A Brief History of the Race

This annual event started in 1970 through the efforts of legendary race director Fred Lebow and the New York Road Runners club which he headed. The first installment saw 127 runners participating with only 55 of them finishing the race. From this humble beginning, the New York City Marathon steadily gained popularity and began to attract elite athletes from around the world. In 2011, there were 46,795 finishers in a diverse field that hailed from 118 different countries. Over a third of the participants are women, the youngest at 18 and the oldest being 84 years of age.

Famous Winners and Course Records

On the men’s side, the race featured multiple wins by legendary American runners Bill Rodgers and Alberto Salazar in the late 70’s to the early 80’s. Runners from East Africa have since dominated the marathon from the late 90’s onwards, the latest being Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya who set an impressive course record of 2:05:05 in 2011. As for the women, no one comes close to the legacy built by Grete Waitz as the well-loved Norwegian won the title an incredible nine times in her prime. The women’s course record is currently held by Margaret Okayo of Kenya who clocked in at 2:22:31 during her 2nd victory in 2003.

For starters, every runner that enters one of these events will be supporting one cause or another. Local events are usually not created for no reason at all. An entry fee is usually required, but the cost is usually not too high. In any case, it is a small price to pay to help out some organization or another and get some exercise too.

Many of these events are not too long and can be finished in under an hour. On average, a walking, jogging, or running event will go for one kilometer to ten kilometers. In miles, that can mean anything from one to eight miles on average. This is more than manageable for the average runner and should not be too much of a problem.

Local running events are usually advertised through various means on a regular basis. Of course, an individual can look through the newspaper to find upcoming races or charity events. Otherwise, local governments usually list these events on their websites to drum up interest. Charity sites do the same thing too. It is not hard to find out about upcoming races.

In the end, these events are can be a lot of fun for both runners and non-runners. Most events are for local and national charities, which is always beneficial. There is nothing better than running for oneself and helping out an organization. Without a doubt, these races are a runner’s dream.

Of course, not all partners are created the same, and if you are running a marathon event in the coming weeks or months, you do want to make sure you choose the best partner who can really push you along. The fact is that some partners can really be a drag to run with. They may do nothing more than whine and groan for those many miles you have to cover during a specific day, and this will do absolutely nothing to motivate you and may even demotivate you. If you are the kind of person who needs someone out there running with you, you may find that having a partner who is constantly making excuses about why he or she cannot run on a specific day can be a drag on your own efforts, too.

The unfortunate thing is that running a marathon and training for one are not like anything else you may have experienced before, so it can be difficult to tell how a friend or family member will react to these things. You will want to use your knowledge of a person carefully and really have heart to heart about what your goals and aspirations are for running as well as what you need out of a partner.

With this in mind, you may be wondering if you personally can run a half marathon. Consider for a moment that there are thousands and sometimes tens of thousands of people participating in these events. They range in age often from teens to even those who are seventy or eighty years old. Some will be first-timers like you and others will have run dozens or even hundreds of these events over the course of their life. Running is truly an event that most can participate in and will find pleasure in. The only things you really need are a pair of running shoes and the desire to succeed.

So can you run a half marathon? You absolutely can! Often you will find the best results in achieving your goals when you set yourself up for success by finding a motivating running partner and putting yourself on a training program. There are running clubs that can help you get started, or you can find a program online to follow on your own.

So just how do you choose the right events that will be truly enjoyable for you? You can start out by reading through descriptions of events online, and consider more unique races that take you through beautiful countryside, that have live music playing, or that otherwise have some fun element to them. Then do some more research and look at things like how the water stations and other facilities are dispersed, how easy or difficult the route will be including factors like hills or inclines. You may also want to consider other factors like the average temperature of the race as well as the average number of participants, too.

Each person will have their own unique preferences when it comes to finding great events to participate in. Some will enjoy the fun element of live music while others may find this to be a distraction. Some may want the challenge that hills and inclines provide while others may want to follow a flatter course for health purposes or because they are newer to running. Some may find a larger event to be more exciting while others may find that running with thousands of your closest running friends is not ideal at all. Finding the perfect events for you boils down to understanding what exactly you are looking for and then making that doing some extra research on the events.

So just how can you find that motivation to get out there and run according to your training schedule each day? Many people find that they are more successful in sticking to their efforts when they have either a club they are running with or otherwise a partner or buddy. Simply knowing that someone is expecting you to get out there or even depending on you so they, too, can meet their training goals is an excellent motivation in and of itself. It can also help to give some thought to how putting off a run when following a progressive training schedule such as you are following can throw your training off for several weeks to come. This progressive training is critical not just for ensuring you can actually run that distance but also for keeping you safe from injuries, too.

Many people struggle with finding the motivation to get out there and run, but others struggle with finding the time in their busy schedule to run regularly. Consider that the shorter training sessions are generally only about twenty to forty-five minutes in length, and also consider that even the longer runs will not take up too much of your time each week until you get about halfway through your training and your runs start to last more than an hour or so. Simply blocking off time on your schedule and fully committing to this training can help you find the time to get it done.

Although there are some people who truly enjoy the adrenaline rush from running long distances, most people find the activity lonely and boring. When you run with others, you gain many benefits, including entertainment. Slow jogging may allow you to hold a conversation while you run, turning the miles into catch up time.

A bigger benefit to running with a group is that you gain the support of fellow runners. They can cheer you on toward goals, making it more likely you will push through the pain to achieve success. It is also nice to have someone who appreciates your accomplishments and understands how hard they were to achieve.

For beginning runners, running clubs that are operated by an experienced runner are often the best option. Many times, these runners or clubs charge fees, but they offer professional training and advice for a fraction of gym membership cost. With the right running coach, you can go from couch potato to 5k racer in a matter of months.

Running clubs are a great way to meet new people, get in shape and make New Year’s health resolutions fun to keep. You can look for running clubs in your area online, through local gyms and at the YMCA. Check bulletin boards for flyers or ask the staff or physical trainers if they know of a club.

1. Have at least one long run each weekend.

The marathon is an extreme endurance sport and long runs are designed to build your stamina as well as prepare you mentally for the challenge. They could start at as little as 5 miles and build up very gradually to around 20 miles. This is enough mileage to prepare you for the race and going beyond it is not advised due to an increased risk of injury. Long runs should be done at an easy conversational pace with little regard to speed. The goal here is to be able to run longer, not necessarily faster, though speed will naturally come in time.

2. Add at least two maintenance runs during the weekdays.

To keep your body in good shape, sneak in shorter runs 2 to 3 times a week. Novices should do these at an easy pace. Veteran marathon runners can use these as opportunities to do speed intervals and tempo runs to get faster.

3. Do cross-training in between runs.

A good way to avoid injuries is to include cross-training sessions to your regimen. Popular ones are swimming, cycling, walking, yoga, and strength training. In the meantime, try to stay away from sports that require lots of jumping as these can have a bad impact on your knees.

4. Rest for at least one whole day every week.

Ideally, this should be the day before the long run or the day after it, whichever you prefer. You can rest on both days if you feel particularly tired. Do not force yourself to train if you are sick. Training for a marathon will be much easier if you learn to listen to your body.

First, you will want to consider factors such as your own training schedule and rest and recovery times between big events, too. Unless you are a truly avid runner, you may want to pencil in only a few marathons per year. You will also want to include your own family or professional responsibilities on your calendar so you don’t run into conflicts with training and events. If you are planning on participating in events with a partner, you may need to both sit down with your calendars and decide on a few events together.

In some cases, it’s a good idea to firm up your marathon calendar by signing up for events right away. This may be especially true for events that are scheduled for just a few months down the road. However, for events that may be five, six, or more months away, you may want to pencil a date when you want to register for these events that is closer to the event. This can provide you with some flexibility for accommodating injuries and other personal or professional events that may come up while still giving you a goal to work towards.

Once you started running yourself, though, you no doubt realized that the running world is actually a community of individuals. Running is very much an individual, personal activity where you have to dig down into your inner depths to find your own source of focus and mental fortitude. Yet runners have a strong and often closely bonded community. If you have participated in a distance race lately or even if you have bought a pair of running shoes at a local specialty shop, you no doubt have met a few people who you have instantly bonded with. This inner experience is unique, and yet finding others who have shared it gives you a common ground with virtual strangers that instantly makes them your friends.

While you may now travel along your own regular running routes and others may see you running alone just as you used to see others, you now know that you are not alone at all. You may have regular “friends” you bump into on your routes, running friends on forums, or even a buddy or two who run with you from time to time. You may have forged relationships on your long races with people who may not see again for years, but when you bump into them again years down the road, you will instantly pick your relationship right back up. This is the running world that you are now a part of.