Runners Connect reviewed multiple studies and found that runners mainly speed up by increasing stride length, while raising stride frequency mainly lowers knee and hip loading. Research shows a 10% faster step rate cuts peak kneecap force by 14%, while a step rate 10% below natural rhythm raises hip, knee, and ankle loads; a 2016 study of 249 female runners found those above the loading-rate cutoff had 2.72 times the odds of a diagnosed injury.
Tigst Assefa's world record run was derailed by an Achilles injury just 2 kilometers from the finish, but the future remains bright for the Berlin Marathon.
Ethiopian runner Tigst Assefa collapsed after breaking her own course record at the Berlin Marathon in 2:11:04. Her manager, Gianni Demadonna, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Monday that she had successfully undergone surgery for a torn Achilles tendon.
Ultrarunner Jeff Browning suffered a cardiac arrest at 57 miles (91K) into TDS in August, two months after Olympian Jenny Simpson suffered a cardiac arrest after pacing a mile on the track. While running improves heart health long-term, high-intensity distance running can raise short-term risk for people with an underlying condition.
The Golden Trail World Series held a 23.1K race on and around the Jinshanling section of the Great Wall of China in Chengde on Sunday, with 1,667 meters of climbing on stone stairs, steep climbs and mountain trails. About 3,000 runners took part. Patrick Kipngeno won the men's race in 2:12:30, and Ruth Gitonga won the women's race in 2:39:47.
The lululemon Fast and Free Tights were recently updated with a low-profile storage system and refined waistband, offering six pockets (two side, one back zip, three drop-in). The lightweight Nulux fabric is breathable and quick-drying, making them a solid choice for fall runs and rainy races.
Two-time Olympian Lucia Stafford won the women's race at the inaugural Bloor Street Mile in Toronto in 4:23, a six-second personal best and only her second career road mile. Sadie-Jane Hickson was second in 4:42, and 14-year-old Sawyer Nicholson third in 4:47. Ethan Davenport won the men's race in 4:08.
Runner's World rounded up 30 gifts for runners who already have a favorite pair of shoes, covering recovery shoes, blister-preventing socks, lined anti-chafe shorts, a freezable ice sleeve, Sprints UPF-rated hats, bone-conduction headphones, foam rollers and rolling sticks. The list also includes a marathon medal and bib shadow box frame, a training journal designed by pro Lauren Fleshman, a SpiBelt waist pack, lock laces, and a four-month marathon training plan.
At the 2026 Berlin Marathon, Joshua Rempel was the fastest Canadian man, finishing 164th overall in 2:26:04, while Melissa Paauwe led Canadian women in 2:44:58 and placed second in the W40-44 age group. Canada also had a top-10 wheelchair result, with Joshua Cassidy sixth in 1:31:31.
In Berlin, Tigst Assefa was well on her way to reclaiming her marathon world record before a late-race injury forced her to limp home in 2:11:04. Should the clean women's WR actually be under 2:10? (Statistically speaking, the answer is no). Plus 35-year-old Guye Adola won the men's race while #2 New Mexico's 27-year-old freshman helped the Lobos take down #1 Oklahoma State in Stillwater. Plus former teen phenom Jane Hedengren, who turned 20 last week, gets beat and current teen phenom Sam Ruthe goes to altitude.
Runna says its plans are not created by AI. Coaches write them, and an algorithm adjusts your paces and sessions as you train. The article explains what changes, what triggers it, and where the Runna AI feature fits in.
Runner Kate Mihevc Edwards describes being diagnosed with arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM, formerly ARVC) after years of palpitations, skipped heartbeats, shortness of breath, and dizziness that doctors repeatedly attributed to dehydration.
Carbon fiber insoles cost $95 to $149, while super shoes like the Nike Alphafly 4, Vaporfly 4 and Adidas Adios Pro 4 run $250 to $280. Insoles can supply a carbon plate's stiffness, but they can't copy the PEBA foam or rocker geometry that carry most of a super shoe's race-day benefit.
Prime Big Deal Days, running October 6 and 7, 2026, is discounting treadmills by as much as 30%, including NordicTrack, Bowflex, Horizon, ProForm, WalkingPad, and Sunny Health models. Picks include the Horizon T101 at 9% off with a 2.5 CHP motor, 20-by-55-inch deck, 10 mph top speed, and 0–10% incline, and the ProForm 2450 at 17% off with a 4.25 CHP motor, 14 mph top speed, and 15% incline.
Coaches say a long run shouldn't exceed 25 to 30 percent of weekly mileage, since too much stress hinders recovery; for example, a 10-mile long run fits a roughly 30-mile week. Relying on one weekly long run raises injury risk, and research links running at least three days a week to fewer injuries than one day. Build mileage across three or more runs, using a coach or run buddy for consistency.
PandaPrank launches its first trail shoe, the Orbis, at $200, weighing 9.4 oz with a 30mm heel/25mm forefoot (5mm drop) supercritical TPEE midsole, UHMWPE monomesh upper, and Vibram Megagrip outsole with 4-4.6mm lugs. Reviewers found the midsole bouncy and comfortable and the upper debris-resistant, but sizing runs long and the outsole lacks bite on technical terrain.
Garmin confirmed its acquisition of muscle oxygen sensor company Moxy Monitor, but unlike past acquisitions, it issued no formal press release or executive statement. Since 2014, Moxy has had close ties with Garmin and ANT+, was the first Connect IQ app, and received ANT+ muscle oxygen profile certification; in recent years it has shifted focus toward coaches and academic users.
A 2025 RunRepeat report on 2024 U.S. marathon participation found the average marathon finish time is 4 hours 34 minutes, an average pace of 10:27 per mile, with men averaging 4 hours 24 minutes and women 4 hours 51 minutes; 18- to 24-year-olds average 4 hours 19 minutes, while those over 65 average 5 hours 35 minutes.
Adidas and Hermanos Koumori release their third collaboration, themed around the mentor-student relationship, covering the Hyperboost Edge and Adizero Evo SL Woven running shoes plus about 18 apparel pieces, priced from $29 to $200.
Runner's World gear editor Morgan recalls her first marathon nearly a decade ago: she signed up the day before, ran without fuel or energy gels and alone, finishing in 4:14:14 with a negative split and dipping below 8:00 pace over the final 5K. Her one right move was starting conservatively and picking up pace after halfway. She says she won't enter another marathon until she can fuel and train properly.
The Golden Trail World Series and Skyrunner World Series raced in China and Spain, plus the Mammoth Trailfest in the U.S. Patrick Kipngeno won the Jinshanling Great Wall Trail Race in 2:12:30, with Ruth Gitonga taking the women's race in 2:39:47. Catch up on all the racing from the last weekend of September.
Compound is a strength training app for iPhone and Apple Watch with only one fixed four-day routine. The app decides what you train that day, the weight and the reps, and automatically adds weight once every set hits the target.
Heart Analyzer compared what Apple Watch Ultra 4 and Ultra 2 actually write to Apple Health: far more heart rate detail during the day, far more HRV detail overnight, and no additional overnight heart rate data.
Runners Connect pulls together multiple studies to lay out an order of operations for running through pollen season: grass pollen is lowest in the morning and peaks in the early evening in cities, so run early and move hard sessions indoors or to low-count days. For treatment, steroid nasal sprays beat antihistamine pills for congestion, runny nose, sneezing, and itch across 16 randomized trials, with non-drowsy antihistamines as a backup; older drugs like diphenhydramine reduce REM sleep and are not recommended during training.
On the fifth day of athletics at the Nagoya Asian Games, China won four golds, five silvers and two bronzes. In the men's 110m hurdles, 20-year-old Chen Yuanjiang took gold in 13.15; in the women's javelin, Yan Ziyi's opening throw of 70.46m broke the Games record and sealed gold; in the women's long jump, Huang Yingying's final leap of 6.55m completed a comeback win. In the women's marathon race walk, Kazakhstan's Yasmine Toksanbayeva was disqualified by World Athletics, with Danzeng Quzong and Ma Li promoted to gold and silver.
The Ibex Kilometer running gloves are down to $96 on Amazon, 20% off the $126 MSRP, with only small and medium in stock. They have wool-polyester insulation, a merino-nylon lining, a 100% goat leather palm, and a thumb nose-wipe patch. They earned a spot in Runner's World's Best Running Gloves guide; Ibex and other retailers still list them at full price.
The 2026 Berlin Marathon results are in: Guye Adola won the men's race in 2:02:50, and Tigst Assefa won the women's race in 2:11:04. The article says the top 30 results from today's race can be viewed in the post.
Runner’s World asked three physical therapists who explain that tendons act like springs during running, storing and returning energy, and because they have less blood supply than muscle, they adapt to training stimulus far more slowly than muscles and the cardiovascular system—so they need to be trained differently.
Runner's World compiles marathon all-time lists current as of September 27, 2026, covering the fastest men's and women's performers, the fastest American men and women, the fastest performances, and the progression of world records since 1988. Only record-eligible courses count, so Eliud Kipchoge's 1:59:40 in Vienna and Boston times are excluded.