Of course, you know a marathon, but what is it? And how did it begin? Today, we are here to give you some important understandings regarding marathons. It is great to learn some information about this race if you want to participate in one.
1What Is A Marathon?
So, a marathon is a long-distance race with an official distance of 42.195 kilometers (26. 219 miles). Normally, the event is organized on the road so that many candidates can join without being too crowded. Marathon is one of the events in the Olympics back in 1896, and there are hundreds of candidates joined in each race.
The name Marathon comes from the legend of a Greek messenger who died after running to report the victory of a battle. He ran from the battlefield of Marathon to Athens to deliver a message that the Persians had been defeated. The messenger ran the distance of 26.219 miles without stopping, after he reported the news, he collapsed and died in the assembly.
However, it took almost a century to have women participate in marathons. Unfortunately, the few women who had run the marathon were not included in any official results at all. Until 1967, Bobbi Gibb was the first woman who was recognized as the winner of a marathon.
There is also a wheelchair marathon, that was first organized in 1974 in Ohio. However, in 1981, the State Supreme Court banned wheelchair marathons due to the fact that it was historically a foot race. But in 2000, an official wheelchair marathon began again, and lasts till now.
2How Long Should You Train for Marathon?
Marathon is not an easy race because you have to keep on running till you reach the goal. A marathon candidate has to train around 6 months before the race to fulfill the requirements. There are 2 different strategies that you can use including running the whole distance and the run-walk strategy. Normally, a marathon’s average time is about 4 hours and a half for men and around 5 hours for women. But there are fast racers out there who could run in a shorter time period.
3How Fast Should I Run?
You have to bear in mind that it is a non-stop running which means you have to maintain your speed. Balancing your speed and energy allows you to run longer and less tired which leads to success. Also, putting so much pressure on your body might result in many health risks after a marathon. If a candidate has not done a marathon before and joins this event without training, there might be many problems. The minor injuries that most racers have are knee or ankle sprain, dehydration, and fatigue. The worse risk would be cardiac problems that can cause heart attack, heart damage, or heart dysfunction.
Some racers consume too much water during the race, and that also leads to dangers. Drinking water while running can lead to vomiting, seizures, coma, severe headache, and even death.
Marathon is a great event that has been involving charities and other supports for decades. If you are interested in a marathon, give yourself some training and get ready for this event. There you will learn new experiences, meet new people, and participate in society.
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