RunSmart Program Succeeds At Both Ends Of Running Spectrum: 800m To Ultra-marathon

"Training principles for optimal performance and injury prevention in running are one and the same, regardless of race distance" notes Austin running coach and physiotherapist Allan Besselink. Over the past 3 weeks, his RunSmart program has provided the running community with two fine examples at both extremes of the running spectrum.

Three weeks ago, one of Besselink's Smart Sport athletes, 39 year-old Josh Kennedy of Huntsville, Alabama, ran the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run in 23:09. This earned him the coveted "Silver Belt Buckle". Last week in Sacramento, California, 55 year-old Canadian middle distance runner Rita Quibell, also coached by Besselink using the same training principles, became World Champion at both 800m and 1500m in her age group at the World Masters Track and Field Championships.

In Monday's 800m final, Quibell - two-time Canadian National Champion at 800m and 1500m - ran her final lap in 76 seconds. She sprinted away from Kathryn Martin, one of the most celebrated women in Masters running, easing up in the final meters to win her first World Championship title in a time of 2:37. In Friday's 1500m final, she again covered the final lap in 76 seconds, finishing in 5:22 to complete the double.

RunSmart is keeping runners injury-free and performing their best via principles that apply to recreational and elite runners from 800m to 100 miles. "RunSmart: A Comprehensive Approach To Injury-Free Running" is currently available at RunTex and on Amazon.com. The author, Allan Besselink, is a physiotherapist and coach in Austin, Texas and is the Director of the Smart Life Project.