For a couple in Australia, the new year started off with a goal much bigger than most. The couple plans to run a marathon every day this year.

That’s 365 marathons in 365 days if you need us to run the numbers for you.

Alan Murray and Janette Murray-Wakelin departed from Melbourne on New Year’s Day morning for the first of 365 marathons in 2013. The couple are grandparents in their 60s running to raise money for charities and awareness of healthy living. Their route, and further explanation of their mission, can be found on their site, Running Raw Around Australia.

Janette was diagnosed with breast cancer in her early 50s. She was told she had 6-12 weeks to live, according to a story at Yahoo News. Murray-Wakelin declined traditional treatment and began eating a raw diet to treat her cancer. The couple has eaten a raw diet ever since. In fact, Janette has a book due out this year called “Raw Can Cure Cancer.”

Many studies regarding raw diets contest that one will get maximum nutrients from uncooked vegetables, fruits, and plant proteins. Most studies show that vitamins, phytonutrients, and enzymes are destroyed once they reach temperatures around 120-130 degrees. If these studies are true, the Murray’s will be getting tremendous nutrients to fuel them on their 9631.25 mile journey this year.

Holly Perkins is a personal trainer, with a degree in exercise science and nutrition from Penn State, who shared some insight about the Murray’s lofty goals.
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Once we wake on January 1st, we have high hopes for a resolution but rarely is there a plan in place for these new habits. Often, January 1st ends up looking pretty much like December 31st. So, what’s the way to make New Year’s Day truly be a new day? Consider lining up for a New Year’s Day race! It’s a really great way to put your feet where your mouth is and literally start the new year on the right foot.

There are New Year’s Day races all over the country. From 5Ks to full marathons, there’s a distance out there for all level of runners. It’s a great first race for many looking to kick off their new plan, a re-commitment for the ones who let their previous good habits get away from them, and to keep the seasoned runner on track.

Some cities have morning races while others have starting guns that fire off at midnight. Here are just a few of most popular January 1st races from around the country. Find one near you and start 2013 off right!
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Brrr! Who turned the cold on? I’m not sure what the weather is doing in your part of the world, but our mild mid-west winter just decided to get cold, like really cold. Chilly weather on its own is annoying enough, but it’s brutal for a runner in training. The word loathe doesn’t quite sum it up for me. However, training must go on and the treadmill is not where I want to log my miles. This leaves one option – running in the cold. It can be done, and with a little tweaking it can be done comfortably.

These are my tips for successful winter running, and I know you can use them, too!

Running Buddies

Sometimes the harshest sting of a winter run is simply the first step out the door. Typically, if you can get past the threshold, you’ll get your miles in. One of my most useful tricks for leaving my warm toasty bed is knowing that a friend is out there waiting on me. Making running dates, anytime of the year, but especially in the winter is a great way to silence that inner voice that says, “stay here, go back to bed, it’s so cold outside.”
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Marathons are difficult. They can be exhausting, sweaty, even humiliating. Sure, they come with the satisfaction of knowing you did the hard work of running a marathon, but when that’s not enough to get you to tie up your laces, the creative people at Ridiculo.us came up with another idea: stage a fake marathon.

The event, being staged in February, is counting on participants to snap pictures of themselves preparing for the race, showing off their race gear, and pretending to run, then compile all of those online to make it seem like the race really happened. It comes complete with T-shirts, race bibs, medals and race times, just no actual running. That’s why it’s called Run Free 2013, because the race is run-free. Participants are instructed to promote it on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media to spread the word and get people talking about “the greatest race that never was.”

Kickstarter.com hosts all of the information about how to sign up. Backers who pledge certain amounts of money get special race packets that include the Run Free gear. Their goal was $999, but they reached their fundraising goal in under an hour, and ended up raising more than $15,000 to fund the project.
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While Thanksgiving morning means wafts of turkey aroma and the Macy’s parade for most Americans, for a smaller crowd of runners it means Turkey Trot. It’s interesting if you research all the Turkey Trots in the nation because most have a very long standing tradition. I’m guessing the pending feasts motivate so many to get some calorie burning in every year. This year is no exception as the race calendars are loaded with many events.

Some trots were last weekend, but many land right here on Thanksgiving Day. This is probably best as the American Council on Exercise reported that the average Thanksgiving meal contains about 3,000 calories. They estimated the average person would have to run for four hours to burn off that much turkey; we calculated you’d have to run a half marathon to burn Thanksgiving dinner.

Whether you’re a competitive runner or more of a mall walker, there’s no reason not to search for an event in your area and take a preemptive strike approach to these bountiful holiday. Make it a family affair and have fun with it. Last year, Capital One YMCA Turkey Trot in Dallas encouraged everyone to dress like a turkey as they attempted to set a Guinness World Record, and they did with 661 turkey costumes on the course.

Not only are turkey trots long standing, fun traditions, they are drawing serious crowds that are dedicated to doing good for others in addition to their own waistline. Here are five of the country’s largest Turkey Trots.

117th Annual YMCA Turkey Trot Buffalo, NY

This Turkey Trot can boast that it’s the oldest road race in America, even older than the Boston Marathon. The rare distance of 8 kilometers brings out more than 14,000 runners on Thanksgiving morning. Runners are asked to bring non-perishable foods to the race. Last year they collected enough to make 2,200 meals. This year, the race organizers are going big as they attempt to collect enough food for 6,000 meals. Follow along with this famous race by following the hashtag #buffaloytrot on Twitter.
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