Run World Radio & A Mile With Me

Mile-037-Magna Carta Welcome to Mile 037 of A Mile with Me. Join me in Runnymede near Windsor, a pleasant meadow on the side of the River Thames where in 1215, King John under pressure and needing the support of his barons, signed over over to them significant rights. These included the concept of habeas corpus or the ability to appeal against unlawful imprisonment. It also enshrined the concept of sentence proportionate to offence and led to trial by Jury. It is seen as one of the most important documents in the English speaking world and key elements are in the constitution of Commonwealth nations and that of the United States and the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. At Runnymede there is a large memorial to President Kennedy and a monument to Magna Carta put up by the American Bar Association. We also run in Windsor Great Park and visit the fishing village of Beer. Hear from Tineke as she talks about the Run for Phil and the Extra Mile Podcast. Join runners across the planet on The Extra Mile podcast: http://theextramilepodcast.blogspot.com/ Find out more about Tineke's run: http://www.justgiving.com/CSCRunForPhil Runnymede: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-runnymede/w-runnymede-history.htm Chopper@amilewith.me.uk   www.twitter.com/stevechopper Posted by SteveChopper at 13:20 0 comments Download Standard Podcasts

Mile-036-Athens Classic Marathon The Athens Classic Marathon follows the route between the town of Marathon itself and Athens in Greece. In 490BC a great battle took place on the Plains of Marathon that altered world history. The Athenians defeated a much larger Persian army in a real turning point. If they had lost then there would have been no Classical Greek civilisation and western world as we know it. According to legend, a messenger called Phedippides ran the 26 miles to Athens to proclaim the victory and the Marathon run was born! Its a packed edition - I am in Marathon for the opening ceremony of the Athens Classic Marathon and the start of the celebrations of the 2500th anniversary year in 2010. We hear from the Mayor of Marathon is a special wish exclusively recorded for the listeners to this podcast. We also catch up with a few of the participants and hear the sounds of Athens and my explorations, plus of course my report from the race. The chap above is Gregoris Lambrakis, a Greek athlete and democracy campaigner who started a Peace Marathon along the same route in 1963. He was assassinated shortly afterwards but through his actions inspired modern democracy in Greece. We hear his inspirational story as we explore the terrific new running musuem at Marathon. http://www.athensclassicmarathon.gr/  site of the Athens Classic Marathon http://www.mongoliamarathon.com/    the first Mongolian International Marathon Feel free to mail me chopper@amilewith.me.uk, visit my website for all the previous editions and shownotes at http://www.amilewith.me.uk/ and follow me on Twitter @SteveChopper Posted by SteveChopper at 16:30 0 comments Download Standard Podcasts

Mile-035-Antarctica, Goodwill to all Men In this special Christmas edition of the A Mile with Me podcast we catch up with Phil Moneypenny, a good friend of mine and owner of RuncastTV. I have been lucky enough to run with Phil several times this year as the Run Net Community in the UK have gathered to meet for real. One of these occasions was on Midsummers Day in June as Phil, our friend Ciemon and I ran together across the fields of Wiltshire to see the dawn rise at Stonehenge which we recorded for an earlier episode of this podcast. It occurred to me that as I was recording this edition of the podcast today that it is actually Midsummers Day in Antarctica, so its quite apt to hear from Phil and to send the good wishes from around the world to Phil for Xmas Day. The above picture is not doctored, its the aurora and part of the Halley IV base where Phil is right now. So on todays episode we talk about people, community, the Antarctic - and how in this sometimes difficult world people are still building and sharing and making connections and things happen. Contributions from: Phil Moneypenny http://www.runcast.tv/   http://runderland.posterous.com/ Gary Wall  http://www.kinverkid.blogspot.com/ Harry Burns http://www.runningtothelight.net/ Krister http://www.runningthenarrowpath.blogspot.com/ Nigel http://www.runningfromthereaper.com/ Paul http://www.runyankrun.blogspot.com/ Tineke @tinebeest on Twitter Toni Harvey http://www.drusy.blogspot.com/ Steve Runner http://www.steverunner.com/ Adam Tinkoff @Zenrunner Charlie http://www.cewtwo.com/ Barb, Kelownagurl http://kelownagurl.blogspot.com/ Thanks to Harry (above) from the Dream Inspires team for coming up with the idea of sending Phil a Christmas message and sending out the initial email. Merry Christmas to you all and thanks for your support in 2009. You can contact me Chopper@amilewith.me.uk Twitter @SteveChopper www.amilewith.me.uk Download Standard Podcasts

On Saturday 5th December 2009, around 3000 Santas left the North Pole and converged on Battersea Park in London in support of Disabled Snow Sports. The event took place on a closed road circuit that made its way through the park. The route passed the Buddhist Peace Pagoda which was built in 1985 as a symbol of universal peace and followed the river bank. The weather was nice and sunny. Look out for a mini race report on The Extra Mile Podcast!Download Podcast Video

Mile-033/34- The Dream Inspires Parts 1 and 2 Join us as we run the Dream Inspires Oxford run as part of the Worldwide Festival of Races. A group of UK podcasters, bloggers and runners came together on 11th October to run our WWFOR together amongst the "dreaming spires" of Oxford University. It was a fantastic adventure!  Listen to the two A Mile with Me episodes (33 and 34) and join us in spirit. Also check out the Runners Roundtable http://www.runnersroundtable.com/ for the special edition where we discussed this run with many of the particpants. Krister also put out an excellent edition of his Running The Narrow Path show (http://www.runningthenarrowpath.blogspot.com/) which was a documentary of the event and his experiences doing it. I'd love you to mail me chopper@amilewith.me.uk if you have any comments on any episode or alternatively you can find me @SteveChopper on Twitter I am proud to support the Run Net Community which aims to provide a link into the world of independent running podcasts, blogs and other ways the global online running community motivate each other. Find out more at http://www.runnetcommunity.org/ If you are interrestd in gettin involved in a similar Dream Inspires event next year wherever you live, contact me by mail and we will try and make it happen!Download Standard Podcasts

A short video from my Ipod Nano showing the lead up to the Athens Classic Marathon. I was lucky enough to be able to go along to the opening ceremonies and torch parade in Marathon on Saturday 7th November. This comparatively small gathering was attended by the President of Greece, the Deputy Minister of Culture, the Mayor of Marathon and members of the AIMS (Association of International Marathons organisers) symposium who were also meeting in Marathon for the weekend. Also you get a glimpse of the new Marathon Museum, opened officially by the Greek President that day and the historic starting line of the first Olympic Marathon (1896), in Marathon itself. I recorded interviews with some interesting people including the Mayor of the City of Marathon himself who has recorded a special and exclusive wishes for all listeners to the A Mile with Me podcast. This message will be on the Athens Classic Marathon edition of A Mile with Me as we follow my adventures and run from Marathon to Athens. It will be out soon!Download Podcast Video

Join us for The Dream Inspires, a run in Oxford as part of the World Wide Festival of Races www.amilewith.me.uk fro show notes and contact details to leave me a comment or message. All the best SteveDownload Standard Podcasts

Join me at the Fit Christchurch event, as we find out what one English town with one of the highest life expectancies in the UK is doing to help maintain the health of it's residents Full show notes on www.amilewith.me.uk Mail me Chopper@amilewith.me.uk Follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/stevechopper   @SteveChopperDownload Standard Podcasts

Its 175 years this year since a turning point in the world of worker and human rights in the UK. This revolution led to the legitimisation of workers forming unions and led us on the path to wider access to the vote, and ultimately towards the welfare state and the National Health Service, which was 60 last year. Whatever your views of the NHS, its philosophy of "access to medical treatment based upon need and not the ability to pay" was revolutionary and a model for many other countries and of course this agenda is current in the US right now. It is on the surface strange that this story was played out in the rural area of Dorset not the industrial midlands, however although the stone was metaphorically dropped into the water at Tolpuddle, the ripples were felt across Britain, Australia and Canada. Join Lybbe from the fiftycountingdown podcast (www.fiftycountingdown.blogspot.com) as she picks up the Tolpuddle Trail through to a cemetary in London, Canada (she took the pic above!) Come with us then on this inspirational story in Mile 31, as we have music and atmosphere from the Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival 2009, music from Billy Bragg and hear from Tony Benn, a stalwart of British Politics as he describes the importance of the Martyrs story through to today. I also tell you about the Dream Inspires, a unique opportunity for YOU to literally follow in the footsteps of Sir Roger Bannister in October, and hear about how I will be following the footsteps of Pheidippidies by running from Marathon to Athens in Greece in November. Excerpts from: Paul Van Dyke - Time of our Lives Graham Moore - Tolpuddle Man Ladysmith Black Mambaso - Word in UnionDownload Standard Podcasts

A modern C90 mixed for your running pleasure!Download Standard Podcasts

Join Ciemon, Snowshadow and I as we chase the dawn as its first light runs across Sallisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England towards Stonehenge. Ciemon is a Pagan, so we find out on the DawnChaser run all about the close connection with the landscape and how he celebrates his beliefs through the act of running. Its a beautiful area of the country and we take you with us as we run into Stonehenge for dawn and listen to ambience and interviews within the Stone Circle itself on Midsummers morning! Its a unique atmosphere and by closing your eyes and listening you can be whisked into the celebrations. Check out Ciemon's blog at www.plianrunner.com and follow him at www.Twitter.com/Ciemon Todays soundtrack snippets are from The Beloved "The Sun Rising", Spinal Tap "Stonehenge", Muse "Feeling Good" and Asian Dub Foundation "Buzzing" Mail chopper@amilewith.me.uk  web www.amilewith.me.uk and follw me at www.Twitter.com/SteveChopper Check out video from this run at Runcast.tv - search "Stonehenge"Download Standard Podcasts

Just before midnight on the 5th June 1944, three gliders were released above the coast of France and drifted silently towards Normandy. At 00:16 on 6th June, the gliders crash landed and skidded to a halt. The complement of men poured through the doors and through rips torn in the fuselage and headed out on their mission. Theirs was among the first of D-Day, to capture a couple of key bridges, to stop the Germans bringing through reinforcements. It was a great success and the bridge became named after the symbol of the British 6th Airborne,; Pegasus the winged horse. 65 years later following 3 years of planning an Ultra run took place to commemorate this with a run from the airfield in Dorset which launched the gliders down to finish on the Pegasus Bridge itself. Around 200 runners took part in the 65 mile run - all respresenting a specific individual soldier on the original mission. I joined the run at the halfway point as the runners arrived for refreshments at The New Forest Hotel in Ashurst, Hampshire. Theres some interesting stories so join me with the runners to Pegasus. Thanks to Danny Greeno, organiser of The Run to Pegasus and all the folks you will hear from in this episode. www.project65.net Music from the podsafe music network at music.podshow.com The Essentials - Bells of FreedomDownload Standard Podcasts

Join the fun at the White Peaks Half Marathon in Matlock, Derbyshire, England as some of the UK online running community got together to run a race. Hear us enjoying the day, plus the story of the trail the half marathon is run along and why its called the "Swift Half" Phil Moneypenny www.runcast.tv Gary Wall www.kinverkid.blogspot.com Steve Chopper www.amilewith.me.uk Mark "Wheelo" http://mytimetorun.blogspot.com/ Toni Harvey www.drusy.blogspot.com Petra Runs http://www.petraruns.blogspot.com/ Paul "xjr4buddha"  www.twitter.com/xjr4buddha Also mentioned: www.project65.net interviews will feature on the next edition! Music, courtesy of the Podsafe Music Network at music.podshow.com Amb26 - Summers Day (theme) Dona Oxford - Change the World Join us on 10th 11th October 2009 for the 4th annual Worldwide Festival of Races at www.worldwidefestivalofraces.com Follow me on Twitter "SteveChopper"  Download Standard Podcasts

"Born to Run" is the fabulous new book by Christopher McDougall, a journalist who has written extensively for Runners World and Mens Health. Its in part "Boys Own" adventure story, part a guide to the ultrarunning phenomena and part anthropological exploration of how we as human beings are quite literally Born to Run. Chris's adventures take him ultrarunning with the remote Tarahumara tribe in Mexico, probably the greatest ultrarunners on the planet. We find out through the evolution of his story that distance running is what YOUR body was actually DESIGNED to do.. its its purpose! Its a great book with the stories of some of amazing running companions, the greatest US ultraunners alive, who pit themselves against the Tarahumara in the Copper Canyons of Mexico. No less than Lloyd Bradley, author of The Rough Guide to Running describes it as "Quite simply the best book you'll ever read about running.. brilliant and brilliantly life affirming" I was lucky enough to meet up and run with Chris recently across central London and through the Royal Parks. Join us and share our conversation about the creation of Born to Run and some of his great running stories. http://www.amazon.com/Born-Run-Hidden-Superathletes-Greatest/dp/0307266303/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8s=booksqid=1242334532sr=8-1 The version of Springsteen's "Born to Run" was by Frankie Goes to Hollywood http://www.amilewith.me.uk/ chopper@amilewith.me.uk www.twitter.com/SteveChopper Download this episode (right click and save) Download Standard Podcasts

Mile-025-Riders on the Storm - the story of the OMM - the worlds first, biggest and most famous mountain marathon The Original Mountain Marathon (OMM, formerly known as the Karrimor International Mountain Marathon) is the world's first, biggest and most famous mountain marathon. An annual event since 1968, it is also widely regarded as the worlds first adventure race. From origins in the north of England, the team have since taken the event and philosophy all over the world. Its a tough event comprising of 2 marathon distances over the most punishing terrain. Competitors must be highly skilled in navigation and survival skills as well as being athletes, and the event owners take no chances and run adventure training courses. Participants must also comply with strict equipment and basc skill rules. In 2008, the event was called off midway through for the first time in its history following torrential rain. The county of Cumbria invoked its emergency response protocol after being called by parties that perhaps had their own interests, who stated that 1000s of people were unaccounted for. This was the main headline on the national news and on the front page of all the main national papers. On Edition 25 of the A Mile with Me podcast I'm joined by Mike Parsons, a member of the family who founded the Karrimor brand who has been involved in the OMM from the start and now owns the event, for a unique discussion. We talk about the history of the event, the innovations it has brought to equipment design and mapping globally, plus of course discuss the events last year. Its clear from Mike and the voices of particpants that they were all trained and equiped to take part, and that the response from those who were not close to the event was a big overreaction. Whilst nobody blames the emergency services and those members of the public who answered the call for assistance in good faith, there are still unanswered questions as to who called them in. Join me as we hear the exciting story of the OMM, and the true strory of the event that knocked Obama and the recession off the headlines for a day! www.theOMM.comDownload Standard Podcasts