Vertebrate Publishing Ltd

‘We don’t stop running because we get old. We get old because we stop running.’ Is it inevitable that our running performance slides as we get into our forties and beyond? Or are there things we can do to slow or even pause the decline, master our midlife and use experience as a superpower and become an ageless ace? In Run Forever, record-breaking GB ultrarunner Damian Hall, fifty, examines the reasons why our strength and speed might deteriorate, yet how it isn’t certain if we choose to do something about it. In running, like other sports, there have been phenomenal performances from masters athletes, and while ageing is unavoidable, how we age isn’t. Becoming an ageless ace has potentially extraordinary healthspan and longevity benefits away from running. Featuring chapters on speed, strength, mindset, sleep and nutrition, Hall draws on the knowledge of experts and shares the stories of other runners – including five-time Olympian and European 10,000 metres champion Jo Pavey, and record-breaking ultrarunner Nicky Spinks – to provide advice for how we can keep running strong and enjoying it for as long as possible. World-renowned sports dietitian, author and ultrarunner Renee McGregor explains how ageing affects female runners, especially around perimenopause and menopause, and leading strength and conditioning coach Pete Stables provides knowledge and exercises for the masters athlete. Ageing is inevitable. Slowing down is optional. Run Forever gives you the tools to keep moving – stronger, smarter, longer.

Want to find the very best places to swim outdoors in London and the South East? In Swimming Wild in South East England, outdoor adventurer Natasha Sones guides you to more than 100 of the finest rivers, lakes, lidos and beaches across London, the Home Counties and beyond. Many locations also feature tempting saunas, so you can extend the wellness benefits of your swim. Each spot is carefully chosen to showcase the region’s remarkable variety. Take a dip in an unexpected urban oasis at London’s Canary Wharf, swimming beneath soaring skyscrapers, or escape the city at West Reservoir or the Serpentine Lido. For a more rural experience, head to Oxfordshire for a swim in the Thames, or to Surrey’s Longside Lake, where lifeguarded blue-green waters are paired with a lakeside sauna. Along the coast, the book highlights both iconic destinations and quieter hidden gems, from St Margaret’s Bay in Kent beneath the White Cliffs of Dover to Brighton, where classic sea swims sit alongside heated lido dips at Sea Lanes. Drawing on her extensive experience, Natasha shares clear, practical advice on access points, safety, tides and currents, conditions underfoot, and potential hazards. With guidance on essential kit, Ordnance Survey and custom maps, transport and parking details, and cafe recommendations for a well-earned post-swim treat, this book has everything you need. Whether you’re a seasoned wild swimmer or just starting out, Swimming Wild in South East England is packed with inspiration for your next adventure.

Wild, remote, windswept and utterly epic, Scotland’s climbs are not for the faint of heart. In Cycling Climbs of Scotland, Simon Warren (@100climbs) crosses weather-beaten islands and snow-covered mountains on roads that demand respect and reward effort with breathtaking beauty. From the famous glens and lochs that draw visitors from across the globe rise legends such as The Lecht, the Wall of Talla and the mighty Bealach na Ba. If you crave rugged adventure, fresh air and pristine wilderness, head north and take on the Cycling Climbs of Scotland. This second edition for 2026 features stunning photography, updated stats and the latest information to guide your next ride.

31 Days follows up on ultrarunner Allie Bailey’s searingly honest autobiography There is No Wall. It takes the final chapter of that book which was the self-help rant you didn’t think you were buying and supercharges it, creating something relatable and tangible that you can actually take into your day-to-day life and make a lasting difference. While There is No Wall clearly said running won’t save you, perhaps this book will, with its zero-bullsh*t approach to mindset mentoring, and tools and exercises that enable you to do the work and create incredible results. Whatever it is you’re struggling with – running, career, relationship – Allie draws on her lived experience as an award-winning coach, runner, depressive and recovering alcoholic, to show you how you can change things in yourself that you didn’t think it was possible to change. And not just for one training block, one race or for a few weeks, but for the rest of your life. Split into thirty-one easy-to-digest chapters – one a day – it is a handbook, a companion on a journey with no end. But be warned, this book contains no quick fixes – it is down to you to do the work. It’s never too late to change, you’re not ‘just the way you are’, and it’s never too late to tell that doubting voice you have lived with for decades to kindly go f@*k itself. Are you ready to begin?

In a little over two and a half minutes on 6 September 2009 Steve Peat cemented his place in mountain biking history, becoming downhill world champion at the seventeenth time of asking and by a winning margin of just five hundredths of a second. But ‘Peaty’s’ road to the coveted rainbow stripes began almost two decades earlier on the woodland trails of Northern England. Born and raised in Sheffield, he narrowly avoided going down the wrong track and instead chose to race cross-country mountain bikes before switching to the rapidly emerging discipline of downhill where he would compete alongside other young British racers including Rob Warner and the late, great, Jason McRoy. Since then, Steve has competed against the greatest riders of all time, including Nicolas Vouilloz, Shaun Palmer and Greg Minnaar, and his name has become synonymous around the world with downhill mountain biking. In Forged by Speed, Steve shares his incredible story, from the Steel City to the top step of the world championship podium. Honest, compelling and funny, it is the autobiography of a British sporting legend.

Why do so many of us find peace and contentment while on open water? Adventures on the Water: The power of paddleboarding to change lives explores the uplifting and restorative power of stand-up paddleboarding (SUP). Compiled and edited by passionate paddleboarder and adventure advocate Jo Moseley, it features personal stories and collected wisdom from a wide range of Jo’s fellow paddlers. Immerse yourself in the physical and mental health benefits of paddleboarding, as well as the warm and inclusive community around the sport. If you’re a new paddler, you’ll learn about the diverse and welcoming SUP community in Shilpa Rasaiah’s story, who paddled the length of the Grand Union Canal at the age of nearly sixty. Experienced boarders and wildlife lovers will be interested in world-record adventurer and charity founder Cal Major’s story, as she describes encounters with orca and her feelings of fear while paddling at night on a traverse of Scotland’s coastline. Find out about SUP yoga from Kathy Marston, who recounts how it gives her the space to process her anxiety and move through life with more resilience. If you want to see what adventures are possible on a paddleboard, read about extreme sports enthusiast Dean Dunbar who, despite being registered blind, took on a daring Atlantic Ocean paddle from North Uist to St Kilda. Wherever you are on your paddleboarding journey, these stories will uplift you and inspire you to get out on the water.

Climb the finest hills in the Peak District – and discover the very best routes to do it. In Peak Bagging Peak District, local author Anna Paxton guides you to 121 of the most rewarding summits in the national park, including the 74 accessible Ethels plus 47 other notable tops. Whether you’re a hillwalker or trail runner, this is the definitive guide to bagging the best of the Peak. Taking inspiration from the UK’s bestselling Peak Bagging Wainwrights and Peak Bagging Munros Volume 1, this book blends challenging hill lists with thoughtfully designed routes – each chosen to be an outstanding walk or run in its own right. Explore dramatic edges and moorland plateaus, rugged ridgelines and peaceful valleys. Hike classic circuits like Mam Tor and Lose Hill, scale the Dragon’s Back on Chrome Hill and Parkhouse Hill, and roam Kinder Scout’s wild uplands via the Pennine Way. The 32 routes are grouped into five regions, covering the diverse landscapes of the Dark Peak and White Peak. Each route includes 1:40,000-scale maps and elevation profiles, turn-by-turn directions, public transport, parking, and refreshment details, downloadable GPX files, and custom timings for walkers, trekkers, fastpackers and runners. Packed with expert insight and stunning photography, Peak Bagging Peak District is your ultimate guide to the high points of the Peak District.

And So I Run is a story about running. Jamie Doward uses running as an escape, as a way to evade life’s most painful realities. As the marathon medals stack up, a new obsession creeps in – beating the clock, needing to run a time, a time that once attained would magically solve all of life’s problems. In a world where some self-medicate with alcohol or drugs, Jamie finds his solace in marathon running, each training run, each race, a desperate attempt to outrun depression, shame and a sense of failure. But And So I Run is more than just a story of a 26.2-mile obsession – it’s a celebration of life’s absurdities and an uplifting story about how Jamie redefined his relationship with running. Engaging and relatable, with the marathon at its heart, And So I Run speaks to all runners, offering a raw, witty and human exploration of how we cope, heal and sometimes keep on just putting one foot in front of the other.

Fontainebleau Climbs – the newly updated 2025 third edition of this essential guidebook. The forest of Fontainebleau in northern France is the most famous bouldering area in the world. Thousands of sandstone boulders lie scattered over an area of 1,200 square kilometres of pine, beech and oak forest. The climbing style is addictive, a subtle mixture of body positioning, footwork and power that is as demanding mentally as it is physically. There are problems at every grade imaginable, from the easiest of circuits to world-class testpieces. Many of these problems are grouped into the circuits for which Font is famous. Marked with coloured dots and arrows, they offer the climber a unique way in which to explore each climbing area. Fontainebleau Climbs – The finest bouldering and circuits, written by local climbers Jo and Françoise Montchaussé and Jacky Godoffe, is the perfect way to discover and enjoy these circuits. With descriptions of the areas and the circuits and grades found in each, this easy-to-use guide is full of useful and practical advice, tips on where to go after rain or in hot weather, on accommodation and on child-friendly areas. Easy to read, full-colour maps show the starting point, layout and key boulders for each circuit. There are over 100 maps, just under 100 circuits and more than 3,000 boulder problems, together with stories and anecdotes on the famed history of Fontainebleau climbing.

Food should be really simple. It is the means by which we nourish our bodies, providing them with the nutrients and fuel we need in order to live, exercise and socialise. Yet, in recent years, food and nutrition have become more complicated, confusing and polarising than ever before. Fuel for Thought by leading sports dietitian Renee McGregor is a practical and trustworthy guide to sports nutrition, whether you’re a world-class or real-world athlete, or just someone who wants to improve their relationship with food. Cutting through the jargon and misinformation, Renee draws on over twenty years’ experience of working with sportspeople from a range of disciplines and backgrounds to provide straightforward, accessible advice about how you can fuel your adventures. The follow-up to More Fuel You, in this book Renee looks at sports nutrition through the lens of her own sporting passion – running. She urges caution over the explosion of social media nutrition and fitness experts, apps and programmes that all claim to offer bespoke dietary advice. Instead, she offers practical information based on her own personal and professional experiences, including an A–Z of foods and a section dedicated to her own tried-and-tested, budget-friendly recipe ideas which use simple, everyday ingredients. There is also guidance on how to recognise and get help with dysfunctional behaviours, from REDs to exercise dependency, and how to be informed about your hormonal health when you go in search of appropriate support.