Fall 2019 Issue

Steve Jones was the archetypal hard-man road runner. He worked for the British Royal Air Force throughout his racing career, and although he made money as a runner, he did so with the blue collar ethos that he was only ever a torn hamstring away from retirement. He raced with a tenacity that led to some spectacular victories and equally spectacular defeats. Fall was a happy hunting ground for the Welshman, as he won Chicago in 1984 and 1985, securing a World Record the first time out and a British Record in ‘85 that stood right up until Mo Farah started taking the marathon seriously. He also won New York in 1988 with a time of 2.08 – a mark that would be competitive even today on such a tough course.

Mario Fraioli has interviewed him for this issue of Meter, and there will be an extended audio interview with Jones available on October 14 as issue 81 of Fraioli’s podcast, the morning shakeout.

There’s a lot to learn when it comes to marathon running, as author Adharanand Finn discovered when he spent an extended period of time living in Iten, Kenya, with his family while researching his book, Running with the Kenyans. In this issue he’s called out some of the lessons that he brought home. Hint – you’re probably running your recovery runs too fast.

Lastly, summer is still there in the rear view with our trip to Cambridge, England, for the bi-annual Harvard-Yale vs Oxford-Cambridge track meet. The Ivy League has been taking on the cream of British academia since 1899, and the Euro road trip has become a rite-of-passage for the Americans ever since. With Tracksmith providing the team kit, we sent photographer Emily Maye to capture the action.

For Runners.
For The Sport.
For The Love.

Meter takes a long-form look at the hidden side of running culture and at the athletes, traditions and events that make running the greatest sport in the world. Now published as quarterly broadsheet, you can pick up Meter free at Tracksmith events or purchase issues online.