tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930457134828005115.post6359313801515661..comments2024-03-26T20:07:47.116-04:00Comments on Fairytales and Fitness: Marathon Statistics and an Article you won't want to missFairytales and Fitnesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11771224209536216240noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930457134828005115.post-75409676095587236012015-05-28T20:05:28.527-04:002015-05-28T20:05:28.527-04:00Having completed 2 marathons (one of which being p...Having completed 2 marathons (one of which being part of Goofy), I think you come out of a marathon a different person than when you went in. I understand some people's frustration over slower runners, but honestly, the fact that racing has become an "in" thing to do, we are seeing more and more people finish half and full marathons that otherwise would never have gotten off the couch.<br /><br />I think there's a possibity that some of the very speedy runners think that the super slow, over weight people finishing a long distance race somehow takes away from their accomplishment in a sport that used to be only for the extremely athletic. <br /><br />What they don't realize, is that for someone that doesn't fit that stereotype to actually finish a marathon, it changes their whole outlook on themselves and their lives- for the better!<br /><br />Personally, I don't understand why anyone cares at what speed you finish a race. It's really no one's business. if someone wants to be an elitist, they should focus on Boston- not what someone else is doing!Jaimehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07412864659613068146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930457134828005115.post-6214351911887898252015-05-27T13:47:24.877-04:002015-05-27T13:47:24.877-04:00I'm surprised that Disney has a 5:08 average t...I'm surprised that Disney has a 5:08 average time. I'd think it would be more like 6:08! SPGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15206838767379152933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930457134828005115.post-40416144429288586142015-05-27T13:47:18.835-04:002015-05-27T13:47:18.835-04:00I'm surprised that Disney has a 5:08 average t...I'm surprised that Disney has a 5:08 average time. I'd think it would be more like 6:08! SPGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15206838767379152933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930457134828005115.post-36731267105316887852015-05-27T08:30:11.870-04:002015-05-27T08:30:11.870-04:00I refuse to click either of those links because as...I refuse to click either of those links because as a slow marathoner they will just make me mad hahaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930457134828005115.post-2035424251579048732015-05-27T06:24:12.107-04:002015-05-27T06:24:12.107-04:00That is really interesting about the average time ...That is really interesting about the average time for a marathon. I thought it would be faster for that for some reason. I guess I don't need to worry if I ever do a marathon.Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happyhttp://www.hungryhealthyhappy.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930457134828005115.post-65774400634739902502015-05-26T22:38:15.069-04:002015-05-26T22:38:15.069-04:00Interesting stats!
4 marathons in 4 days is quite ...Interesting stats!<br />4 marathons in 4 days is quite possible, although none of my online friends know of me anymore as a hardcore runner, I was once in shape to do this. It took me a while to work up to being able to do stuff like that, (even though I should mention I have not done 4 in 4. Most I did was 3 in 15, but I have always wanted to do a back to back, 2 days in a row) but ya, if you train right, it's possible. But you can kiss PR's and great times away, because they don't really happen when you can't recover before your next race:)<br />My dad and I were talking, back in his marathon days the average runner came in around 3:40, big difference. I remember when i first started running marathons in 2001 the average time was closer to 4:20. But since the boom the last few years and marathons allowing walkers, the times have just gone up and up. Times change, and I guess if more people are up and off the couch then all power to them, even if they are walking the races!<br />I will be honest, when I started running more frequent marathons, I started looking for ones that had finish times between 5-6 hours. Sometimes I liked the 6 hours because i knew if I had a bad race I had some extra time to finish. So especially for those who enjoy back to back races, having these longer cut off times is a definite plus:) Runaway Bridal Plannerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18436851320623647572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930457134828005115.post-80864417966360700232015-05-26T21:47:08.186-04:002015-05-26T21:47:08.186-04:00Thanks for sharing the articles. I'm proud to ...Thanks for sharing the articles. I'm proud to fall in the 5:00+ group - can't believe people think BOP have "tainted" the 26.2 distance. Jennifer @ Run Jenny Runhttp://www.runjenniferrun.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930457134828005115.post-85228005368219757762015-05-26T21:33:43.159-04:002015-05-26T21:33:43.159-04:004 marathons in 4 days, are you kidding me?! lol. I...4 marathons in 4 days, are you kidding me?! lol. I'm totally going to check out that site now. ;)Girl Goes Runninghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03007470602143669184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930457134828005115.post-40059743564445075182015-05-26T21:29:00.611-04:002015-05-26T21:29:00.611-04:00As a first timer this year, thanks for the wonderf...As a first timer this year, thanks for the wonderful information. Haters just have to hate, don't they? I do understand there is a huge cost involved in putting on a marathon and they just can't leave the course open all day. However, I feel there should be sufficient time for runners of all abilities to finish. It's a tricky balance. HoHo Runshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01986964581984440945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930457134828005115.post-9283311941281703592015-05-26T21:10:47.557-04:002015-05-26T21:10:47.557-04:00I'm not a marathoner, but I'm still intere...I'm not a marathoner, but I'm still interested in those statistics! Cocohttp://got2run4me.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930457134828005115.post-16363602419784542052015-05-26T20:37:14.936-04:002015-05-26T20:37:14.936-04:00Regarding the first article: I don't know if i...Regarding the first article: I don't know if it's stated anywhere, but does that 500,000 total include unique finishers? I think that data would be extremely hard to verify, so I'm willing to bet some of those participants run multiple marathons a year, thus bringing the true number of marathoners down further!<br /><br />Loved the find my marathon data. Really interesting to see all of those stats in one place! Thanks for sharing. Elizabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18415102055134316374noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930457134828005115.post-22774467978955983372015-05-26T18:29:18.614-04:002015-05-26T18:29:18.614-04:00Very interesting. Altho I'm not surprised abou...Very interesting. Altho I'm not surprised about Disney. It's all about the spectacle--the costumes, the characters, the bling. I ran the half 4 years ago, and I was seeded into Corral B ( a first) and so I knew that it was going to be a slow one! I liked being up front like that!Wendy at Taking the Long Way Homehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09934786207724059919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930457134828005115.post-43790197102230962872015-05-26T16:43:14.636-04:002015-05-26T16:43:14.636-04:00The back of the pack haters are so frustrating! I ...The back of the pack haters are so frustrating! I say give people credit for just getting out there!!Sue @ This Mama Runs for Cupcakeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17572556245744093363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930457134828005115.post-28227791213670396282015-05-26T16:30:12.982-04:002015-05-26T16:30:12.982-04:00Wow. I'm not so much fired up over that articl...Wow. I'm not so much fired up over that article as I am sad. I guess I always thought that there is a place for all runners in every race. I'm surprised so many people feel differently. It also makes me less eager to try my first marathon.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15789773999034928321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930457134828005115.post-71505116216086819442015-05-26T16:11:09.777-04:002015-05-26T16:11:09.777-04:00Half a million isnt really that much if you think ...Half a million isnt really that much if you think about it...<br />I'm off to read the article & anxious to see how fired up I'll get.Rebecca Johttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03965781380511208862noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930457134828005115.post-54286977852180189832015-05-26T14:28:18.146-04:002015-05-26T14:28:18.146-04:00As the only marathons I have run have been the slo...As the only marathons I have run have been the slow ones (WDW and then the LA marathon twice) I understand how the "low" average could make people mad but for me it is the opposite. the WDW marathon is SO MUCH FUN and I stopped for a ton of pics and had a great time. I also completed it at the end of running 22.4 miles over the past 3 days so I was not going for time. For the LA Marathon, there is a large number of first timers and also SRLA (Students Run LA) which is where middle school and high school students complete the marathon. Some train more than others and get more advice (some of the things I saw these students wear during the 90+ degree heat was crazy-long pants and shirts!) than others but it is all about the finish. LAM is very supportive to "slow" runners and first timers and even walkers! <br /><br />and whoever says that a marathon is not impressive, they need to go run one. Doing a marathon, running or walking, is always a huge accomplishment. Julianahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11352740561555628315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930457134828005115.post-43619033104341713472015-05-26T14:20:53.384-04:002015-05-26T14:20:53.384-04:00I am very proud of my 5:11 marathon finish time. ...I am very proud of my 5:11 marathon finish time. I worked very hard to be able to run the whole thing at the pace I was able. Does that make me a fast marathoner? No. Does it make me a marathoner. You bet! What I love about running is that unless you are super-speedy, races are not a competition against others but rather against yourself.Jill Cnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930457134828005115.post-71466366630382209462015-05-26T13:34:29.051-04:002015-05-26T13:34:29.051-04:00According to my training runs, I should have been ...According to my training runs, I should have been able to finish my marathon in 4:45 as well but add in that stupid leg injury and well, you know what happened! Fairytales and Fitnesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11771224209536216240noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930457134828005115.post-39815317671742539022015-05-26T13:33:26.290-04:002015-05-26T13:33:26.290-04:00I know right! Running a marathon is a huge accompl...I know right! Running a marathon is a huge accomplishment no matter how you look at it!Fairytales and Fitnesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11771224209536216240noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930457134828005115.post-36542678744815307082015-05-26T12:59:44.442-04:002015-05-26T12:59:44.442-04:00This article just made me feel worse. I'm the ...This article just made me feel worse. I'm the kind of guy who really cares about finish times. I love and support everyone of all speeds and I know that a marathon is a huge accomplishment no matter what the pace, but personally I really like to finish fast. My first marathon was the Disney this January. I trained for a sub 4 hour marathon and was able to kept that pace on my 20 mile run before the race. I started cramping really badly at around mile 9 on race day and it just got worse from there. I ended up with a finish time of 5:23. Now I know that I was far below the average! At least I was at Disney so an extra hour and a half on the course wasn't too bad. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12634831551730532202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930457134828005115.post-77069921336029901532015-05-26T12:53:37.102-04:002015-05-26T12:53:37.102-04:00One of the things I love about running is that for...One of the things I love about running is that for me, it doesn't feel competitive. Yes, you're "racing" against others, but I've always felt like I'm racing against myself, trying to improve myself. I know I'm never going to be fast enough to win races so why concern myself with that? So I think it's absolutely ridiculous that these articles are trying to say that finishing a marathon isn't impressive unless you fall under certain parameters. I don't care how many other people do it, being able to do 26.2 miles at once is an amazing accomplishment and always will be.Becky Gintherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17814072887106049084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930457134828005115.post-78372275379728778482015-05-26T11:52:20.855-04:002015-05-26T11:52:20.855-04:00Thanks for sharing the articles! It sounds ridicu...Thanks for sharing the articles! It sounds ridiculous to say that it's not an accomplishment for people to finish marathons even if they take 6+ hours to finish. It's still an incredible distance to complete whether you walk, run or skip.Chaitalihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09118655603196065126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930457134828005115.post-87731398562819455912015-05-26T11:28:00.696-04:002015-05-26T11:28:00.696-04:00The article badmouthing slower runners does not bo...The article badmouthing slower runners does not bother me. At least not anymore. What pushed my buttons was actually the first link you included. How can running a marathon NOT be a great accomplishment anymore? The author mentions that 500,000 finished a marathon in the U.S. Is he aware that there are roughly 300 million people living in the US? That's still .1% of the population in US alone. Hardly a common thing if you ask me. I'm glad he has gone on the bigger things but that does not minimize the feat in any way for everyone else.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05114349109277448312noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930457134828005115.post-54912035755474833232015-05-26T10:16:34.227-04:002015-05-26T10:16:34.227-04:00I love that more people are running marathons and ...I love that more people are running marathons and if that means slower averages who cares. If you run a marathon your time doesn't matter, you did it!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08540382519382633264noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4930457134828005115.post-37907836494116409172015-05-26T09:48:31.995-04:002015-05-26T09:48:31.995-04:00I'm shocked the average finish time for the Di...I'm shocked the average finish time for the Disney Marathon isn't slower, especially since its a popular race for first time marathoners and runners are tempted by the countless photo opportunities.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com