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Urban Exploration
An article into why written by Henry Ling.
MIRRORS EDGE
A game review into the very popular action packed game,
Legend Tripping
Article exploring the what, why and how?
5 2 2 20 8 JACK
A horror story written by Bethany Overton
SAUNDERS & Williams Interview with two very promising free runners.
FASHION What to wear right now!
SAMANTHA LENTON MOLLY MORAN
HENRY LING
BETHANY OVERTON
H T
JUDE MUMMERY
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I D
E E
S R
O T
HAYLEY PATTERSON
N A B G R N U I R O L P X E
EXPLORATION [ek-spluh-rey-shuh n] noun 1. an act or instance of exploring or investigating; examination. 2. the investigation of unknown regions.
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Urban exploring isn’t your average Saturday afternoon or day out with friends, It is your very own lead to all places mysterious and provides fuel for your thrill-seeking brains, exploding them with history, curiosity and amazement, all whilst being closer to danger than you ever were. The reason I am so into the nature of Urbex is the fact you could be breaking the law but discovering and wondering how the places you visit derelict or untouched became how they were. You have been warned! Urbex involves gaining access to places that the public wouldn’t usually visit, this means that on certain properties and plots, what you are doing will be counted as trespassing, which is breaking the law. It is your own responsibility to take that how you please, if that thought worries you, crawl under the wire fence now! But if that thought sends tingles of adrenaline through your body, get in that window! As long as you don’t take anything I cant call you a burglar! Surveyed in an outdoors shop, “John M” exclaimed that he enjoys the underground side of exploring because it gets him outside the house and reminds him of being a child and being showed the air raid shelters by his grandfather. There are many areas of Urban Exploration from abandoned hospitals to cinemas, but personally I enjoy factory exploring over them all purely because the variations on what you can find can be so vast and I love the fact factories are everywhere, your local industrial estate, inner city or the rural countryside, the best part about this is it is on your doorstep. “As I swung my legs over the 5 foot wall and clambered under an old shop shutter, I jumped off my hands and knees and found myself inside one of Digbeth’s many abandoned factories, it had a certain eeriness about it, it felt dead, discarded and unwanted and the only little bit of life that wants to show through is the drip of water falling consistently from a steel girder just about holding the roof up. The floor was mossy and slippery and the astonishing colours of the heavily graffiti walls overpowered the dull, dark greys of the building. Inside I found various rooms and some stairs that lead down into what looked like an underground passageway or shelter. This is what I love so much about urbex, while being taken back in time you have to imagine for yourself what these old features would have been used for and how different may the place look in its blossom. The adrenaline and excitement involved in boldly entering the places nobody else wants to anymore draws me more and more into finding new derelict places and I hope this small insight into the amazing world of urban exploring has pulled you in as well. Article and photography by Henry Ling.
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MIRRORS Mirrors Edge is a first person, single player, action game with elements of plat-forming. Developed by the company Electronic Arts. The game was released July 10th 2007, for Xbox360 and Playstation3. Life is comfortable and crime is near non existent. But the city’s bliss is of the result of a domineering regime that monitors all aspects of media and communication, illegalisation of smoking and alcohol. The city also operates on trials and operates on a corrupt democracy. Written By Samantha Lenton
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EDGE Eighteen years before the game takes place, they took fire on a protest against their rule. Many civilians were injured and many were killed. As the story begins the mayoral elections are near and a new candidate, Robert Pope, is challenging the current Mayor Callaghan. Your player is Faith Connors, aged 24. Faith hosts a distinctive tattoo around her right eye, hence the game’s logo. Faith earns ler living as a “Runner”, a courier who carries physical communiques around the city. Her services retained but revolutionary groups who avoid communicating via highly monitored telephone and e-mail channels. Her attitude towards the totalitarian government is rooted in her past as her parents were victims of the protest movements when she was young. It reads out that her mother was killed during the “November Riots”(Peaceful protest that went wrong). This made Faith choose to run away from home when she was 16, living in a thief’s world
on the city streets. Faith becomes a runner after meeting Merc(Mercury), a former runner who trains new hires, sources jobs for them and provides them with Intel and radio support while they’re on the job. Other characters include; Kate Connors, Faith’s sister. An officer of the city’s police. Drake, another Runner-trainer. Celeste and Kreeg, a pair of Merc’s runners Jacknife, a former Runner. The game Itself is a beautifully set out platform. The player controls Faith from a firstperson perspective as she is challenged to navigate across a gleaming city, by jumping between rooftops and running across walls. These are all accomplish by a use of techniques and movements inspired by the discipline of Parkour. According to Senior producer Owen O’Brien. Mirror’s Edge aims to “convey strain and physical contact with the environment”, with the goal of allowing a freedom of movement previously unseen in the firstperson genre.
S T O P S T HOShadow Factory Tunnels
T O H P S T O
An old screw factory that revolutionised its business by introducing automated American machinery. Legend says that tunnels span the underneath, some rooms empty, some full of trinkets.
HS
O HOTPSO T P O T S T H O T H O T SPO T S TS S S P T O O P S Cold War Bunker Tunnels
A set of tunnels that criss-cross under Birmingham City beginning under the city, A hard one to get to but if you've got the contacts a fabulous place to photograph.
Old Sutton Coldfield Railway Station
A good place to go is the abandoned railway station in Sutton Coldfield. Situated next to the college, its hidden behind a broken gate and brambles galore.
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S T
D N E G
G E L
N I P P I TR
he definition legend tripping is; a trip or journey in search of T a legend. But what does that mean and why do people do it? Well, put yourself in their position. Have you ever been intrigued
by a great and mysterious tale or urban myth. You’ve heard it from someone who heard it from a ‘friend of a friend’. You felt a connection with this story and you are desperate to know more, searching the internet and books only to come up with the same information. However by now the story has gripped you and you need to know the truth. So you go in search of the place that holds the legend, the place it happened. This is legend-tripping or ostentation as it is known elsewhere, but it is so much more than that; it is a journey.
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o why do people do it? To quote a book on the subject [1] “In searching for legends we want to make ourselves part of the story”. That is just one answer, but for every person it a different reason, a personal reason. Many want to learn about the past, many are intrigued by the thrill-seeking adventure to sometimes dangerous places. Others are in search for more, the knowledge that there is more than just humans on this earth, and that there is more to death than just our bodies shutting down and our minds being turned off.
an Harold Brunvand writes ‘legend trips function both as J informal tests of the claims made in supernatural legends and as verification of the courage of the teens themselves’ he also
notes that it is not to do any real investigation but to have fun too. This kind of act functions as a rite of passage for many teens. Who hasn’t heard of the tale of ‘Bloody Mary’ and ran screaming from the bathroom mirror. These teenagers are trying to push the barriers of what science and logic tells us, rebellious creatures that they are.
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ut Legend Tripping has received much criticism, mainly from mothers too petrified to let their children stop suckling from their teat. Apparently the legend tripping sites are open to abuse; be it from trespassing, vandalism, or other illegal doings to ‘Satanic Rituals’. Many sites are said to have been the scene of horrific, awful and sometimes gruesome tragedies or supernatural events. I do have to admit that teenagers will be teenagers and they will always try to break rules, its part of growing up. But for the adult community of these Legend-Trippers these are sacred areas, areas they don’t even want to leave footprints. Legend tripping is something that is for the thrill-seeking, curious, knowledge-hungry and adventurous of us out there, just be careful of that shadow over your shoulder.
Written By Bethany Overton
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Submit your stories to Stories@unseenmagazine.com
ASTON HALL Aston Hall is widely known by the public as ‘one of the most haunted’ buildings in Birmingham. The Grade I listed building was originally designed by John Thorpe, however construction commenced in April 1618 by Sir Thomas Holte, who finally moved into the hall in 1631. Paranormal activity at Aston Hall has been recorded over the past century with numerous ghosts said to be lurking in the corridors. Many of which relating to Sir Thomas Holte, apparently a very ill tempered, violent and vindictive man. It’s claimed that one night the cook was serving food at too much of a slow pace so Holte took a meat cleaver and split the cooks head in two, with each half landing on each shoulder. As a result, the spirit of the cook is trapped at the site of death and haunts that location. The most active ghost recorded at Aston Hall is the ‘grey lady’ who is thought to be Holte’s daughter. Rumour has it that she fell in love with a man of a lower class and chose to elope rather than marry the man Holte picked out for her. Obviously Holte found out about her plan and forbade the relationship at all costs. He locked her up for 16 years in a room on the upper floor where loneliness took over. She’s said to have spent the rest of her life as a ‘poor, demented creature’ and by the time she died had gone insane. Her ghost lurks on the upper floor around the nursery area and is seen at least twice a year. People around Aston Hall often mistake her for staff dressed in period costume. Another active ghost is said to be Mrs Walker, the housekeeper of Sir Thomas Holte or otherwise known as the ‘green lady’ of Aston Hall. She is described to be about fifty, wearing a high-collared long green dress. She often makes
several appearances for the staff and visitors and is said to be particularly visible during any major renovations, refurbishments and spring-cleaning going on in Aston Hall. However she’s typically seen sitting in a chair in the housekeeper’s room or in the great hall. A fairly recent sighting occurred late one afternoon when the hall was about to be closed. One of the Hall’s guides was doing a routine check when he noticed a woman in an upstairs hallway. She had been standing by a window and turned to walk into one of the rooms. Naturally the guide followed her but when he walked in, the room was completely empty. That room, which had no other means of exit, was in fact the Housekeeper’s room. The last famous ghost that is said to be walking the Hall’s corridors is said to be an unfortunate servant, known as Dick the houseboy. He is known to haunt the upper room where 10 to 15 of the servants used to sleep on straw on the floor. The story is that Dick was accused by other members of staff for stealing from the property and as a result he was taken to the upper room and locked in, waiting for the master to return home and deal with his punishment. Knowing only too well that the master would punish him brutally whether he was found guilty or not, the young servant chose to take his own life by hanging himself. This room is now known as Dick’s Garrett. Visitors of the Hall report the feeling of being overwhelmed by despair while they are in this room. Many people have reported seeing what they describe as a young lad in old clothing, while other have reported hearing cries for help. A caretaker of the hall has often reported seeing a body hanging in the room.
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Alexandra Theatre
The Alexandra Theatre was built in 1901. The Theatre opened under the name of Lyceum but initially remained open for a little over a year before closing due to low ticket sales and public disinterest. The Theatre was then renamed The Alexandra Theatre and re-opened in 1902, quickly becoming known as the peoples theatre. It continued to enjoy success for the rest of the 20th century with only the occasional bouts of misfortune. Hauntings; The Theatre’s long history has become a fertile breeding ground for various ghost stories and tales dating back to the earliest opening shows. In February 1902, actress Grace Housley collapsed and died suddenly on stage. Perhaps she is the origin of the Grey Lady who has often been sighted roaming the theatre halls. In 1910, The Alexandra Theatre’s owner, Lester Collingwood, was killed by milk float in what was one of the earliest recorded traffic accidents
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in Britain. Lester is said to haunt the corridors backstage. The Theatre’s second owner, the “Pantomime king”, Leon Salberg, was found dead in his office on September 29th 1937 due to suffering from a heart attack. He was later discovered by his son, Derek Salberg. Unfortunately, when crying out for help, Derek ran on stage. Everyone watching assumed it was all part of the show until it was to late. The spirit of Salberg is often seen and heard today wondering throughout the theatre, perhaps keeping a vigil over the business he loved so much. Other phantoms that have been sighted over the course of the past century include; A master of the wardrobe department. A gentlemen sporting a top hat A stage manager, who can sometimes be heard jangling his keys, and electrical devices throughout the theatre sometimes experience unexplained power drains. By Samantha Lenton
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If you’re reading this then maybe you will believe me, so far no one has. I just hope that someone will believe this letter and then you will be able to stop any one else getting hurt. I hope you don’t think this is some lunatics ramblings. There’s no hope for me now. No escape. I will be gone soon. Maybe I should begin at the start. My name is Jack and I am, sorry I was, a photographer. I get the comment all the time “oh I bet that is very interesting”. Truth of the matter is that it was far from. Unfortunately when I left my studies I began working with a shoe company, photographing the same things day after day. So there I was leading my very boring and reclusive life, the only thing different in each day was which ‘Tesco ready meal for one’ I would have that night. That was when Ralph decided to reappear into my life. I cant say that I was elated about this, as children me and Ralph had a very unusual relationship. I was a typical wimp, always out of sight, hiding behind others but fascinated with things that could not be explained by reason and logic. Ralph on the other hand liked the facts, a straight talking, confident child, with a love of being constantly in the limelight. At the time I never knew why he was friends with me. Not until we began secondary school that it all became clear that he stuck by me because I could not outshine him, just make him look better, it was all for his ego. Suffice to say we lost touch.
So yes, back to the reappearance of Ralph. He called me up one day completely out of the blue, said he’d seen some of my work on the internet and thought he would give me a call, ‘for old times sake’. He asked me to meet him for a drink and somehow I agreed, mostly out of pure curiosity. We spent a while talking about our lives and how they had changed. Ralph had
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finally got the perfect job for him, a television presenter, definitely in the spotlight, and boasting about how he’d just been given a new project for BBC3. We spoke like this for a while, then he got to the point. I should have known he wanted something the minute he phoned. He wanted me to work with him on his new show, the producers needed a photographer to go with them and take some images for promotion of the show.
Obviously I had to query why me, and I did just that. This is when he began to become increasingly uncomfortable. He hadn’t told me what the show was actually about. The premise of it was that Ralph and his team would go around to suspected ‘Haunted Places’ and try to tear apart the myth. The photographers he had already contacted were too superstitious and refused to be a part of it. Somehow I agreed, maybe it was because it was a change from the monotony, maybe because I was interested in the possibility of finding something in one of these places, maybe I was gripped by the stories of the individual places. Then it came the day of the first place we would visit. St Gerard’s Hospital in Birmingham, my home town, said to be home to many spirits. It used to be a fully active hospital treating orphaned and sick children until 1988. Ghosts of the dead roaming the empty hallways looking for peace, the spirits of lost and abused children. I was transfixed. Everything was set; all of the night-vision and sound equipment, Ralph was going over his notes. I took the opportunity to get some outside images before the darkness set in, that was when I first felt it. That feeling like you’re being watched, like there is something standing right behind you, you convince yourself that you can feel a cold breath on the back of your neck. Only to turn around and be confronted by your loneliness. At the time I put it down to getting myself worked up about the stories I’d been reading and hurried back to Ralph and his team, walking at a slightly faster pace than I am used to.
We began to wonder the dilapidated rooms as Ralph began his commentary. There was four of us in total, the cameraman Jim, the sound guy Paul, myself and Ralph. The exploration continued for at least a few hours with no strange occurrences, all four of us wandering through the barren hospital. I liked to look through what they had abandoned. Treasured keepsakes of sick orphaned children, bloodstained syringes and beds with unnamed stains. I then wandered off and found myself alone in downstairs room. The room was ordinary but the ruin of time and nature had taken its toll on it, dust and dirt covered every surface. The once plain and clinical walls now with damp and peeling paint, cracked and missing window panes. I found myself looking at an old wheelchair. There was something odd about that chair, I just couldn’t look away. I was transfixed and I gently moved towards it and as I reached out slowly, it began to roll backwards. I moved closer unable to stop myself and just as my fingertips neared the arm I heard an almighty crash. I turned, momentarily debating what to do, in the end I went towards to the commotion. Ralph had
found himself at the bottom of a set of crumbling stairs, as I helped him get up he explained what had happened. He had missed his footing and took a tumble. In the back of my mind I could see it was more than that, by the look on his face something had scared him, something he did not wish to believe. There was alarm in his eyes as he glanced away quickly. He hurriedly suggested we go into the children’s ward and do a section of filming about the history and the child abuse. We made our way towards the very heart of the hospital, however when we got there it seemed that we had missed a member of our party, the sound guy. According to Ralph he was a ‘sandwich short
of a picnic’ and he’d probably found a speck of dust to captivate him. I suggested that one of us should go and grab him so we could get on with shooting what we needed. As myself and the cameraman were checking our equipment was set correctly, Ralph reluctantly volunteered to retrieve him. I was becoming increasingly worried about Paul, the niggling feeling in my stomach was getting stronger and much harder to ignore. It had been 10 minutes since Ralph had gone, Jim and I decided that it was best we go together in search of them. Calling their names as we went, panic started to envelop us like an illness, a scratching noise came from the other side of the door we had just approached. It then began to rattle and it burst open and both of us jumped about 20 feet out of skin. Instead of any ghost or ghoul the telltale laughing of Ralph echoed through the silent hallway. He hadn’t found the sound guy Paul yet and heard us coming so wanted to play a trick on us, typical Ralph. Opening a door I was the one who first laid my eyes on the horror that followed. Paul was pinned to the wall using his shirt and surgical scissors, his
torch illuminating him. As my eyes drifted lower it became apparent that he was dead. Surgical equipment sticking out of every section of his body and the biggest pool of blood any of us had ever seen. There was something here. Something that didn’t want us here. All three of us stood transfixed looking at Paul, not knowing what to do next. Ralph began to try and find reasons that he could have done it to himself, not wanting to believe that something was here. I told him to shut up and took control of the situation. I said we needed to get back the van and call for help. Explain there had been an awful tragedy and get the police here. However Ralph seemed reluctant and said we should just leave him and get as far away from this place as possible. We were arguing like children, the only thing that stopped us was the sound of a faint scream coming from the hallway. Looking around, Jim had gone, it seems he edged himself away
As fast as possible in order to try to get out. We walked into the hallway but found only emptiness to accompany us. We needed to get back to the van and quick, again Ralph was reluctant. I couldn’t believe him, why would he want to stay, we were going to die here. Eventually he broke down and I found out that everything was a lie. Technically we were trespassing, and there was no new show with BBC3. He’d been trying to get some footage together in order to take the program to the station. At that point I didn’t think it could get any worse, one member of our party brutally murdered...By what is anyone’s guess, another member
disappeared and we were going to die too. I had no idea what to do. One thing was for sure, we had to get out of there and fast. We ran the length of the hospital until I spotted something out of the corner of my eye, it was blood, fresh blood trailing in a different direction. It must be Jim, all that went through my mind was ‘god please still be alive’. We followed the trail and it came to a closed door. I tried to push the door but it just wouldn’t budge, Ralph joined in, throwing all of our weight at. If It wasn’t for the trail I would have said that this door had never been opened. By now we were panting, exhausted, another whimper came from the other side of the door, and we restarted at a more panicked rate. The door begin to creak and it flew open. We stopped and shone our torches around the room, it was completely emptied apart from debris, looking up the path of blood, that’s when we saw it. Jim’s Camera, on the floor covered in blood. I reached to pick it up to see if it showed anything on it. I pressed play and we watched, all we saw was his feet moving at a running pace, then it looked like he tripped and it cut out. But the crackling sound of something being dragged could still be heard and then the recording ended. Me and Ralph looked at each other for a minute. You could smell the fear in the room. There was a shuffling noise behind me, a chill came over the room and everything went black.
I woke up to the dying chokes of Ralph, I tried to move but I was paralysed. As my eyes were adjusting to the moonlight through the window, I saw Ralph. His legs had been cut off. He was loosing blood fast and loosing consciousness. I tried to move but my body wasn’t letting me. I tried to look around the room. All I could see was that was some rusting medical equipment and her.. Now you may not believe a word I’ve been telling you. But I saw a ghost. I saw the ghost of a young girl, she must have only been 7, in a hospital gown. I couldn’t look away. I tried to blink, my brain was still telling me I was wrong but my eyes stayed agonisingly stuck on her. That’s when she began to come towards me. And it was as if my body just turned itself on, I leapt to my feet and ran. I feel guilty for leaving him now but my body went into autopilot and I knew there was no hope for him. I ran as fast as I could, knocking chairs over as I went. The night air hit me and my lungs drank from the iciness. But I just kept running, I ran through the gates to the nearest road and in front of the next oncoming vehicle. And it was over, the next few weeks were a blur of police and nurses. But unfortunately kids this doesn’t work out like it does in the movies. That wasn’t the end of it. And this is how I found myself in Ashworth Mental Hospital, getting pumped full of a cocktail of pills each day. I’ll give you the basics. The police investigated and reported that it was a serial killer that had killed Paul, Jim and Ralph. Jim was found tied to one of the beds, strangled with his own belt. Ralph in the end had all of his limbs sawed off. And Paul stabbed a total of 47 times with a range of medical instruments. They sent me here saying I had gone insane with fear and the tragedies I saw. Nobody believed my story. But I know what I saw. I know what it was. Ever since she has been trying to get to me, through my dreams and I see her in that moment of darkness when a light flickers. But that’s my story, please, for gods sake believe. Here she is now.....
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Saunders
s m a i l
l i W &
What made you start free running/ Parkour? Daniel: I started from when I went to gymnastics class then slowly got into parkour. Andrew: I just thought it looked like fun so I tried it out. What do you like most about it? Both: It’s an amazing adrenaline rush and thrill when you get things done right kind of makes you feel unstoppable. How do you become a good free runner? Daniel: We just practise all the time whenever we can I like practising on mats at indoor gyms to help make me confident enough to do it on the streets. Andrew: I just practise a lot if I think the stunt is too big for me to do and I’m not confident enough to do it then I don’t but practise is a must to become good.
What would you recommend a person just starting out as a free runner to do? Daniel: The way I learned was by going to a gym to start with, to get flexible and learn basic skills such as hand stands and how to land and roll. Then I found a gym that specialises in parkour/free running and go from there. It’s not a very known sport so you have to know who to talk to when you’re starting out. Once you’re into free running or parkour it’s a very social thing. How likely is it for Parkour stunts to go wrong? Both: 50/50 chance you have to be fully committed and confident in the skill you are doing if you don’t believe you can do it you most likely won’t and end up injuring yourself.
Do you ever get into trouble with the law? What kind of clothes are best to wear? Both: Yes most of the time so officers Both: Baggy clothes are best like tracksuit let us carry on but you get the few that bottoms but it depends on the person tell you to move on from the building or some people wear shorts or vest tops as area you’re at. long as the clothing is easy for you to be flexible in them . Daniel Saunders & Andrew Williams Written by Hayley Patterson
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o o HHow ow TowToTTTo o
w o w H o H o T To How
w o H
Urban Exploration can go by many names such as UE, Infiltration, Urbex and reality Hacking. Its all about the thrill of going into places you’re not allowed. There is some sense of illegality within the practice which can be open to abuse however to ensure that you’re doing things right here are our top tips on how to.
NO BREAKING IN – Not every exploration trip is legal, but know you’re way around the law and familiarise yourself with your rights.
BE A STEALTHY NINJA
- Try not to damage or destroy anything whilst exploring because it could also be very dangerous.
ASK PERMISSION – Wherever possible try to gain the owners consent,
you will usually be accommodated and allowed access. Why get yourself in trouble if their happy for you to enter?
RESPECT – This is a very important rule, [no vandalism, tagging or
destruction. A common motto used by these explorers is “take only pictures, leave only foot prints..”
SAFETY – Many of the places that you explore could be dangerous.
Buildings or structures that have not been maintained in a long time could be hazardous from falling apart.
GET TRAINED -
Wherever possible try to be social and get fellow urban explorers to help guide you and show you the best ways to keep safe but have fun.
KNOWLEDGE – Ensure you are aware of your area and you know it well, the worst thing you could do is get stuck in an unknown area alone.
PREPARATION – Do you have everything on you, is your phone fully
charged, do you have a torch, do you have a first aid kit should you injure yourself. These things aren’t expensive but its best that you arm yourself with the appropriate gear.
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W
HA
TT
O
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EA
R
Shoes
Usually at the bottom of the list but very integral to becoming a free runner, you want comfort, flexibility and durability. Asics Onitsuka £58.95
Top
What you want to look for is clothing that is baggy, comfortable, non-restrictive and light. We all love a bargain but stay as cheap as possible just in case it gets ruined. Primark £10.00
Bottoms
Again you are looking for something baggy and nonrestrictive. Sweatpants, loose shorts and tracksuit bottoms are your best option. We love these from here Sports Direct £27.99
Gloves
Also especially in the winter months gloves are an option. There are also certain gloves designed specifically for the sport itself. Bionic - Amazon £45.19
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SHOP ONLINE AT WWW.CLARKS.CO.UK
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UNSEEN RRP £4.00
U