(Jay Portman talks about his unusual hobby, hill running, and tells us why he enjoys it. )
Hill running is a sport of running up and down hills and mountains, through open countryside. It's not popular among my friends, but I love it. My dad took me and my brothers out running when I was seven. Soon, I fell in love with it. Later I joined a hill running club called the York Merlins.
There are some excellent runners in the club. When we do our practice runs, I'm always a long way behind them. But that doesn't bother(使······烦恼) me. They are nice and often give me advice. What I love is being outdoors and finding all these beautiful places that I never knew were there.
We race against other clubs at weekends. In these races, someone tells the runners where to finish, but not how to get there. You need a good map and compass(指南针) so you don't get lost. Everyone starts together at the beginning, but later in the race you often find yourself running alone.
Anyone can enter these races—you just get there in the morning, pay your £5, and run. There are no T-shirts or medals(奖牌) for the winners. The most you get is a piece of cake! Offen there are international(国际的) hill running champions taking part, but they are just as friendly as everyone else.
That doesn't mean it's an easy sport. Last weekend I did a race in heavy rain and high winds, and I was asking myself what I was doing out there. But I got to the end, and that was an amazing feeling.
