A hall of fame runner will tell you she was born to run.

But then again, she will tell you that you were also born to run.

Helly Visser, 76, was inducted into the Canadian Masters Athletic Hall of Fame on July 17 for her achievement in running various distances, including half-marathons.

She credits using natural posture running since the mid-1990s after hearing the famed Dr. Daniel Lieberman speak at a lecture in Calgary.

Lieberman said ancient men were natural runners, capable of hunting antelopes on foot. It’s only been in the last few centuries in which human beings haven’t used their natural ability to run long distances.

As a result of Lieberman’s presentation and using natural posture running, Visser and runner Roger Davies formed Natural Posture in 2005.

The technique is child’s play. She said when children run they use the NPR technique, slightly leaning forward, legs flying back with bent knees, and arms swinging freely.

If the technique is done correctly a straight line can be drawn from the head, through the hips, down the legs to the feet.

“If you run that way, the shock is going through the body rather than stopping at the knees where it can cause injuries,” Visser said.

It also calls for the runner to land on their mid-foot, rather than on the heel. Landing on the heel has become the popular technique since the early 1970s, when shoe companies came swooshing in with large padding at the heel of suddenly expensive running shoes.

Visser uses Saucony running shoes with little support on the heel to help ensure she runs as she was born to run.

“I have as little support as possible,” Visser said. “Sometimes, I will run barefoot for a little while just because it feels good on my feet.”

The technique has gained momentum thanks to the best-selling book “Born to Run” by Christopher McDougall, which tells of Mexican Indians who have won the Leadville 100m race in Colorado with next-to-nothing on their feet.

The book was published last year, and Lieberman is mentioned extensively.

Visser credits the NPR technique with keeping her injury free.

Visser is holding a clinic on natural posture running on Sept. 18-19 at the Edge School in Calgary.

For further information go to www.nprunning.com

Principles of natural posture running

• Using your feet as springs, not as brakes

• Being aware your core is your engine

• Letting correct posture distribute the pounding forces

• Allowing gravity to pull you forward

• Allowing your arms and legs to swing freely like pendulums

• It’s about tendons and ligaments not muscles

• Making your speed a function, not of your ability to push harder physically, but to relax and lean

• Relaxed breathing

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