Game of three halves

This Sunday's London Triathlon has attracted a record number of competitors, but who'd have thought that swimming 1,500m, then cycling 40km, and finally running 10km would ever become so popular? Robbie Hudson reports.

Look out – it’s the rollergirls!

It started in the US, but now women-only roller derby is one of Britain's fastest-growing grassroots sports. And with its fast and furious action - not to mention its racy outfits - it's the perfect pastime for feminists with attitude, discovers Helen Pidd.

First, switch off the lights …

Blokarting, octopush, goalball - weird new fusion games are being invented all the time to encourage more people to play sport. So what exactly is blackminton? Paul MacInnes finds out.

Let the mind games begin …

A London gym claims to exercise your brain as well as your biceps. Armed with a book of puzzles and a pair of boxing gloves, Ellie Levenson put it to the test

Sole searching

Promising improved posture and toned, cellulite-free bottoms, MBT trainers have become a fitness cult. But some physiotherapists are warning that they could do more harm than good. Peta Bee reports.

How to win the game of life, by Garry Kasparov

Stephen Moss: Gary Kasparov, the former world chess champion is in London promoting his self-help book, How Life Imitates Chess, and has been enticed to the Stowe Centre in Paddington, west London by BBC2's The Culture Show, which is making a programme about inner-city chess.

Give me an ‘Ow’! Give me an ‘Argh’!

Stuart Jeffries: Is cheerleading dangerous? According to the New York Times, acrobatic manoeuvres such as throwing women (known as "flyers") 20 feet in the air or forming human pyramids have made "knee braces and ice-bags accoutrements as common as mascara" among the US's four million cheerleaders.

Walking boots

If you're planning to hit the great outdoors over the Easter weekend, the right footwear will be essential. Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones, self-styled 'Black Farmer' and boot fan, gives five pairs the runaround.