In life, we are encouraged to embrace a willingness to move forward. However, sometimes moving backward proves most rewarding.
On July 9, the first backward track meet in the United States is scheduled to be held right here in Alexandria.
Individual backward running events have occasionally been incorporated into traditional meets, but there has never been a multi-event one fully dedicated to "retro-running" in the United States. Backward running, also referred to as retro-running, has been striding into the public eye as it has transcended its European stage.
Every two years, retro runners from around the world participate in competitions across a variety of traditional running distances. After the success of the 7th IRR World Championship staged in 2018 at Bologna, Italy, the sport experienced a significant growth in popularity and promotion.
While it seems silly, retro-running actually proves to have many physical health benefits. When running forward, experts say we tend to overuse — and even injure — our knees, hamstrings, hip flexors and other body parts, while underusing our calf muscles and glutes. Backward running, they say, avoids overuse and injury to the knees and hamstrings while strengthening the complementary calf and glute muscles.
Overall, the movement provides a better balance of muscle strength, while avoiding common injuries attributed to running, according to the experts. For similar reasons, backward running may help a person not only avoid but recover from injury.
A good example is a strained hamstring, which frequently results from forward sprinting. Bob Draim, a co-organizer of the July 9 meet and active member of The Potomac Valley Track Club (PVTC), shares from his personal experience: “I strained a hamstring at the end of a 10-mile race in January, when I sprinted at the end to overtake a competitor. For weeks afterwards, it was painful for me to run forward, but I could run backwards at full speed without any pain at all!”
He adds that backward running not only helps you physically, but mentally as well. He found that the sport helps develop focus and balance. In other words, it is mentally rewarding in the sense that “it’s fun and challenging at the same time.”
If you can believe it, Draim claims that he has fallen more times running forward than backwards. There is of course a visibility factor involved, as so much backward running is done on a track or well-paved surface.
PVTC, a nonprofit organization that promotes running, track and field, and race-walking, plans to host the July 9 meet beginning at 8:30 a.m. at the Edison High School track. Featured events include the standard backward mile, 100-meter, 200-meter, 400-meter and 800-meter.
At the meet, Aaron Yoder, a college track coach from Kansas and World Record holder in the backward mile, will try to beat his personal best (a time of five minutes, 30 seconds). Additionally, other broken records have the chance to be documented in the Guinness Book of World Records.
As backward running proves to not be age restrictive, anyone from the age of 15 or older is encouraged to participate in the unique experience. The entry fee, submitted online or by mail, starts at $15 for all of the events with a $10 late fee for entries after July 1.
The school is located at 5801 Franconia Road, Alexandria, VA 22310. For more information visit www.pvtc.org/retrogames.
