CHICAGO — Marathons have come a long way from the 1960s, when they were so elitist that women – who couldn’t physically run 26.2 miles anyway, it was thought – were barred from competition. Back then, no self-respecting runner would walk the race if he could help it. Crawling could be heroic. But walking? Most would rather quit.
Today, walking a marathon is not just accepted, but encouraged. In Chicago, marathoners have 6 1/2 hours to finish the race. The Des Moines Marathon, which is touted as one of the most walker-friendly events in the country, gives participants seven hours to finish. If you need more time, you can sign up for an early-bird start time to gain an extra hour on a closed course. The Denver Marathon has a six-hour time limit.
As a result, marathons are flourishing as a mainstream sport.
This sea-change is why novice runners can start with the impressive marathon distance and skip training for shorter, less glamorous races that provide valuable experience. And it has inspired millions of people who are suffering from health problems such as asthma, cancer and obesity to get moving for fitness, health and enjoyment.
“You don’t have to run competitively to reap the rewards running offers,” said John “The Penguin” Bingham, who helped popularize the slow-running movement. “What you do need is the courage to start.”
Most recreational runners concur. You no longer have to vomit at the finish line of a marathon to get a sense of accomplishment. You don’t even have to run fast.
But in keeping with the spirit of the event, which once meant testing your limits, shouldn’t you at least try to run? This is the inflammatory question some runners are now asking as the mega-marathons have morphed from soul-searching journeys for hard-core athletes into social “events” for the masses.
When race officials at the Chicago marathon decided to close the course earlier this month due to excessive heat and a shortage of water, they allowed runners to continue if they reached the halfway (13-mile) mark in three hours and 30 minutes or less (a walking pace of about 15 minutes per mile).
Officials made the decision because the extremely hot conditions were dangerous – water was in short supply – for the back-of-the-pack runners, who generally are less fit, over 60 years old or slowed by health problems.
But among more serious runners, there was a feeling that anyone who hadn’t reached the halfway point at a walking pace had no business being on the course in the first place, regardless of the weather conditions.
“If you can’t run a marathon in under five hours, perhaps you should be doing shorter distances until you can,” one runner posted to Julie’s Health Club blog during a heated discussion. “Running is a simple sport. You get out of it exactly what you put into it.”
It’s true, the marathon is a daunting distance that demands respect.
If you are untrained and not committed, you should try other events until you’re ready.
But it’s not how fast you go that counts; it’s how much effort you put toward your individual goal. The sight of a six-hour marathoner crossing the finish line – accomplishing something he never thought he could do – is just as inspiring as seeing two elite runners gut it out during a final 50-yard sprint.
There are thousands of reasons to run a marathon, and the race is big enough to cater to anyone who takes the distance seriously. Some just wanted to finish. Some enjoyed the training because it gave them a way to meet people and get fit. And some didn’t care about the race at all; they entered for a cause beyond themselves.
Let’s just make sure we don’t lose the common thread a marathon provides: the inspiration to challenge yourself and push the limits.
As Jennifer, a runner who raised $2,300 for a charity and finished the Chicago Marathon, nicely summed up on the blog: “Pace is not the issue. Training and commitment is.”
