With a record number of entrants in this year's London Marathon, it's a good illustration of how popular running has become, and understandably so, being a free and enjoyable way to keep fit, as well as a great excuse to get outdoors and explore the city. If you haven’t got off the starting blocks yet, maybe you need a little inspiration, and these are just the sites to get you up and running.

THE LONDON MARATHON
www.virginlondonmarathon.com



The official site for all things to do with the London Marathon, with information on how to enter, raising money for charity, training plans, nutrition advice and more, all to help you run the marathon safely and successfully. If you are interested in signing up for the 2013 London Marathon, this is the place to start.

RUNNERS WORLD
www.runnersworld.com 



An online magazine for runners, this site covers everything, from news and articles about the sport to acquiring the correct shoes and gear (there is even an article about wearing the right socks). Olympian athletes to first-time joggers will find this an incredibly useful resource. Subscribe to the magazine for the full Runner’s World experience.

AUDIOFUEL
www.audiofuel.co.uk



If you enjoy running to music, then you should take a look at Audiofuel. This clever company custom composes music for fitness packs that can be matched to your foot stride. There are four different levels, each offering a variety of running styles and speeds, so all levels of runner are catered for. Listen to sample tracks on the site and you’ll soon be pounding the pavements to the funky beat.

RUNBRITAIN
www.runbritain.com




Another useful resource with everything you want to know about running. Find previews and profiles of events, interviews and blogs by runners, training programmes for distances of 5km to a full marathon, how to stay motivated, an events calendar for the UK and a comprehensive list of running groups and clubs in the UK.

MATT ROBERTS RUNNING CLINIC
www.mattroberts.co.uk



The Matt Roberts Running Clinic is a London based company that will help you to become a better and more efficient runner. With centres in Chelsea, Hampstead, Mayfair and the City, the clinic offers a range of services from personal training and running analysis to physiotherapy and dietary advice.

REAL BUZZ
www.realbuzz.com 



Real Buzz is a website committed to the promotion of healthy active living, packed with exercise tools that will help you to chart your progress, plan your training and assess your fitness, not to mention an excellent maps feature that enables users to plot their routes and record running times and distances. While you are here, you might want to join in with the Real Buzz community, where site users can interact with one another and meet like-minded people.


ADVENTURE MARATHON

www.adventure-marathon.com




For some, running around the local park just isn’t enough. If a life-changing challenge is what you are after, this site could see you running the Polar Circle Marathon (Greenland, October 2012), the Solar Eclipse Marathon (Port Douglas, November 2012), or the Big Five Marathon (South Africa, June 2012), amongst other events. Adventure marathons incorporate beautiful scenery, demanding terrain and abrupt ascents. Not for the faint-hearted.

JOGGING BUDDY
www.joggingbuddy.com




Many people find it too difficult to keep motivated when running alone. Jogging Buddy connects runners with other runners (for free) and has members in over 99 countries, from power-walkers to experienced multi-marathon runners. A great way to keep fit, and who knows what new friendships will be forged in the process?

SWEATY BETTY
www.sweatybetty.com



Thanks to Sweaty Betty, you no longer have to look a total dag when going for a jog. Here, women can find sexy, comfortable running gear, designed to maintain the correct body temperature and support everything that might need supporting! Committed to creating sportswear that looks good while performing well, this is the only place for stylish scamperers to get their running shoes, shorts, tees and sports bras.

17 April 2012