wasn’t as much about competition as it was enjoying a new experience and new people. As a Third Culture Kid, that world of organized inter-school athletics was totally alien to me. And now? Running is a part of life in the same way that brushing my teeth is a part of my life, and I don’t try to win at that either.

When I moved to LA, I was running two races per month. I was placing in the top 10% of each race, but I was also out at bars and concerts most nights with my new friends, my new wife, a new run club. My social lifestyle simply wasn’t conducive to top performance as an amateur runner, but, in that moment, I needed both of those parts of my life. My goal was to find a way to accommodate them both.

Why did I run?

• For my health, both physical and mental

• For exploration of my new hometown

• To balance out my poor diet (as much as possible)

• For quiet time, alone in a busy life

I still run for all of those things, but recently I’ve added two more:

• To aid my creativity

• I want to run with my son

Lives don’t remain the same, and it’s important to be pragmatic in those situations. With an aging body, I do not expect to finish in the top 10% of finishers any more, and that’s ok. I’m 43 years old, and I’m likely over the hill of my peak physical performance. I expect my kids to be faster than me sooner rather than later as I coach them towards a path where they can love running as much as I do.

My primary goals now are to remain free of injury so that I can keep exploring this world, hopefully with my family, so that informs my why completely. Why do you run? What’s your story?

Leave a comment

Thanks for reading
Raz xx

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How’s that for some over-alliteration? Maybe I should put it on a t-shirt.

Interestingly, there’s an article on Business of Fashion today about how books have become a signifier in this cruel age of AI slop. If you’ve read the introduction to This is Running, you will know the parallels that I draw between running and reading – two of the most human acts possible

If you haven’t yet read the introduction to my book, This is Running, please pick up a copy today.

Get your copy of This is Running now

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Enjoy your Global Running LIFE this Wednesday

For Global Running Day, I’ve been featured on the Swiftwick Socks blog. Cool socks. Cool people. It’s an honor to be highlighted by them.

Running Sucks by running socks

Wouldn’t it be great if there were some Running Sucks running socks? Now there’s a thought… (Keep your eyes peeled on IG.) In the meantime, here’s a feature with Greg Itahara, who designed one of my favorite pairs of socks.

How to get 1 million people running

I believe the number one way to celebrate running is by sharing it with more people. Yeah, you’ll end up complaining that you can’t get into the marathon you want to race but overall I think that more people running is a good thing.

Couch to 5K has been one of (if not the) most impactful things in the history of running. Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, there is a Q&A with Josh Clark in my book, and I published the extended version of that on Thursday.

May was also 10 years to the month of the NHS formally incorporating a C25K app into their health program, so it’s a timely moment for the program.

Happy 10th birthday to rabbit.

Earlier this year, I profiled Monica DeVreese, co-founder of rabbit, when I was taken by their Clubhouse series of quiet haven hotels at the NYC and Chicago Marathons and at UTMB. The brand is celebrating their 10th anniversary right now.

D is for Doping

It’s a question every injured runner has asked themselves: what would I do to not be injured any more.

Read more

The chances are that they used the Couch to 5K (C25K) program to get up to speed from zero. One of the big scoops (personally speaking) in my book was finding the guy who created that program. At heart, I’m a journalist, so digging through enough layers of information to definitively find the guy who made a training schedule that eight (8!) million people have downloaded via the UK’s NHS app over the past decade alone.

It’s the 30th anniversary of C25K’s inception and exactly 10 years since the NHS incorporated C25K into its app to help the British general public find a healthier lifestyle, so come with me and enjoy this landmark moment for Josh Clark.

Josh Clark - Couch to 5K

The Couch to 5K program is a nine-week training schedule, mixing running and walking, that helps a beginner runner become able to run 5 km (3.1 miles) without stopping. You probably knew that, but the concept of Couch to 5K has become so deeply embedded into the vernacular of running that we can almost take it for granted.

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Enter: “running co opting yoga blandness” from 28 October 2024.

The easiest (safest) way to look chic is to just wear plain black clothes. It requires zero imagination (see: Zuck) and maybe zero skill: a tuxedo to a formal event; an LBD to a cocktail party; a plain black t-shirt on a night out with pals. When first impressions count, sending your curated personality into the eyes of a potential friend can be a risky thing. Personalities inspire opinions – often unwanted ones. Curating nothingness is a safe option.

The current yoga darlings making plays for a slice of the run world billions are Lululemon and ALO (who recently got shivved for their entry into trail), but the plain fits they’re known for are not how yoga used to be known.

In the 1990s, yoga was seen as a counter-cultural New Age pursuit with associated stereotypes of tie-dye and incense. It was an ancient holistic discipline that was quickly Westernized, commodified, and ‘Power’-ized by celebrity endorsements and the promise of great potential profits. The number of Americans practicing yoga over time tells a lot of the story:

2000: 6 million
2008: 16 million
2016: 36 million

Not to blame them completely for the flattening of yoga’s visual culture, but Lululemon’s membership program alone has 28 million members.

Up until a decade ago, you could reasonably assume one piece of my running gear would be neon, for instance, and I never tried calling it ‘chartreuse’ or ‘tangerine’ to appear cooler. Technical apparel was utility first and foremost, and while bright colors helped drivers to see me when I was crossing a road, what was left in the clearance section dictated my style.

When I saw the first headlines about running being the new skateboarding, during the covid running boom, my first thought was that it was going to be difficult for runners to run in jeans like skaters do. If we want multi-functional technical apparel so we can go to work or socialize before or after a run, it would likely be plain, tonal colors rather than a pair of jeans. Runners are pretty committed to polyester, so it would likely be bland yoga-style fits that are adopted, and that somewhat came to pass with the highly visible armies of black-clad city runners from the last few years.

The good news is that the flattening of style appears to be ebbing somewhat. We can see a bit more personality coming back into the sport recently with new brands like Unna, Alex Zono and retro race shirt capsules, and the likes of Satisfy (like it or not) has always led the way on providing something truly different to wear. Even Lululemon has made a rugby shirt for running in, and is generally using brighter colors than their usual muted palette.

It’s true that birds of a feather flock together, and how can you truly find your people if you hide who you are? So get weird and wear the neon. Hell. If you love it, wear the tortoises-print shorts. Clothing is the easiest way to tell people who you are, so take a risk.

Personalities can inspire opinions, but sometimes they’re good ones. Maybe you’ll make a friend just like you.

Last week on Running Sucks

My third brand profile in this mini-series was about Miler Running, a brand out of New York City that is committed to manufacturing their clothes in New York City.

I think that’s a pretty cool stance to take in a world of drop-shippers and overseas manufacturing. If you’re one of the few people who remembers/cares about bigger brands using sweatshops and child labor, this one’s for you.

Equating Miler to Champagne is a bold take, I know, but it’s a fun game. Is Bandit the most popular natural wine? So, Nike is Budweiser maybe, and Minor Planet is small-batch kombucha gone wild? Let’s see who we can offend in the comments.

Leave a comment

A weekend of track

On Saturday, I went to Sound Running’s L.A. Track Fest and saw Josh Kerr coming in second in the 800m on his way to targeting Hicham El Guerrouj’s mile world record in London in July, which I hope to attend.

I also saw Parker Valby’s debut pro race as she won the 5,000m at a canter. After 19 months of injury, the 23-year-old American star – who famously only runs three times a week – ripped a 14:49.41 5K PR, finishing 50m ahead of the next runner. It was outrageous to see IRL. I recommend it.

Over the 3hr session, I watched 19 events including the pole vault, which was happening directly in front of me. I joked on IG that if you ever see me in this position, I’ve fallen out of a plane. I simply cannot fathom launching myself 4.5m / 15 ft into the air.

Also taking place this past weekend was the Enhanced Games – the event where athletes are encouraged to take performance enhancing drugs with the sole aim of being faster, stronger, etc etc. It’s a spectacle using human guinea pigs, and many people want to see it. I wrote about it a couple of years ago, here.

Maybe it’s because they failed to attract the best athletes around, but absolutely nothing spectacular happened at the Enhanced Games, so maybe it’s not a spectacle after all.

The last two Gravel Tour dates

I’m in Columbus and Denver this week for the last couple of dates on the Salomon Off Track Gravel tour, so if you’re in either of those cities, please stop by for a run on Tuesday evening at Olentangy River Brewing in Columbus or on Saturday morning at Runner’s Roost Lakewood. It’ll be great to see you!

This Thursday, I’ll be publishing an extended interview that was featured in my book. It’ll be in your inbox!

Thanks for reading,
Raz x

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My book, This is Running

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For instance, Joe Biden was at pains to point out that his pithy clapback, the Dark Brandon mug was made in the USA while Trump’s signature red hats, with their violent messaging that suckles on the teat of rabid nationalistic bravado, are made in China.

Restoring both taxes and the minimum wage to something more deserving of humanity would solve a lot, but I digress.

An exercise: take a moment to look inside your favorite running clothes and you’ll likely see one of the following on the tag:

MADE IN VIETNAM
MADE IN TURKEY
MADE IN PORTUGAL
MADE IN BANGLADESH

MADE IN NEW YORK CITY, then, is something of a statement, and it’s a statement that Ben Morrow is making with his premium running apparel brand, Miler Running. Born in 2019, the clothes are designed, tested, and made in NYC.

When I ask Ben why he’s committed to supporting a local factory, when brighter economics point to overseas manufacturing, he’s very clear that he’s intent on building Miler with quality first, and it shows. You can position Miler with the likes of District Vision, Soar, and Satisfy in terms of premium apparel, and a big differentiator between those brands is the narrative; the brand storytelling.

The Value of Place as Identity

While the challenge of higher manufacturing costs leads to greater personal reward for Ben, the geographical identity and the story that goes with it strengthens the brand. In a world where there is little to no protection of intellectual property in fashion, Ben talks about the brand moat – the intangible assets – that has been achieved by aligning Miler so deeply with New York.

Read more

Last week, I was in Minneapolis and Portland for the Gravel tour with Salomon, and I got to explore both cities on foot and at speed.

I wrote about how to run in a new city a couple of years ago, and it is genuinely how I do it. I landed in Minneapolis (Minnesota is the 19th US State that I’ve visited now!) on Monday afternoon. John, the local Salomon rep, picked me up from the airport (what unexpected luxury!) and dropped me off at my hotel.

On that drive, John gave me a couple of places to see in downtown Minneapolis, so I put a few landmarks into my phone map and created a quick route. Once I’d finished accidentally tipping everything out of my suitcase, I pulled on my running gear and set off.

I ran past First Avenue nightclub, where Prince played however many hometown shows, ran across the Hennepin and Stone Arch bridges, finding out / remembering that the Mississippi starts all the way up in Minnesota, and took video calls at the Twins and Vikings stadiums with my sports-mad eldest son.

From there I ran south down Chicago Ave until I reached the George Floyd memorial. Filled with people congregating with music at the end of the day, It was a moment that was as sobering as it was warming – one worth experiencing. I ran a couple more miles to Matt’s Bar, a glorious dive bar that claims to have invented the local delicacy of cheese stuffed into a hot pocket of hamburger patties. I ate it and took the bus home. Here’s the IG post.

The following day I ran with TC Running Co and met area “trail person” Kurt Decker. When you talk about building culture, there are few people more important than the local race director. Especially one as storied as Kurt. Read this Trailrunner mag article on him, titled The Godfather.

Brilliantly, Kurt and I primarily bonded over our shared love of Scottish rockers Biffy Clyro. After years of cancelled shows and unsavory tour routing, Kurt finally saw them live in Minneapolis a couple of weeks ago. The following day Spotify announced Biffy as my most-listened-to band ever. I’ve been watching the Biff live since 2001, and finding an American fan is a real rarity.

They’re like a weird Foo Fighters with 10/10 lyrics. One for the heads, as they say. On two levels in this case. Here’s my favorite Biffy song. Just in case I can convert a couple more of you.

In Portland, I ran in Forest Park twice, along the Willamette, had lunch with some of the coolest running writers (Zoë Rom, Tina Muir, and ), some beers in soccer-themed brewery Away Days with UP professor Dr Ian Parkman, was taken to Powell’s by my friend Eli, and feasted upon the wonderful Khao Man Gai from Nong’s (twice). I love PDX, and I’ll be back as soon as humanly possible.

All that is to say that I ran a 20-mile week for the first time in over a year, and it feels great. Fewer miles this week, but I’ll be in “San Francisco” on Wednesday evening, so come by. It’s at the Fleet Feet in Menlo Park, the birthplace of Silicon Valley, so that’ll be fun. I’ll talk tech.

Last week on Running Sucks

The last couple of long-reads have been about newer running brands that I like. I spoke to the Pruzan founders the week before last, and published a profile of Jason Levine of Minor Planet in New York on Friday. I think he’s making some marvelous stuff. Effortlessly cool, and purposefully important.

Jason is from the world of hardcore punk, and I wrote about that, and about how Satisfy is the equivalent of a punk band headlining a stadium. Some would grandstand in saying that’s the antithesis of punk, but maybe it’s just a natural progression. For example, Green Day are still cool or super corny, depending on who you speak to (and what they’re doing).

My final brand profile in this mini-series is coming at the end of this week, and is maybe my favorite of the three. New York, New York again.

What to say about Satisfy?

My beautiful friends Cole Townsend and Howie Goldklang have two great reviews of Satisfy’s brand activation with Adidas. One is somewhat more diplomatic than the other, let’s say.

What’s my take?

Read more

Jason broke from setting up the room to greet me enthusiastically with a fancy-looking soda. I was grateful for something to sip on. I asked him if he was with Minor Planet. He was.

I’d kinda seen the brand knocking around on Instagram but hadn’t fully engaged. Messages of ‘Centre For Beginners,’ ‘Baby Steps,’ and ‘Let Go To Hold On.’ I was monitoring this brand that was dealing in the kind of spiritual sloganeering that I believe in. More recently there’s been ‘100% Runner,’ but we’ll get to that in due course.

In 2025, I somewhat moved my emphasis away from writing about the fashion side of running culture when ’s Running Supply arrived. When someone niches down on your niche so well, you simply sit back and enjoy it. Minor Planet, however, is doing something in the running space that no other brand is doing with such clarity. I had to dig in.

District Vision also has a meditation aspect, but is somewhat more esoteric, and Lululemon has moved from the yoga world into trying to conquer running. Younger brands like Schism, Furies, and Rose Endurance are bringing very specific hardcore punk aesthetics to the running world, and Satisfy is the punk band headlining Stade de France. Minor Planet sits in the middle of all of that without selling technical running performance apparel at all.

Of course, all clothing can be running apparel, but mostly I’ve seen Minor Planet popping up in Rome and London with yoga and breathwork events at the New Balance Marathon House with well-designed hats, cotton tees, and other accessories.

Rome’s marathon event was spent visualizing marathon moments in a 15th century papal hospital with grand, frescoed walls and London’s big events included qigong and tostadas plus pre-race body regulation in Somerset House, an equally grand Tudor palace. They’re the kind of places — and activities — that a young Jason Levine would’ve scoffed at and then tried to skate down the marble steps of.

While Minor Planet leans on the ideas of thinking more deeply, more slowly, and more purposefully, it really wasn’t like that for Jason until 15 years ago.

Read more

Last Tuesday, I recorded an ill-fated chat with . The themes are quite specifically 1) running and 2) writing – two topics that Mario and I have enjoyed yamming about in private over the past few months. Hopefully it’s a nice intersection for anyone who enjoys either one or both.

Sadly, last week’s recording hit technical difficulties and didn’t fully record, but those who tuned in live enjoyed it. (I think!) Go check out what did record, and tell us what you think.

the morning shakeout

Running and Writing with Mario Fraioli and Raziq Rauf: Episode 1

Thank you to everyone who tuned in to our first live conversation about running and writing. We’re hoping to make this a semi-regular thing where we talk about running, writing, and where and how the two overlap, intersect, and interact…

Listen now

a month ago · 6 likes · Mario Fraioli and Raziq Rauf

Mario and I are going to do this every couple of months, but would love some help with a title better than ‘Live with Mario & Raz.’ Here’s a poll, but any other ideas are very, very welcome!

Storytelling with Brendan Leonard

On the topic of literary runners, I signed up for ’s writing course: ‘How to Tell One Story.’ I’ll let you know how it goes in due course, but I try to do a big learning exercise like this every few months and I’m a huge fan of how Brendan tells stories, so I am very prepared to learn some cool things.

If you want to learn how to write your first story in just six weeks, register your interest for September’s course. This is not an ad, by the way. It’s just something cool by someone cool that I’m enjoying, so I think you might also enjoy.

Last week on Running Sucks

On Thursday, I wrote about Pruzan, which is a running brand for women by women. I met the founders at The Running Event last December, where their stand containing their delicate mesh tank was posted up right next to the new Nike ACG and their heavy mesh shirt. It was the same but different. I like what Pruzan is doing. Take a read.

You may have noticed that I have been paywalling my work for the past few weeks. I’ve certainly noticed the extra unsubscribes haha. Thanks so much to everyone who has upgraded their subscriptions recently.

If you’ve been reading for the past three years or a portion thereof, here’s a gentle suggestion to support the things you enjoy. There are two great ways:

1. Upgrade your subscription for $40 a year / 80¢ a week (tax deductible if you work in publishing or the running industry).

2. Share Running Sucks with a friend and if they subscribe, you get a FREE month of reading. Get 5 friends to sign up and you can read for free for a year. Easy.

Subscribe now

If you haven’t yet picked up a copy of my book, This is Running, here are some links:

USA - Amazon US | Bookshop US | Barnes & Noble
UK - Amazon UK | Bookshop UK | Waterstones
REVIEW - Goodreads | Amazon reviews really help as well thanks

Incidentally, I’ve been cited as one of the “most important voices in run culture” in this list. Just in case you needed someone else’s opinion to make up your mind.

Salt & Flickers

The 5 Most Important Voices in Run Culture Right Now (May 2026)

The 5 Most Important Voices in Run Culture Right Now (May 2026…

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a month ago · 8 likes · Howie Goldklang

Next up on the tour

I’m on my way to Minneapolis and Portland for the next two dates on the Salomon Off Track Gravel Tour. If you’re in either area, drop me a line with your tips, even if you aren’t able to make the event. I’ll be in Portland for an extra couple of days in-between dates.

• Tue 5/12 6pm | TC Running Co | REGISTER

• Sat 5/16 10am | Fleet Feet PDX | REGISTER

Last week’s book excerpt was about trails being the final level boss, and there’s a lot to that. A huge focus on the Salomon Gravel Tour is about how creativity is key to all of our lives, and when we spend large swaths of our time at a desk, moving our bodies is scientifically proven to prompt our creative selves. Where better than a run into greenery?

Z is for Gen Z

Some people have been begging to predict the End of the Running Boom, but I’ve always responded in the same way: running is going nowhere.

Over the past month or so, however, I have amended that to: I actually think we’ve seen nothing yet. There is even some great evidence to suggest that we’re about to embark upon another large moment in the running boom.

When I saw that Gen Z women make up the single largest cohort of applicants to the 2027 London Marathon, it didn’t surprise me. We are currently bearing the fruits of the seed sown during the pandemic.

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Jessie Hyman and Alexis Copithorne, founders of Pruzan, a running apparel brand that aims to produce performance clothing with a chic, feminine aesthetic, don’t believe running apparel brands are catering to women as much as they could or should be.

“I think we’re still not getting the innovation that the men’s side is getting,” says Jessie. “There’s not as much variety or quantity of brands catering to women. Overall, the innovation is sitting a bit behind where the men’s side is.”

Choices, choices, or a lack of

Estimates suggest that only 20% of new running brands are founded or led by women. Sure, there are new brands like Raide and Currently led by men who are listening and creating products specifically for women, and there are somewhat more established brands like Bandit and Acid who have a female designer in their ranks, but being fully female-led lends a different perspective.

The trailblazers were Oiselle and Rabbit, and along with the likes of Mileoff and Stolt, Pruzan is one of the new female-focused brands that are doing what they can to remedy the situation by offering thoughtful product worthy of the group of people who are an enormous, essential reason why we’re in this running boom.

One of the places Jessie and Lexy have highlighted for innovation is the humble sports bra. It’s often said that a good pair of shoes is all you need to go for a run, but as with all old tropes, that fails to include women. As of Running Wylder pointed out to me one time, “You need a pair of shoes and a good bra.”

Read more

Substack Live with Mario Fraioli and me

Tomorrow at 11am PST, I’m going live with for a new series of almost-podcasts where we’ll talk very specifically about running and writing. We’ll talk about them separately, but also not.

I’m a huge fan of Mario’s. He’s a fantastic writer, and a brilliant coach, and after finally meeting IRL in LA in March, we also met in SF and in Boston in April. I failed to get a photo together on each of the three occasions. Fourth time lucky, perhaps. Tune in tomorrow, anyway.

Join me and Mario on Substack Live

Between Running and Comedy Lies Obsession

The subject of this somewhat dramatic title is comedian and ultrarunner, . I’ve been following his progress for a couple of years now, and boy oh boy have there been some ups and downs. When I spoke to him back in December, he was experiencing some intense downs, but he’s hitting some highs right now. Hopefully, I’ll have time to go for a run with him this week. Let’s see.

Read my profile of another fascinating member of the running community, and also check out his Substack that he’s since been inspired to create. I very much look forward to reading his work.

Are trails the final level boss of running?

That’s the second paragraph of my chapter on trails. Page 198 if you’ve already bought a copy. If you haven’t yet, and you now finally understand that the rest of This is Running is essential reading, here are your purchase links. Or go visit your local library and ask them to stock it. Thanks to all of you who have got your libraries to stock This is Running!

USA - Amazon US | Bookshop US | Barnes & Noble
UK - Amazon UK | Bookshop UK | Waterstones
REVIEW - Goodreads | Amazon reviews really help xo

A review of This is Running on iRunFar

I love how thorough this feature by Lydia Thompson is. Give it a read.

This is Running on iRunFar

• Gmail has been putting my Google Alerts in the Spam folder, so apologies if you’ve replied to the newsletter in recent weeks and I haven’t replied. I guess I just have to check the Spam folder more diligently now. Thanks, Gmail!

• I’m back on the road next week, as I travel to five cities on the Salomon Off Track Gravel Tour, where I’ll be leading runs and speaking about the very real relationships between cities, green space, running, and creativity. If I’m in one of your cities, come say hi!

Do get in touch if you work at a brand and you would like to work with me on something similar in the future. It’ll be different to what you normally do. raz@runningsucks101.com.

Email me

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G is for Gatekeeping

Remember when Matt Choi ran a sub-3hr marathon in NYC in 2024? Remember when the NYRR disqualified him and banned him from future NYRR events because of the entourage filming him? What if he wasn’t actually the bad guy in your Spaghetti Western mind?

Read more

“It’s the holidays,” he says wryly, “Which makes it feel like I’m in a bad Hallmark movie.”

Amazingly, this isn’t all he’s had to remain a positive guy about. Dan LaMorte is a runner, you see, and the worst thing to happen to a runner is anything that stops you running. (Ask me how I know.) Over the past couple of years, he’s violently broken his ankle and was in the ICU after a serious scare with his heart. All this after losing almost 200lbs / 90kg after a hospital visit in 2018 saw him diagnosed with a fatty liver.

That 2018 diagnosis led to Dan starting running in 2019, with his first ultra in 2021 – a fast move into the sport.

“That’s probably why I’ve gotten hurt so much along the way,” he laughs. “You really can’t fake your way into it. Especially coming from a body that was 355 lbs.”

I introduced Dan as a comedian, and that’s his day job. He started performing stand-up as a 19-year-old, back in 2014 or so, having blown out his arm. No good for a baseball pitcher college athlete. At first, he thought about the parallels between comedy and baseball, but now he considers how comedy and ultrarunning align.

“You’re alone on the mound – kind of like just you onstage. If you mess up, it’s on you. Now I’ve been an ultrarunner for longer than I was a baseball player, so I compare stand-up more to ultrarunning. It’s so interesting how the years change and you gravitate towards different things, and you learn how to latch meaning onto it in each direction.”

Dan goes on to talk about how it’s the process rather than the big show. How we all see the headline comedy show or 100-miler documentary or the before and after pictures, but there’s so much more to it all.

“What’s the in-between. My story is not really the guy who succeeded right away. It’s so much more than the picture. It’s gradual, it’s not linear, it beats you down. That’s why I love [running ultras]. People have no idea why I do it. It’s almost killed me three times.”

Dan skirts over a little case of rhabdo, where your muscles break down, turning your piss into something that looks like Coca-Cola, leading to kidney failure and death. He casually drops into conversation how he pukes his guts out during and after running mammoth races into conversation as if it’s totally normal. He talks briefly about snapping his ankle while “bombing a switchback, on a downhill,” and how that kept him out “for a few months.”

But he dwells on the Pine Creek 100-miler from September 2024. That’s the one where he had “crazy chest pain” 30 miles in, but was mainly upset because the camera crew creating a documentary had flown into Pennsylvania from California. By mile 50 the pain was excruciating, but his now-ex-wife ran a few miles with him before he decided to tap out.

It turned out he had spontaneous pneumomediastinum, “where the cavity around your heart fills with air out of nowhere.” He thinks that all that puking a few weeks earlier could’ve caused a small tear in his esophagus, but nobody could be sure. He spent three days in the ICU, but that wasn’t stopping him.

“I have a very weird ability to put things behind me,” he explains. But he went to all his appointments while training, and did all his rehab. Why stop?

This is why I love talking to runners. Those last few paragraphs are exactly what I mean by ‘running sucks.’ But we love it, right? But we do it anyway, right? The juicy pain is absolutely worth the squeeze.

Dan talks as much about resilience in terms of always returning to the trails as he does about returning to the stage. He talks about not just overcoming the heckles and the bad shows during “some of the most pensive miles” during the following morning’s run, but feeling compelled to do it again and again.

“I do think obsession with a particular thing does appear crazy to most people, and people do talk about balance a lot, but I know that to get successful at stand-up, it was a very unbalanced life, and I think to get successful in running, it looks a little unbalanced as well.

Success is relative, of course, but when I met Dan IRL at his headline show at Los Angeles’ Comedy Store (a very big deal to him) just before this conversation, there were several runners in attendance, myself included. He talks openly about his autism and incorporates both his neurodivergence and his running into his comedy shows.

There is increasing research about the links between neurodiversity and running. There is increased understanding that running can be a brilliant regulator for processing emotions and sensory issues. Consider the stimming action of the repetitive motion of running. Consider how running can reduce cognitive overload, allowing for mental space and freedom of thought. It’s a level of control that Harry Styles alluded to in his conversation in Runner’s World.

Like the running crowd, the neurodivergent population can be… a funny one. Especially in a world where ‘normal’ and the aforementioned ‘balance’ are the states of being that we are encouraged to strive for.

“Sometimes people who are fans of mine will just stand up and go to the back of the room and start stretching in a room full of people in the middle of a show because they don’t know that that’s not the acceptable thing to do. I’m the guy who stretches in public,” he says, while stretching.

In terms of writing material for his stand-up performances, Dan tells me that his days of sitting down with a pen and paper are largely behind him. He uses running to give him that space.

“I set out with intentions. I’ll make sure there are no headphones accessible. Just me and my thoughts. ‘Let’s figure out this joke.’ I’ll say it out loud if I’m deep in the trails.”

As I recall how Brendan Leonard spoke about how running gives him a ‘cabin in the woods’ effect in his brain, Dan laughs about how we don’t get any Unabombers any more because of how much cabins in the woods cost these days. I then refer to how Sanjay Rawal draws similarities between the team efforts of running an ultra and creating a documentary. Dan nods, as he is halfway through creating his own documentary. It’s a story that started around his weight loss journey, but has evolved to include his whole running journey.

“I’m finally in a place where I can see where the work is paying off,” Dan explains. He tells me that he’s not an easy person to coach due to how he uses his runs to process things mentally. He was first coached by Michelino Sunseri (the runner who got famously pardoned by Trump), but is now in the safe hands of Joe Corcione.

Dan reels off a list of ultras he’s taking on this year, ranging from backyard ultras to mountain races, including the PA Triple Crown and “maybe” the Vermont 100. A couple of weeks ago, he took an hour off his Hyner View 50k time. Last week, he ran a 1:28 half-marathon. He’s recording some shows for Netflix is a Joke in the coming days.

It’s fair to say that people are going to start understanding why he does it. The work is paying off.

Just like Harry Styles in 2026, Dan LaMorte is fitting his race schedule around his touring plans. Or maybe vice versa. At this point, they are both an obsession inextricable from the man.

Links & further reading

• Dan LaMorte - [IG] [YouTube]

• Dan on tour - danlamorte.com

My book: This is Running

Thanks so much for helping This is Running stay in the top 100 running books on Amazon for months now. It’s incredibly cool! If you haven’t bought it yet, here are the links.

USA - Amazon US | Bookshop US | Barnes & Noble
UK - Amazon UK | Bookshop UK | Waterstones
REVIEWS VERY WELCOME - Goodreads | Amazon is very helpful

Thanks for reading,
Raz x

FOLLOW ME - Instagram | Me on Strava | Strava club

• On Wednesday, I visited Apple HQ, where I tried their new running-focused Apple Watch, and I think I really like it. I’ll let you know once I run with it on my own.

• On World Book Day (Thursday), Artwords, a beautiful independent bookshop dedicated their window display to my book, which was incredible. My friend Ben Gibson, who photographed both my wedding and Elton John at The White House, took some photos of the evening.

  

• Friday had the double whammy of hosting a panel with Tracksmith on the future of running media (it is safe) AND a bonus surprise drinks and dinner with Lee Glandorf and friends.

• Today, I saw both the women’s and men’s marathon world records fall from the London Marathon finish line grandstand. It was incredible.

Watching Tigst Assefa cruising down The Mall with those long, relaxed strides, on her way to breaking her own world record was cool, but by the time Sabastian Sawe rolled through, minutes later, we were already expecting a world record time. The pace was mind-boggling, but we were 11 months ahead of schedule for a sub-two-hour marathon!

Flick to p.218 of my book, This is Running, and you’ll see the passage about how Dr Simon Angus of Monash University in Melbourne, Australia ran a model that predicted we would see a runner break the sub-two-hour marathon barrier by March 2027.

Read more

So what’s been happening since last time?

• A few other people started complaining about the Nike ad campaign that I complained about last Monday.

• I spent the weekend at the Boston Marathon with the coolest (but also friendliest) people in the world.

• I flew straight from Boston to London for my book launch in Dalston this evening with the author of the Harry Styles x Haruki Murakami article, plus two other events.

Like I said: not much time to write. I know you’re here because you like longer form messages, but it’s easy to update via Instagram so follow there if you wish. Like this photo, for instance:

RUNNERS TOLERATED

Overall, this particular ad just felt like a ham-fisted ‘how do you do, fellow kids’ attempt to get in with runners. It failed.

Every marketing planner/strategist on LinkedIn has given their tuppence on what Nike’s polemic campaign has taught them about B2B sales, but here are my quick rebuttals and points of view.

• Nike’s share price is down 65% in the last five years. My hot take is that Nike is the challenger brand in running now.

• They’re throwing money at the trail space a few years after everyone else did.

• They’re rumored to be re-launching their pioneering running fashion category, Gyakusou… a few years after everyone else did.

• They tried (and failed) to write a Tracksmith-style ad campaign because that’s a brand they’ve lost ground to over the past decade.

In 2026, Nike might just be a challenger brand bankrolled by past glories.

Read more

On Wednesday, almost 60 people (!) came down to Vroman’s in Pasadena to watch the show with my friends Ezra and Jinghuan. We did some readings, they asked me some questions, I signed some books. And I did it all over again in SF on Friday evening at Running Wylder, with some incredible questions from the audience.

Get your copy of This is Running

USA - Amazon US | Bookshop US | Barnes & Noble
UK - Amazon UK | Bookshop UK | Waterstones

Signed copies can be found in Vroman’s, Running Wylder, and Skylight. Here are a couple of photos. More can be found on my Instagram.

1. If you have bought my book, thank you, thank you, thank you SO much. When there are so many other things to spend your money on, it means a lot.

2. Reviews are really tough to come by, so if you would be so kind as to go to Amazon or Goodreads and give my book a rating, that would be awesome.

IT’S BOSTON WEEK

I’ll be in Boston this weekend. My book will be available at The Rec Room, which is a running fashion pop-up at 334 Newbury Street that’s curated by , , and . I will be there signing copies, and generally hanging out, so come and say hi!

I’ll also be making an appearance at the Tracksmith Clubhouse on Friday evening, and there will be a couple of (hopefully signed) copies available at the mighty Trident Bookshop, but if you simply want to meet up to enjoy the Boston breeze or invite me to a hott party, please drop me a line.

email me

IT’S ALMOST LONDON WEEK

From Boston, I’ll be flying straight to London for three very special events. I can’t wait.

Thu 23rd April - 6.30pm at Artwords Bookshop, Clarence Rd E5

I’ll be in conversation with Sophie Heawood, my lovely friend who recently wrote the marvelous Harry Styles / Haruki Murakami feature for Runner’s World - RESERVE YOUR SPOT

Fri 24th April - 3pm at Knees Up, Hackney Rd E2

I’m hosting a panel with Tracksmith titled Reimagining the Future of Running Media, featuring Simon Freeman from Like the Wind, Ashley Mateo of Runher, Ben Hobson of Runner’s World, Grace Cook of Salty, and Carmichael Caldwell - RESERVE YOUR SPOT

Sat 25th April - 11am at Progress Club House - The Dray Walk Gallery, Brick Lane E1

As part of Progress Running Club’s London Marathon pop-up, Simon Freeman (again) will be interviewing me and Howie Goldklang, author of Salt & Flickers and founder of Silver Lake Track Club. I love hanging out with LA friends on home soil.

C is for Charity

A few weeks ago, the London Marathon was rumored to have two editions over one weekend. Some of you might already know that’s something I predicted in my book, but as the biggest single day of raising money for charity, my immediate thought was that it’s going to raise a whole lot more money.

About a month ago there was some dullard on Threads complaining about people getting to run Boston Marathon because they were raising money for charity. Here’s my hot take, that I first blurted out on Mario Fraioli’s Morning Shakeout podcast:

Anyone not actively competing in the elite field anyway. You’re only running for a participation medal, so you might as well do something good for the world.

How about 2% of your annual income? Seems fair, doesn’t it? And if you get tired of asking people to sponsor you for a different marathon every other month, maybe you’re running too many. Give someone else a turn. There. I solved the major marathon ballot crisis as well…

I was interviewed by Josh Rosenthal of Borderlands and he asked me about my favorite artifact. The photo of me in my school athletics singlet is from the first 5k that I ran as an adult, where I raised $1,000. For a 5k. It wasn’t about the race itself as much as it was about doing something good for the community.

If you have a corporate job, here’s a tip to make the most of it: ask your colleagues. The CEO of the company I was working for put in half of that. That’s how to redistribute the wealth in my opinion.

My friend Alex just ran the Brighton Marathon. Very windy, apparently, but he raised £1000 for Alzheimer’s charity in aid of his mother-in-law. How cool is that? He outlines that he funded the race entirely by himself so 100% of all donations go to charity. That’s the way to do it.

Decentering yourself from the process, giving yourself an external ‘why’ can even help you dig deeper in the difficult moments during a race. Consider that bit of potential benefit to your race, if helping others isn’t enough.

Paris is for tree huggers

Talking of thinking about someone other than yourself, the Paris Marathon banned single-use materials. Another friend, Chris ran the race and told me about how every runner was given a reusable plastic cup and there were huge efforts to ensure there were water stations every 2.5 km (1.5 miles). He told me how it was such a non-event; that the Paris Marathon had normalized this kind of behavior.

Brighton Marathon had an army of ploggers literally sweeping the back of the route, picking up an estimated 22,000 gel wrappers. Slowly but surely, sustainability initiatives are making their way into larger races. These are things for all other races to try and emulate. And maybe something for the fueling companies to consider as well.

Beyond Running by Aire Libre with Mau Diaz

“It’s a conversation about obsession, craft, and the strange beauty of a thing millions of people do every day without ever quite being able to explain why.”

Culture Study Q&A

Anne Helen Petersen, who was kind enough to write a blurb for my book, featured me in a Culture Study Q&A last week. As ever, Anne’s questions were top dollar, and the comments didn’t disappoint either.

Go and read it here on Patreon.

What on earth is Nike doing?

Putting this billboard, with that messaging at a free and incredibly inclusive community wellness initiative??

Read more

It’s the chapter that I’ve asked Katie Douglas to discuss with me tomorrow, at the San Francisco launch party that’s she’s throwing for me at her wonderful store, Running Wylder. I think her shop is the blueprint for the modern running store. Come join us at 6pm Friday 4/10.

Join me at Running Wylder on Fri 4/10

Interestingly, my publisher didn’t initially want to include that eighth chapter, but I insisted. I personally couldn’t write a book about running culture and not include half the running world, plus I knew that I’d been doing the work on understanding the experience of others since day one of Running Sucks.

The next installment of that work is today in this profile of Allie Gibbons, an American ultrarunner who completed 300 miles across the treacherous Atacama Desert in Chile as part of the harshest iteration of The Speed Project last November. She ran it solo. While 22 weeks pregnant.

We talk about that huge undertaking, and the dramatic final 40 miles, as well as the response from both others and from Allie’s body. For me, it’s a pertinent story in terms of the hot topic right now around how brands monetize pregnant women.

Read more

Please buy a copy of This is Running

USA - Amazon US | Bookshop US | Barnes & Noble
UK - Amazon UK | Bookshop UK | Waterstones

Here are some other things to do (to build an economic ecosystem that reflects your/our values):

1. If you want to support your local independent bookstore, please do. Stop by and talk to them about stocking the book. You’ll at least hopefully have a nice chat with someone in your community.

2. I would also love it if your local library offered This is Running. If that sounds cool (it is cool), simply put in a request on their website. Three (3!) people have already requested it from the New York Public Library!!

3. If you already own the book (thank you, I love you) please, please take a couple of minutes to write a review or give it a rating from wherever you bought it. It really, really helps. I’m currently at a 5* on Goodreads…

Californian book tour this week

This week, I have three very fun book launch events in LA and SF and… in the liminal space between. I say fun because I’m trying to do something different with excellent people at every event, mainly so I don’t lose my mind saying and doing the same things over and over again. Please join if you’re nearby!

• Tue 4/7 - 11am Substack LIVE with (JOIN US?!)

• Wed 4/8 - 7pm @ Vroman’s, Pasadena - a ROAST of running (submit your Qs)

• Fri 4/10 - 6pm @ Running Wylder, SF - Katie Douglas will read some of my book out loud, and ask why I — a man — am writing about women - RESERVE YOUR SPOT

I am loving getting out and about doing things. It’s somewhat counterintuitive, considering how much I love either running or sitting at my desk and writing, but I got into this to meet amazing people, and that’s happening every time.

Last weekend, for instance, I was in New York to lead a gravel run with Salomon from Brooklyn Running Co. We ran to and through Prospect Park and got a little lost, before returning to the store to talk about how running can fuel creativity.

After we wrapped up in Brooklyn, I headed into the city to see the first finishers of the OSR30 – an unsanctioned, unmapped 30-mile race around the perimeter of Manhattan organized by the Orchard Street Runners.

I headed to Orchard & Broome for noon and found the street was blocked off with a TV showing the leaders racing set up in the middle of the road! It was rough, but incredibly ready, and absolutely thrilling to experience.

For and by the community, I found myself among the kind of people who are energized by engaging with running at the grassroots level. I was surrounded by running nerds, and so I met some of the coolest people around, including . Read their excellent and comprehensive race recap.

This is all to say that my goal of writing about Allie Gibbons running 300 miles while pregnant didn’t quite happen last week.

London Calling

I’m in London for London Marathon week and I’ve already got three really cool events lined up. Maybe one more to come, let’s see.

Thu 23rd April - 6.30pm at Artwords Bookshop, Clarence Rd E5

I’ll be in conversation with Sophie Heawood, my old friend who recently wrote the marvelous Harry Styles / Haruki Murakami feature for Runner’s World - RESERVE YOUR SPOT

Fri 24th April - 3pm at Knees Up, Hackney Rd E2

I’m hosting a panel with Tracksmith titled Reimagining the Future of Running Media, featuring Simon Freeman from Like the Wind, Ashley Mateo of Runher, Ben Hobson of Runner’s World, Grace Cook of Salty, and Carmichael Caldwell - RESERVE YOUR SPOT

Sat 25th April - 11am at House of Progress, Commercial St E1

As part of Progress Running Club’s London Marathon pop-up, Simon Freeman will be interviewing me and Howie Goldklang, author of Salt & Flickers and founder of Silver Lake Track Club. A nice little bit of LA x London.

Last week, I was also announced on a festival lineup poster on IG. This never happened while I worked in the music world, so eternal thanks to Love Trails Festival for making me understand what it must feel like to be one of the bands I used to interview. See you in Wales in July for FOUR separate events!

I’ve also been blessed by a lot of coverage from a lot of awesome people.

Some new podcast appearances

• Can you believe I’m on Conner Mantz’s undercard on the Marathon Talk podcast, presented by the Abbot Marathon Majors? Well… I am. Martin Yelling is a legend, and I almost answered all his questions correctly - LISTEN HERE (I’m at 31 mins).

• On L.A. Marathon weekend, I got to sit down with in person (!) and talk about Los Angeles, my own running, and a bit about my book. What a legend - LISTEN HERE.

• There’s a whole chapter about shoes in This is Running, so I was really pleased to chat with shoe guru on his Sneaker History podcast - LISTEN HERE.

• Last but definitely not least, I had my second in-depth chat with for Running Tales. I wonder if he’s listened to the new Harry Styles album yet… - LISTEN HERE.

Elsewhere on Substack

• was unreasonably nice about me in his Tangents newsletter - READ IT.

• It was really cool talking about my process with for 3Qs in WIRE - READ IT.

• I, a dad, am very pleased to be included by in her New Mom Run Club - READ IT.

• The inimitable interviewed me for the Sweat Lookbook, and it’s as good as you would expect from someone I trusted to give me notes on my book - READ IT.

Like I said, it’s been a busy week.

G is for Guilt

During my chat with Lee, I described the fabric of running culture as being woven from everyone’s individual threads. Lee quickly related that to religion, and how my perspective is “Unitarian Universalist in its worldview, where religion/running is about developing your own relationship with god/the sport.”

As ever, Lee was able to boil my philosophy down to its purest essence. I have always espoused thinking more deeply about running, and about ourselves. I believe that to be the path to personal enrichment and enlightenment.

One of the ways that people engage with running is through guilt. First, I do want to distinguish between guilt and shame.

Read more

It wasn’t the first running challenge that Jonty had embarked upon, though. Having only started running in 2020 during the UK’s Covid lockdowns after being tagged in a challenge, he soon thought, “I might as well do it every day.” That kind of thinking led to Jonty becoming the first type 1 diabetic to run across the UK just 18 months later in 2021.

Learning to fuel as a diabetic ultrarunner

But, yeah, he’s got diabetes. He was diagnosed over 20 years ago, as a tween. In this new age of running, where we have the science to meticulously calculate and maintain our energy expenditure and sodium levels, so we know the exact number of gels to chug down, how do you work wildly unpredictable sugar and insulin levels into life as an extreme endurance athlete?

“Running with type 1 diabetes… there isn’t a book for it. There’ll be a cure before there’s a book.”

“When I was first diagnosed, my nurse told me to just go out and learn. There isn’t an insulin to carb ratio for everybody – it’s completely individual, because your insulin sensitivity will change throughout your life. It’s all about just getting out and trying, so trial and error is the only way.”

Read more

Not in Los Angeles? NO PROBLEM. Wherever you are in the USA, you can purchase a personalized copy of This is Running.

Skylight Books – the neighborhood bookstore that I spent hours and hours and hours in when I first moved to Los Angeles – has set up a special pre-order page.

I will write whatever you like in the book! AND I will put some Running Sucks stickers in the book as a nice bonus.

Purchase This is Running from Skylight

As an author who desperately wants to support independent bookstores and running stores, this is very cool and important. It takes a lot of time and some effort to organize these things, so your purchases are very much appreciated.

UK news is coming very soon, and (trust me) it’s fun. But first! More about Los Angeles, because I live here.

WE’RE ROASTING RUNNING

My excellent friends, Ezra Weisz and Jinghuan Liu Tervalon are hosting my book launch event at Vroman’s in Pasadena on Wed Apr 8th.

There will be a reading, some descriptions, some questions, and… a ROAST OF RUNNING. Something a little different, eh? We’ll be answering the most diabolical questions that get asked.

Just like the signed books, you don’t have to be in Los Angeles to participate in the Roast. If you want to enter some tricky questions about running (or about me, the book, or my two hosts), you can submit them in this form.

Add your Qs for The Roast

If you are in LA, though, please come down to Vroman’s and be a part of what will definitely be a very fun evening.

Vroman's book launch - 4/8

A look inside This is Running

I know that I’ve been banging on about my book in this newsletter for six months now, but allow me to share a little more. Here are a few of my favorite pages. It’s just 10 days until publication in the UK, and 15 in N. America. Time flies!

1. The contents page. One of the recurring pieces of feedback has been that this book is “comprehensive” but “not overwhelming.” That combo speaks to my soul. Plus it’s got Courtney Dauwalter being a UTMB legend as snapped by David Miller.

2. This is a photo of someone running the Altadena To Palisades 50k race in 2025 all on her own. I love this race. This movie theater is my favorite in LA. Perfect photo by Connor Simpson.

3. I’ve listed The Speed Project as one of the ten most iconic races of the 21st century. Long-time readers know how much I’ve written about TSP, and there’s also a Q&A with TSP founder Nils Arena in This is Running.

4. A banger photo of some bloke dressed head-to-toe in Soar Running garb. I hope they hook me up with some animal print gear <nudge nudge>.

5. Another David Miller photograph of Jasmin Paris collapsed at the end of her historic efforts at the Barkley Marathons. What a photo.

6. There are a few of these pullquotes dotted throughout the book. The best one, however, is in the introduction.

Purchase links

USA - Bookshop US | Barnes & Noble | Amazon US
UK - Bookshop UK | Waterstones | Amazon UK

Last week on Running Sucks

It’s TSP season, and so I wrote about Tilly GW, who has been busy driving gender parity on the starting line of The Speed Project. Over 50% of those running from Los Angeles to Las Vegas on their own were women or non-binary. That’s enough of an achievement to wonder out loud why the bigger races aren’t pushing for the same level of equity.

Another great (imho) TSP story from 2025 coming this Thursday.

New York, New York

I cannot get enough of New York. I don’t want to live there, because I am now the embodiment of a soft Southern Californian when it comes to icy weather, but I really do like to visit, so I am. This weekend!

8.30am Sat 28 Mar
Brooklyn Running Co
480 Bergen St, NYC
Reserve your spot on Forte

Please come and try the new Aero Glide 4 GRVL shoes, and listen to me complaining about how cold I am. It’s been over 90 in LA, ok??

Talking of hot, hot heat, I had my first stop on the Salomon Gravel tour last Wednesday when I headed down to San Diego. Milestone Running is an incredible store, and I am really pleased that Greg is ordering some copies of This is Running. I will be back down there to sign some copies ASAP.

I will (hopefully) also be in both Boston and London for the marathons, so if you want to hang out and take photos with me, drop me a line and help make my attendance a 100% possibility.

Thanks for reading,
Raz

CONNECT WITH ME - Instagram | Strava Club | Me on Strava

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The status quo in question right here is representation on the start line of races. I’ve written about this topic a number of times now (I’ll link to a few of the articles at the end), but there’s still so far to go. One of my favorite headlines, however, was when The Speed Project – maybe the most emblematic event of the past decade in the running world – introduced their Radical Equity Program.

They took the most extreme category of the 340-mile journey from Los Angeles to Las Vegas – the solo mission – and made it their goal for the field to be at least 50% women and non-binary runners.

I’ve followed the REP as they invite women-only teams to run TSP, but the content is primarily digital, in the form of Instagram posts and accounts, or YouTube documentaries. It’s inherently temporary and transient. In this era of streaming subscriptions, we don’t ever truly own digital documentation, so I find it so interesting when there’s any aspect of permanence. When athlete and artist Tilly GW quietly announced a ‘zine about the couple dozen people involved in the 2025 race, I had to know more.

Tilly has been spearheading the REP. Growing up in Cambridge, I speak to Tilly while she’s in Chile, following the Atacama edition of The Speed Project, which was created in a moment where the increasing commercialization of the LA-LV event was weighing on founder Nils Arend’s mind.

Read more

I’m going to go into a bit more depth about what’s in the book over the next few newsletters, but in the meantime, get your orders in.

Get your copy of This is Running

USA - Amazon US | Bookshop US | Barnes & Noble
UK - Amazon UK | Bookshop UK | Waterstones
Canada - Amazon CA | Indigo

And if you have any questions about the book — any at all — fire away, and I’ll answer them all, either below in a comment or in the coming weeks.

Leave a comment

Running & Creativity

For those who read right down to the end of last Monday’s newsletter, you will know that I had a US spring tour to announce with Salomon.

They sent the massively talented Brian Galdamez and Kevin Cruz to my house to capture my creative process, which is exactly the topic that I’ll be speaking about at these in-person events. I’ll be outlining the deep relationship between running and creativity. If you’ve been reading this newsletter for a while, you’ll know it’s something I’ve been exploring.

You can watch the video clip on my IG here. I’ll be posting more updates about the book tour, book release, and all the regular stuff on there, so follow along if you aren’t already.

Watch me on IG

Come see me on the Off Track Gravel Tour if you can. And if you do, don’t be shy – come say hi. It’ll be lovely to chat.

March

• 3.18 San Diego, CA - Milestone Running REGISTER

• 3.28 Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Running Company REGISTER

May

• 5.12 Twin Cities, MN - TC Running Company REGISTER

• 5.16 Portland, OR - Fleet Feet PDX REGISTER

• 5.20 San Francisco, CA - Fleet Feet Menlo Pk REGISTER

• 5.25 Columbus, OH - Fleet Feet Columbus REGISTER

• 5.30 Denver, CO - Runners Roost Lakewood REGISTER

I’m very much looking forward to visiting Minnesota and Ohio for the first time, which will be US states 17 and 18 for me. Maybe I’ll hit 20 states visited by the end of 2026. That would be nice.

On another very personal note, I’ve written about the lack of representation of South Asian faces in the running world for the past three years, so actually being platformed to be that visible face (especially in the trail world) is very, very cool to me, and hopefully to many others.

If you work at a brand and you want to figure out a way of working with me, either on the newsletter or IRL, you can always drop me a line raz@runningsucks101.com.

Email me

O is for Offline

A trend that I’ve been noticing more and more frequently is a desire from the terminally online to be online… less.

Maybe it’s related to what’s going on in the world at the moment, and wanting less exposure to it, or maybe it’s because it’s not even been 19 years since smartphones have existed in the wild. Such a huge, swingeing change in our media consumption habits is difficult to get used to, especially if it’s bad for us. Millennials – my generation – were the canaries down the coalmine.

We increasingly understand that short-form content is bad for us, and younger generations thankfully learnt from us to never post a 100-photo album on Facebook. But now, the doomscrolling of clip after reel is addictive by design, and it’s ruining our attention spans by relentlessly dosing us up with dopamine hit after hit.

The negative results on our mental health is astounding. Anxiety, depression, poor sleep, FOMO and loneliness, we’re less engaged in human relationships because we’re watching other people on our phones.

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