Features

In issue 46, we caught up with Alexis Berg, award-winning photojournalist and filmmaker, to talk about his new documentary film, Run Again. The film follows Dave Pen – the lead singer of London-based progressive rock band Archive – and his run in the 2023 winter edition of the Spine, a 268-mile, multi-day race along England’s Pennine Way.

This poem first appeared in issue #18 of Like the Wind. Words by Stephen Howell – Illustration by Rob Flowers...

Nine hours into our adventure, I found myself sobbing into my soaked gloves. Tears streaked my face as I realised what we’d taken on. As group leader, I was supposed to be the positive energy. The person who inspired a rag-tag bunch of runners to take on nine marathons (or ultramarathons) in a row, from the north coast of Iceland to the south across one of the planet’s most brutal landscapes: a place where weather changes in an instant and the force of rivers sweeps 4x4s away like toys. More tourists die in Iceland than residents.

I run trails for the mountains, the wildlife and solitude. I run through the countryside during the spring for the lambs, the flowers and the smell of horse manure. I run at night for the moonlight, the stars and the harassment from drunks. I train on Clapham Common for the antipodean accents and the constant traffic. I race on 400m tracks because I love going round in circles for 24 hours, not getting lost and never being more than 200m from a toilet.

He might not move like superman. He doesn’t even run – or walk – like we all do. But John Jansen lives for running like nobody else. And that is what makes him the coach all of us could use.

Recent events have led many to sever ties with, or at least explore alternatives to, X (formerly Twitter). This shift reflects the discontent...