This Runner Gets Into Position, But When The Race Starts He Does Something Surprising.

You may have heard of the saying, “necessity is the mother of invention.” Garret Doherty went jogging one day and felt the discomfort of the sun’s glare in his eyes. The 35-year-old did not put on sunglasses nor wear a cap to deal with the inconvenience, instead he chose the road less travelled: he began running backwards. Today, he is the world’s fastest backward sprinter or retro runner. He has won the world championship three times. The Irish-born athlete admits racing in reverse is hard at the beginning. He recommends for people to start doing it for five minutes and building up time from there. Aside from stares from strangers, Doherty says the benefits are worth it. “When you’re running backwards, your back is straighter. You stand taller, improving your posture and in turn, your confidence. It is a right-brain aerobic activity, which is low impact and gets the blood flowing, burning more calories,” says the world champion.