A Note to Regular Readers: Changes Afoot
Thank you. Genuinely. Your reads, likes, and comments over the years are the reason this site exists in any meaningful form, and I do not take that for granted.
A few changes are happening on the site, and I wanted to tell you about them properly rather than let you stumble across them.
Industries are shifting beneath all of us, none more so than media, and one of the things I am doing here in response is moving, in part, from advertising revenue to subscription revenue. You have probably seen how this tends to go on other sites: locked content, hard paywalls and subscription pop-ups that get in the way of reading. None of that is happening here. Those tactics drive readers away.
Instead, I am adding subscriber-only sections, usually at the end of posts, sometimes small, sometimes significant.
In a few cases, the subscriber section will sit somewhere in the middle of the article. The continually updated Garmin rumours post below is the only example so far, and many of you keep coming back to it.
Most of the time, only the closing portion of a post will be restricted, as in the Garmin Empire Crumbling post below. The free part is always a complete article in its own right. In this case, the subscriber-only addition runs to another 1,000 words or so, which I thought were quite interesting. No “here are 10 things, but you can only see 7″ tricks, nothing like that. The subscriber-only sections add further depth and are intended for readers of the site as part of their workor with a deep interest.
The Garmin Empire Will Crumble. Here’s How, And When It Starts.
Example: That post was one or two days’ work spread over three weeks, updating an older version. These things take a lot of time.
Other changes are planned, and some have already happened, but the essence of the site stays the same.
The way around the new restrictions is straightforward: become a free follower or a paid subscriber. Both come with the (roughly) weekly news digest newsletter. Some of the more in-depth or insider content will be subscriber-only, but plenty will also be visible to followers. Followers see fewer in-content ads, which makes for a much cleaner read. Subscribers browse ad-free, plus a few other perks.
Newsletter: Note that subscribing to the newsletter for free helps the site. Reading the newsletter helps even more!
A quick word on which tier to choose. The free follower tier is for personal readers. If you use this site as part of your job, though, please go for the paid subscription. You get paid for your work, so please support mine in return. Most of the site remains freely readable for work purposes, but the value-added content is subscriber-only, with no workaround, even for the technically gifted among you.
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Last Updated on 6 May 2026 by the5krunner
My favourite kit and nutrition
- Maurten — the race nutrition trusted by elite athletes. Gels and drink mix engineered to be easy on the stomach.
- Garmin 90-degree charging adapter — the small adapter that keeps your charging cable tidy at the stem. Essential for race day.
- Garmin charging puck — the fastest and most reliable way to top up your Garmin before a session.
- Ravemen FR300 — front light that mounts directly under your Garmin or Wahoo head unit. Keeps your bars clean and your beam pointed where it matters.
- Garmin Varia RTL515 — radar rear light that alerts you to vehicles approaching from behind. Pairs with your Edge or Garmin watch.
- Stryd — the footpod that brings running power to your Garmin. The single most useful running upgrade I have made.
- Favero Assioma Pro RS2 — the power meter pedals most serious cyclists end up choosing. Accurate, easy to move between bikes.
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tfk is the founder and author of the5krunner, an independent endurance sports technology publication. With 20 years of hands-on testing of GPS watches and wearables, and competing in triathlons at an international age-group level, tfk provides in-depth expert analysis of fitness technology for serious athletes and endurance sport competitors. ID
Interesting, thanks for explaining. As a subscriber, one thing I think the site lacks is the ability to track or subscribe to comments feeds. You can view recent comments in the Dashboard, however it’s limited to just the last 6 or so. You have a decent group of regular posters here, being able to keep track of comments, even on old posts, would enhance the sense of community.
agreed.
I specifically disabled comment following because of a technical problem it threw up. let me try and re-enable it