What is marathon running?

Question

What exactly is it? What do people do? Who is someone who became famous running in it??

Answer 1

What is marathon running, I am sure if you asked 1000 runners you would get 1000 answers all the same but different in some small way.  Traditionally a marathoner is a person who trains and finishes a 26 mile 385 yard (42.2km).  But to a new runner a 5Km race could be considered their marathon.

I would define a marathoner is someone who encompasses a challenge, by setting a goal, training towards the goal and succeeds.  Some one who goes the distance and may endure mental and physical issues beyond what a normal person may experience.

For me I ran a marathon last year and succeeded in a dream to run a marathon before I was 50, was 49 at the time.  The marathon was the cherry on top of a two-year self-improvement through running and a healthy lifestyle.  It was the graduation of the loss of 100lbs and 18 weeks of training and two years of running.  

To me that is what marathon running is, whether you run a marathon or a 5k your marathon is your distance.

Harry

Answer 2

Marathon is a 26 mile run (42.2Km), most people run to run their personal best, elite runners run to win (big money prizes especially at the well known races such as Bostom Marathon, NYC, Chicago, London Flora, etc) or to break records.  Some challenge their disabilities doing marathons too (wheelchairs, blind/visuallly impaired, MS, etc.)  There is alot of training to be able to run this long distance.  And of course this is also an Olympic event.  Orginated in Greece.

Famous runners because of Marathons: Katherine Switzer (1st woman to run Boston Marathon)  Alberto Salazar, Amby Burfoot, Paula Radcliff, even Lance Armstrong.  There are too many too list and often mostly runners know some of the famous runners.

Check out the website: www.runnersworld.com

Its a challenge I think alot of runners make as a goal.

Answer 3

long, long distance running like 26 miles

well i'm not sure on that but i do know p. diddy runs the boston marathon

Answer 4

Marathon running is racing exactly 26.2 miles.  Anything less is not a marathon and most things that are more (50 miles ect.) are considered ultra-marathons.

No description of the marathon should be complete without at least mentioning the world records:

Haile Gebrselassie has the world record for the marathon at 2:04:26 which just beats Paul Tergat's former record.

Many professional marathoners run between 2:08:00 and 2:20:00.

Paula Radcliffe holds the woman's record at 2:15:25.

Meb Kefelighzi is currently the best American Marathoner.

Answer 5

It's running over a very long distance of 26 miles. It is the longest running distance in track and field events.

Paula Radcliffe is a famous marathon runner. Her last  victory was the New York Marathon last year.