Ten runners from Germany and Switzerland will on Sunday take part in the first ever long distance race that involves running backwards up a mountain, the organizers said.
The 11km race in the Swiss Alps is part of a "retro-running" world championship involving some 42 competitors from four countries since June, organizer Rinaldo Inaebnit said.
On Tuesday, Swiss runner Rene Hauser stormed backwards across the finishing line to win the 1,000m uphill race near Stans in central Switzerland, thought to be first competitive event of its kind.
Inaebnit, who is also a competitor, admitted that the retro-running crowd attracted some quizzical looks.
"Some don't think I'm normal, others think it's really great. But most people say they wouldn't try because their neighbor would think they aren't normal. Even dogs and cats notice and give us a funny look," he said.
Inaebnit, a devout runner forwards, stumbled across the idea while he was training in central Switzerland.
"I was on this mountain once and I tried a couple of kilometers backwards, because it's good for your muscles. I thought it was great, so I tried the whole mountain then thought of the world championship," he said.
"Forwards I need one hour and 23 minutes, and backwards two hours and 14 minutes," he added, referring to the ascent.
Running backwards is said to be tough on the thigh muscles and the training regime is arduous.
"I do three runs -- two forwards and one backwards," he said.
Weather permitting, the path up the 1,900m Stanserhorn on Sunday will be the toughest challenge in the championships. The event also included 100m, 400m and 3,000m retro-races for men and women at a local athletics track.
Roland Wegner of Germany won the men's 100m backwards sprint in 15.32 seconds. In the women's 100m, Simone Kuehn broke the 18-second barrier.
Inter on Sunday were given a letoff when they snatched a late 1-1 derby draw with AC Milan, while league leaders SSC Napoli were held by a late goal at AS Roma. Reigning champions Inter remain three points behind Napoli, who looked to be heading five clear as they led in Rome until Angelino volleyed in a stunning leveler in the first minute of stoppage-time. Angelino’s strike gave even more significance to Stefan de Vrij’s last-gasp equalizer at the San Siro. The defender forced home Nicola Zalewski’s knockdown just as it looked like Tijjani Reijnders’ opener would be enough for Milan. “I can
The Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets on Saturday did not disappoint in a thrilling midseason matchup in front of a fired-up sellout crowd of more than 18,500 fans. The top two teams in the NHL delivered with a combined nine goals, including the 877th of Alex Ovechkin’s career to put him 18 back of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record. That tied the score, the Jets pulled it out in overtime and just about everyone involved got their money’s worth out of the 5-4 game. “We knew how we were both sitting in the standings and both having real good years,” Winnipeg coach Scott
BACK-TO-BACK: The League One club, which is owned by stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, is sparing no expense to clinch promotion to the Championship Hollywood endings are pricey, even in England’s third division. In pursuit of their third straight promotion, Wrexham AFC splashed some cash at League One rival Reading to secure the services of striker Sam Smith. The Welsh club owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney confirmed the signing of the 26-year-old Smith on Friday. He is one of the top scorers in the third division. The transfer fee was not disclosed, but British media widely reported it to be about £2 million (US$2.48 million) — not extravagant, but a hefty price at this level and it would be about the same figure that
Santiago Castro on Tuesday had an immediate impact off the bench as he scored the goal to send Bologna into the Coppa Italia semi-finals for the first time in 26 years. Bologna won 1-0 against last year’s runners-up, Atalanta BC, and are to play either holders Juventus or Empoli in the final four. Juventus are to host Empoli in their quarter-final on Feb. 26. The last time Bologna reached the semi-finals was in 1999, when they lost 4-2 to ACF Fiorentina. There were chances for both sides in a high-tempo match in Bergamo, but it was Bologna who broke the deadlock 10 minutes from