PROFILE--Don Ardell has been running for 41 years, and practically invented the Wellness movement

The New York Times's immensely popular personal-health section is called "Well." That name and the entire wellness movement owes much of its existence to Don Ardell, profiled below. Though little known among today's runners, Ardell, 80, has been competing at a national-class level for four decades, even after moving primarily to the triathlon and duathlon worlds. Meanwhile, he has kept publishing books and wellness newsletters to keep everyone up to date on the latest on whole-body-and-spirit health.

Career or profession? My initial career was urban planning in 1965, followed by several years as a health planner. In 1973, I began developing and promoting the wellness concept. After 25 years, I modified the concept in 1998 to REAL wellness, which is an acronym for a science-based approach to

RESEARCH--Cut your risk of early death by 35 percent.

A new medical study of 8,000 middle-aged and older adults found that replacing a half-hour of sitting with 30 minutes of vigorous exercise cuts the risk of early death by about 35 percent. If the exercise is light, the risk reduction is only 17 percent.

Still, any movement is better than none in a world where so many of us sit so long, at times continuously. It's particularly important to break up continuous sitting. The study authors, from Columbia University, had previously found that moving about for 1-2 minutes every half-hour helps. 

So, set a timer at 30-minutes to remind yourself. Then walk up and down the stairs a bit, and do some squats and push-ups. Or whatever.

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The study subjects had an average age of 45, and wore activity monitors to record their sitting and movement patterns. The paper was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology with the title, "Potential Effects of Replacing Sedentary Time With Short Sedentary Bouts or Physical Activity on Mortality: A National Cohort Study."

Link to press release
Link to scientific abstract

PROFILE--Debbie Voiles has been running for 41 years

Coach Debbie Voiles is an astute organizer and a passionate runner. She combined the two, and in 2010 formed the Run Tampa running club for all ages and abilities. Members range in age from 21 to 86, with 70% female.  “My goal is to make the members happy,” says Voiles, 65. “The people working up to running their first non-stop mile are just as valuable and welcome as the ones who win races. Sometimes, when I’m with my runners, seeing their excitement, I feel like my heart will burst with happiness.”

Voiles passion for her coaching and her nurturing style can be seen in the documentary film, The Human Race, by Liz Vassey. (Theme: "You're never too old to start. We hope to have more info soon.)

When did you start running and why? October of 1977. I was struggling to lose the weight I had gained when pregnant with my daughter Wendy. Thirty years later, she has become my best running buddy.

Did you have an early inspiration or person who motivated you? My brother was my inspiration. He was one of the earliest Ironman Triathletes, doing Ironman Hawaii in the early 80s.

How much did you run per week in your peak years? Now? When I was teaching and raising my kids, I was lucky to get in 20, but I never stopped running. Now, I get in

PROFILE--Bob Anderson has been running for 56 years

As the founding publisher-owner of Runner's World magazine ("Making Tracks Since 1966"), Bob Anderson played a pivotal role in the American running boom. Less well known: He has been, and at age 71 remains, a passionate runner and racer. In recent years, Anderson has thrown his creative energy behind a Double Racing concept ("Running with a halftime break") and a free Running News Daily Headlines service. 

Career/profession? I was the founder and publisher of Runner's World magazine from 1966 to 1984. Also, founder/publisher World Publications (published over 100 books including 25 running books and a couple of years of booklet of the month), CEO/founder of Ujena (women’s swimwear and fashion) 1984 to present.  We have had a website UjenaFitClub since 2010 to present. (It's a great place for runners to log all their races and more). Founder of Double Road Race Federation from 2010 to present.  We have staged and I have run over

PROFILE--Jim Sloan has been running for 43 years

On a 2013 Rim to Rim run
in the Grand Canyon

Jim Sloan grew up surfing and skiing in Southern California. He ran on the cross-country team at Santa Barbara City College and fell in love with the sport. His job in the computer technology industry in the 80s took him around the world where he ran throughout Asia and Europe. “Every wrong turn leads to an adventure,” says Sloan. “I love to see a city waking up as I run through it in the early hours.” Sloan, 61, founder and CEO of a multinational manufacturing business, is now retired and has more flexibility and time to run with his Santa Barbara Running and Racing team buddies.

When did you start running and why? In July, 1975 after I had just finished high school. A friend and I were getting ready to move away to college and he suggested we try out for the cross-country team. We started running in Los Angeles in the hills around Griffith Park.

Did you have an early inspiration or person who motivated you?  I grew up in the era of Prefontaine and although he wasn’t a hero per se, I was inspired by the whole bad boy, anti-establishment runner image he embodied. My running club visits Eugene quite often and I get goose bumps every time I run on the U of O track.  

How much did you run per week in your peak years? Now? My peak was probably in the mid-80 miles per week range when I was in my 40s and early 50s and training seriously for marathons. Now, I can’t get

Reading and Running: Great Motivational Partners

Happy New Year! We hope your running year is already off to a good start, and stays strong through the 12 months. Reading about running can provide great motivation.

Here are several of the running books we most enjoyed last year. If you haven't read them, they have our unqualified endorsement. (We also like our own books, and would be happy to have you try them, but it didn't seem quite fair to mention them here. )

Endure, Alex Hutchinson

Endure was the must-read science-of-endurance book in 2018. But don't expect a list of simple tips. Instead, you’ll find lots of thought-provoking explorations to motivate your personal challenges. In the middle of Endure, Hutchinson writes chapters titled “Pain,” “Muscle,” “Oxygen,” “Heat,” “Thirst,” and “Fuel"--all the topics you've debated for decades. But the book is mostly about how the brain influences performance. Again, no easy answers. But we all agree that

PROFILE—Reno Stirrat has been running for 49 years

Competing in the USATF Masters
5K XC Champs, 2017, Boston

Reno Stirrat is a legend in his own time. He is the only American to have run a marathon in five decades in under 2:45, and one of only two people in the world who have done so.  At 64, he is still running strong and has set another goal: in 2020 he’s going for another decade of sub-three-hour marathons. He recently returned home to New Jersey from Quincy, Massachusetts, and runs with the Shore Athletic Club.

When did you start running and why?  September 1969 (DOB 1954) to get in shape for football then ran the 440 in track. During football we started every practice by running a mile, which I would be first in. The cross-country coach watched this and was interested in my speed. He conspired with the football coach and set me up to see just how fast I could run. 

At the next practice, instead of having me run the mile with the team, he held me back by 30 seconds and told me if I didn’t win I had to do 10 hills. I still won and watched as the team did 10 hills because he told them the same thing.  My sophomore year everyone got bigger and I got taller but