After finishing the New York marathon in 2006, seven time Tour De France champion cyclist Lance Armstrong described it as “the hardest physical thing” he had ever done. According to Runners World, approximately forty percent of marathon entrants in 2011 were first timer marathoners. First time runners need to do long-term planning, stick to a rigorous training schedule and eat a balanced diet for at least four months before a marathon. Based on 23 years worth of data, Peak Performance, an information website for athletes and coaches, reported one in six runners came in to contact with St John’s ambulance, one in 800 visit a hospital accident and emergency department and one in 10,000 were admitted to hospital. In 2006, reality television celebrity Jade Goody was hospitalised while attempting the London marathon without adequate training. Leave your footprint in your marathon by training properly with our running shoes.

Sports Direct, the UK’s leading sportswear retailer has a wide range of running shoes. From Adidas to Sketchers, we have running shoes to suit everyone’s tastes. You can also pre-order the super naturally flexible Nike Flex running shoes available online now in different colours.

Plant your foot in our running shoes on SportsDirect.com. Check out our latest offers and deals on our Facebook and Twitter pages.

The holiday season may be over, but as the massive January sale continues, leading sportswear retailer SportsDirect.com are offering even more great discounts on leading brand football boots in 2012 so you can afford to play the beautiful game in the latest footwear, for less.

The January sale includes a huge range of both adult and kids footwear, from classic football boots through to astro turf trainers- all with big brand names and small price tags. Right now astro turf trainers start from just £5 and a pair of football boots can be yours for just £8! These bargains are certainly not to be missed.

Style is certainly important on the pitch these days, and the sale does not disappoint when it comes to sleek, comfortable and stylish boots. Available with over £100 discount, favourites such as the Nice Mercurial Vapour Superfly II boots are reduced from £274.99 to £100 and there are plenty of sizes to pick from!

You can even get limited edition football boots like the adidas F50 adiZero Messi leather boots for just £44, saving you over £80 per pair! SportsDirect.com stock Nike, adidas and Puma football boots along with a whole host of your other favourite brands, so log on today and make the most of the incredible January sale bargains!

Don’t forget you can also check out the latest deals on a huge range of SportsDirect.com products online and in store right now, as well as keeping up to date on the official Facebook and Twitter accounts.

If you want to show your support for the GB football team next year, you can now get the football shirts, socks and shorts from SportsDirect.com! The leading football boots retailer is now selling the adidas Team GB merchandise online at great prices!

Starting from just £8, you can celebrate the campaign and support the Olympic team in style with specially designed quality merchandise from adidas. Featuring the British coat of arms and sporting the colours of the Union Jack- the Team GB football shirt will not only look great wherever you’re watching the matches; but the integrated adidas Climacool technology makes this shirt the ideal summer training shirt too!

If you want to kit the kids out to show the patriotic spirit, SportsDirect.com are offering the Team GB infant supporters kit for just £25. The kit features the Team GB shirt and shorts- both with Climacool technology so they can avoid overheating during the summer months, as well as the official Team GB socks, so the kids can be head to toe in Team GB without costing you the earth!

If you’re looking forward to more than just the football at next year’s games- be sure to check out SportsDirect.com for their massive range of official 2012 clothing. There’s sportswear and fashion items for you to support every event in the games and best of all, they come with SportsDirect.com price tags!

Log onto www.sportsdirect.com today to view the whole range and make sure you stay up to date on offers over at Facebook and Twitter!

It’s officially winter, and whilst you’re getting your running shoes ready for more slippery conditions, now’s the time to invest in some quality thermal clothing for when you’re out and about over the coming months. Leading sportswear retailer SportsDirect.com currently have a wide range of offers on a huge selection of base layer and thermal clothing  idea l for any winter sport.

If you’re hitting the pavement or fields in your running gear, the Campri thermal base layer tops are great to slip on underneath a regular t-shirt and jacket. The long sleeves will keep you insulated whilst the moisture management technology will help regulate your body temperature. The Campri thermal tops currently have up to 80% discount and retail for just £6.

Regular runners can also benefit from thermal running tights such as the Campri thermal tights for men and women. Designed to offer optimum warmth without compromising on comfort, the breathable material offers an insulating layer along with elasticated waist and cuffs to ensure the heat stays in whilst you’re working out. These tights are available in a range of colours at just £6.

Base Layer clothing isn’t just for sport, make sure the kids are warm enough walking to school in the colder months with the Nike Pro Core base layer range. These long sleeved training tops sport Nike’s Dri-Fit technology, which will not only regulate the body temperature, but keep you comfortable whilst on the move. You can pre-order the Nike Pro Core range online right now with 30% off at £14.99.

To view the entire winter essentials collection, including jackets, footwear and accessories log on to www.sportsdirect.com or stay ahead of the latest offers on Facebook and Twitter.

LONDON, 11 May 2011 – Research shows that birthday parties have changed dramatically over the last few decades. Gobbling down too much cake, playing Pin the Tail on the Donkey and singing Happy Birthday isn’t what sums up a celebration anymore. These days, parents need to come up with cool activities such as trips to indoor snow slopes to entertain their guests and make their child feel special.

Historian Elizabeth Pleck, who recently traced the history of birthday parties, says that singing Happy Birthday is actually quite a recent trend – it became a party standard after 1934, when it was featured in a popular musical. Pleck also found out that it wasn’t until the 1950s that the traditional birthday party became a right of childhood for all. “Children not only expected to have a birthday party,” says Pleck, “but the absence of one was virtually a sign of neglect.” The downside of parties in the family home is that they are only suitable for families with stay-at-home mums that have the time and the energy to clean up after twenty to forty youngsters. The shift to modern birthday parties is a direct result of second and third wave feminism. Pleck: “Even as late as the 1990s, some sociologists were warning against ‘outsourcing’ family life. Women won a victory, of sorts, by gaining acceptance of paid entertainment.”

We all remember the excitement of reading the promising line “bring your swimming costume” on an invitation, but birthday parties have continued to change. The pinnacle of this trend is Rebecca Black’s thirteenth birthday. Her parents gave her the opportunity to record her song Friday, and Rebecca’s friends were invited to star in the professional music video produced by Ark Music Factory. The video has been viewed over 130 million times on youtube, and Rebecca and her friends are now world famous.

To give your child a party they will never forget, you’ll at the very least have to compete with bowling, being in the audience of a BBC show and going to zoo, cinema or an amusement park. Organizing an awesome activity is a way of showing how much you care about your child’s birthday: the cooler the activity, the more it shows you really care. One of the latest trends in birthday parties is literally very cool: going skiing or snowboarding at The Snow Centre in Hemel Hempstead. According to their website, the birthday parties they offer get booked up very quickly. To avoid disappointment, they recommend that parents book the party months in advance.

It’s not surprising that The Snow Centre Birthday Parties are very popular because kids of all ages love snow. Especially during the summer, a ski or snowboard lesson or whizzing down the slope on rubber ringos is an exhilarating experience children won’t be able to forget. Apart from the temptations of the fluffy cold stuff, The Snow Centre also offers scrumptious food and delectable drinks. If you’re trying to organize a fabulous birthday party for your darling, look no further and call 0845 258 9000 to book the party of your dreams!

Prices

Ringos
4 – 11 year olds, 1 hour
Price with food: £217.50 (up to 10 people)
Price without food: £160 (up to 10 people)

Ski Lesson*
4 – 10 year olds, 1 hour
Price with food: £257.50† (up to 10 people)
Price without food: £200† (up to 10 people)

11 – 16 year olds, 1 hour
Price with food: £237.50 (up to 10 people)
Price without food: £180 (up to 10 people)

Snowboard Lesson*
7 – 10 year olds, 1 hour
Price with food: £250† (up to 10 people)
Price without food: £200† (up to 10 people)

If you invite more than 10 children, this will be at an additional cost per child. Additional friends will cost £16 each for ringos, or £18 each for skiing/snowboarding. There is also an optional charge of £5.75 each for food.
*The number of instructors required depends on the age, ability and number of participating children. Additional instructors are charged at £20 each.
†Includes two instructors.

- sources -

Elizabeth H. Pleck (2000). Celebrating the Family: Ethnicity, Consumer Culture, and Family Rituals. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Korab, Holly (2001). “A Brief History of birthday parties. Or, for a good ol’ fashioned birthday, practice your manners.” The University of Illinois Liberal Arts & Science Alumni Magazine, Summer 2001.

McKendrick, J.H., Bradford, M.G. and Fielder, A.V. (2000). “Time for a party! Making sense of the commercialisation of leisure space for children”. In Holloway, S. and Valentine, G. (editors), Children’s Geographies: Living, Playing, Learning. Routledge: London. 100-116.

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Notes to editors:

The Snow Centre, only 30 minutes outside London, boasts a BASI Centre of Excellence Status and is the most highly qualified snow sports school in the south of England. Skiers and snowboarders of all abilities are guaranteed to receive world class coaching from some of the best instructors this side of the Alps.

For more information please contact Ali Fischer, Ali.Fischer@thesnowcentre.com, 01442 817496

After a long dry and warm period across much of the Alps snow is finally beginning to fall again. Some places have received a much needed 30 – 40cm. We want to celebrate this fantastic news with our freestyle family at The Snow Centre.

This has put us in such a good mood and we are so happy for the European resorts we will have special one off Wednesday night with a couple of features out!

That’s right for one Wednesday only (today, 23rd February 2011) we will have two (yet to be revealed) features out on the snow after 7pm. For those who can’t wait till Friday, join us for a special shred!

Visit www.thesnowcentre.com or call 0845 258 9000 and speak to the team!

The 35 night trip includes guaranteed tickets to every round of the tournament, including all of England’s group games and the knock-out stages, as well as enjoying the best of South Africa at hotels in Johannesburg and Cape Town. Prices for this exclusive package, with limited availability, start from £8,200 per person.

Danny Talbot, Managing Director of Thomas Cook Sport, said, “We’ve put together the ultimate experience package for fans that includes tickets to the Final itself. This follows the unprecedented interest from fans wanting to follow England to the World Cup Finals, and the expectation being placed on the team to progress deep into the competition.”
The Thomas Cook Sport ‘Follow England’ 35 night, seven-match, trip is only available by calling 020 8739 2360. Prices start from £8,200 based on two people sharing a room with Category 3 match tickets, including British Airways flights from London. All categories of match ticket are available, with the full itinerary published after the draw on 4th December. Supplementary charges may apply once venues of matches have been determined.

Ends

Packages subject to availability. Costs correct as of 8 October 2009, based on two people sharing. Prices subject to change. http://www.thomascooksport.com