Rachel Smalley, recovering in Beirut from her first marathon, hot-footed it to a bomb site where at least 43 people were killed in a shopping street.

New Zealand No 2 Nick Horspool and Japan's Hirotaka Tanimoto look set to battle it out in the ASB Auckland Marathon tomorrow.

The thought of refugee families living in tented communities will be the motivation for Kiwis taking part in a marathon in the Middle East next week.

A number of Kiwis will forgo the Rugby World Cup final to stand on the start line of the New York City Marathon tomorrow morning.

Rugby fans running marathon tomorrow can watch RWC final if they can keep up with runners live-streaming the game from iPads strapped to their backs.

Whatever the result of the World Cup final, first-time marathon runner Rob Coley believes the adrenaline rush will propel him to the finish - in his ABs jersey.

Susan Strongman meets four people with more powerful reasons to run than most.

Whakatane District Council is fit, healthy and wants to take on other businesses and organisations in a $25,000 challenge.

The Kawerau King of the Mountain has become an iconic Kiwi feature. There are few North Island events that compete in terms of difficulty.

Marathons are in Kiri Price's blood - her earliest memories include waiting for her father at various finish lines - yet the 47-year-old fitness instructor was a relatively late starter.

When the doctors hooked Aries Merritt on to the dialysis machine two years ago, they told him his running days were over.

Angela Kingi was diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) when she was 29 years old.

Andrew Town created the Jacks Point Trail Run which will have its first outing on Saturday, September 5.

Television presenter Mike McRoberts is looking forward to running the Hoka One One Taupo Marathon today - albeit with an unusual twist.

Pint-sized Kiwi Kim Allan intends to run Tor des Geants next month - a 330km non-stop race through the Italian Alps that she must complete in under 150 hours.

Eugene Bingham describes how running helps him find freedom - freedom to quit worrying and be happy.

One in six New Zealand adults will be affected by mental health issues and it is the third-leading cause of health loss in this country. Not since the Christchurch earthquakes has a cause stirred the collective conscience of so many Kiwis, nor inspired so

So much was lost when the February 2011 earthquake hit Christchurch - lives, heritage, important buildings, and a large chunk of the city centre.

Kiwi trail runner Anna Frost's commitment to her craft is such that, on her official break from international competition, she has decided to run a marathon just for fun.

It was a glorious morning for the tens of thousands of competitors taking on the Ports of Auckland Round the Bays yesterday.

Ingrid Frost is about to achieve a big feat. She will be the first woman in Australasia to officially run 200 marathons if she finishes Taranaki's Mountain to Surf event on Saturday.

Antun Banicevich has been pushed and piggy-backed, wheeled and walked Round the Bays.

Austen Heuvel would love nothing more than to defend his 100m national schools title next week in Wanganui.

Musician Rachel Dawick loves the freedom that running gives her.

Even as an 11-year-old with no training, runner Audrey Gregan was so far ahead of the bunch she was in a race of her own.