In the Running
 With more races, training programs, and support available, running a marathon has never been more doable. Here’s how, where, and why to run your first — or next — 26.2 miles.
BY LARRY OLMSTED
I’ve run thousands of miles over the years, mostly in small chunks of four or six at a time, but I’ve also done more than 30 on a few occasions. I’ve run on country roads, in the woods, in the jungle, on beaches, and on asphalt in cities around the world. But without a doubt, the best thousand feet I’ve ever run are the last thousand feet of a marathon.
It’s easy to overlook the little “point two” that gets tacked on to the big marathon number, 26. But it is that last fifth of a mile that makes it all worthwhile, not just the 26 before it. Inevitably, the crowds are at their thickest, the cheering is at its loudest, and the smiles are at their broadest. It is here that after months of preparation, you can finally see the finish line. The closing miles of a marathon are the toughest, but in those final thousand feet it is impossible not to get a second (or third or fourth) wind. You know that when you cross the line you get the photo, the medal, the free goodies, and the satisfaction. But best of all, you finally get to stop running.
When I ran my first marathon in Honolulu four years ago, I may have been a bit late to the party, but I officially became part of a booming global trend. At the inaugural New York Marathon in 1970, just 127 runners showed up. Last year more than 90,000 applied for fewer than half as many spots. Marathoning has exploded in popularity, with both the number of races and the number of racers — many of them first-timers — increasing every year.
There were two major booms in the past 30 years. The first was when the number of U.S. finishers leapt nearly fivefold in just four years, from 25,000 in 1976 to 143,000 in 1980. The current growth wave began in 1995 (293,000 finishers), and 2010 should see nearly half a million finishers — just in the U.S. The top four races now have more finishers than the entire nation did 30 years ago.
This is great news for newcomers, because as marathons have gained popularity, they have become more diverse. Once the province of elite athletes, finishers now span all ages and fitness levels. Female finishers were a rarity in 1980, but today they comprise almost half the field. And the average age of marathoners has crept up to 38. Even more encouraging for “average” runners are skyrocketing finishing times, slowing by almost an hour from a median of 3:32 (men) in 1980 to nearly 4:16 today.
Why the popularity? Says Amby Burfoot, editor-at-large of Runner’s World magazine, “The more people who run marathons, the more people decide to try it themselves. Decades ago, most regular folks thought the marathon was an impossible Olympian event. Now, as they see friends and coworkers complete marathons, these same people see that it’s actually very doable.” It was certainly doable for Burfoot, who won the 1968 Boston race.
 Certainly there are many reasons for the surge, including the population’s increased interest in fitness and exercise. Another is the celebrity inspiration. While I was running the 2009 Chicago Marathon, I saw a sign that read, “If Oprah did it, so can you!” referring to the talk show host’s realized goal of finishing a marathon before age 40, which she did at the 1994 Marine Corps race in Washington, D.C. Others have found inspiration in amateur runners such as George W. Bush (Houston, of course), P. Diddy (New York), and seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong (New York).
Another explanation for the upward trend is also the most uplifting: charity. Years ago, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society launched Team in Training, which helps fund-raisers finish a marathon by offering coaching, nutritional advice, and organized group-training runs. Team in Training now helps about 40,000 people each year train for marathons, many of whom will be running for the first time, and it has inspired several similar groups.
“If you look at the rapid growth in the sport, a very big driver is these charitable groups,” explains Justin Nyberg, the “bodywork” (fitness) editor for Outside magazine. “They contribute a huge service. They give your goal a larger meaning, and you join a like-minded community with coaching expertise. As long as you are willing to raise money, they make it as easy as running 26 miles can be. Team in Training was the first, but no matter what your cause, there is probably a training group for you.”
Like many “average runners,” I got sucked into the marathon distance through a series of baby steps, from running my first 10K (6.2 miles) to my first half marathon. After a dozen or so halves, the next 13 miles suddenly did not seem so impossible. But it required training and a real training plan. It also required an incentive to get me through all that training, which is how I chose the Honolulu Marathon. Suffering deserves a reward, and few rewards beat a Hawaiian vacation. I quickly learned that I was not alone, as each year tens of thousands of marathoners from around the world travel to Honolulu to run the big race in a dream setting. At the huge events, such as those in New York, Chicago, London, and Berlin, visitors from dozens of nations take over the cities, and you can see running jackets affixed with every imaginable flag for days before and after.
“The marathon is a major draw for Chicago as well as for both of our hotels — rooms are always in high demand,” says Michele Grosso, general manager of The Ritz-Carlton Chicago, a Four Seasons Hotel. “The race attracts people from all over the world, and it’s always an exciting weekend. Walking down Michigan Avenue, you’ll see shops and restaurants buzzing with people wearing their numbers … . It was the same when I was at the Four Seasons London. People love to travel to great cities to participate in these events.” Hotels also rise to the occasion: The Ritz-Carlton Chicago offers special pasta dinners, additions to the room-service menu, complimentary Sunday brunch for finishers, and free shuttle service to the starting line during marathon weekends.
The marathon is not just a race, it’s a vacation. Besides obvious choices like New York and London, there are marathons in Macao, Venice, Napa, Rio … just about anyplace you could imagine — or would want to go. Many smaller races also offer the option of a half marathon or a 10K the same day. “Marathoning is a great reason to travel,” says Nyberg. “You get to enjoy the city a bit before and definitely after.” Nyberg, despite being a collegiate runner and fitness expert, had never run a marathon until the 2009 ING New York City Marathon, for which he traveled from Santa Fe. “You shouldn’t do a lot of walking the day before, but I wasn’t going to go to New York and not see anything, so I went to MoMA [Museum of Modern Art], one of my favorite museums.” Apparently art appreciation helps, as Nyberg knocked out a stunning 2:35:28, almost two hours better than the 4:21 average. How did he do it?
“I just stuck to a plan.”
 There are almost as many marathon training plans as there are marathons, for all levels of experience, ability, and time goals. Runner’s World magazine has free online programs for all abilities, as does Nike. Hal Higdon, author of Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide, created online 18-week programs for runners at all levels. When you break it down, you quickly realize that while a marathon is indeed a huge accomplishment, it is also very doable for mere mortals. In fact, the 26.2- mile distance conveniently turns into a reassuring formula: If you can run just one mile now and add a mile a week to your distance, you will finish training for a marathon in exactly six months. That’s a very conservative plan, and most take runners from zero to hero in 25 weeks or fewer or just eight to 14 weeks for those already running.
Typical programs involve building and gradually growing a base of shorter runs a few days a week while adding in a handful of long runs throughout (and maxing out at 20 to 22 miles). For instance, one Runner’s World 16-week marathon training plan for a runner who can now do five miles builds very gradually, just three to four days each week, with only one run longer than 10 miles in weeks six to 13 and never more than 20 miles.
Nyberg’s plan is even simpler. “The key to running an enjoyable marathon is consistency. You don’t have to do a lot of volume or a lot of distance, but you need to run at least four days a week, maybe five. Work up to 40 to 50 [miles] a week by a month before the race. Take your weekly target mileage and make your longest run a third of that, then split the difference over the other days.” Thus a five-day, 30-mile week means a 10-mile run and four five-milers. “Rule number one is consistency. Rule number two is get the long run in. But you don’t have to run a marathon to train for a marathon. You can get away with 18 to 20 [miles] as your longest.”
There are a few other tips that will help your quest. Running shorter races, like 5Ks or half marathons, during training is a great idea. It gives you a high-intensity “race pace” workout that is hard to replicate on your own. It also preps you for the excitement and adrenaline of the big day, which is hard to understand if you haven’t raced. Finally, you get used to the support stations and drinking and eating along the way.
Speaking of which, the science jury is currently out on whether the time-honored tradition of carbohydrate loading the night before has any benefits. What’s certain is that you need to fuel up on foods that are “clean,” free of grease, fat, spices, or sauces that may make you queasy the next day. Hydration is important and should be done both in the week leading up to the race and during the race. One big rookie error: starting too fast due to all the excitement, a trap that also snares veteran marathoners. Just like your training plan, you need a racing plan, a time-per-mile pace that you should stick to, even though it might feel slow at the beginning. The miles have a way of catching up and evening things out. Many runners believe the ideal is a “negative split,” where the second half of the marathon is run faster than the first, but unfortunately the norm is to start too fast and fade down the stretch. To help you revitalize, most races offer energy drinks, gels, and bars, so take advantage, especially for the much-needed boost around miles 18 to 22, when runners tend to hit “the wall.” But another rule of thumb is to not try anything in the race you haven’t had before, so you might want to quaff a few gel packs and energy drinks during training.
“Finishing a marathon is a phenomenal goal and remarkable achievement regardless of your time,” says Nyberg. “It’s a life-list-worthy undertaking, yet achievable. The perception of how difficult it is has changed, with better training, preparation, and even shoes, which are so much better, meaning fewer injuries. What once seemed superhuman now seems realistic. But while you start out with the motivation to finish a race, you soon realize that the benefit is the training, getting in the best shape of your life, and come the big day, the race is just celebration of that.”
THE WORLD OF MARATHONS
 These days, every major marathon sells out months in advance, and signing up usually happens before your training even starts. Sign up now for one of these races, then get running.
• BOSTON MARATHON (APRIL): The world’s oldest and most prestigious to complete. You need to prequalify with another fast marathon-finishing time just to register. bostonmarathon.org
• BIG SUR INTERNATIONAL MARATHON (APRIL): Spectacular Northern California scenery makes this a favorite destination marathon. bsim.org
• PARIS MARATHON (APRIL): One of the world’s largest; carbo load on baguettes and run past the Eiffel Tower. parismarathon.com
• BANK OF AMERICA CHICAGO MARATHON (OCTOBER): The nation’s second-largest race has a very flat, fast course, is well organized, and has plenty of encouraging spectators to offer support. chicagomarathon.com
• MARINE CORPS MARATHON (OCTOBER): This perennial D.C.-area favorite winds along the Potomac and past monuments and offers a 10K. marinemarathon.com
• ING NEW YORK CITY MARATHON (NOVEMBER): The mother of all marathons, it’s the largest in the world — and tough to get into. nycmarathon.org
• METROPCS DALLAS WHITE ROCK MARATHON (DECEMBER): Run past some of the Dallas area’s most notable neighborhoods in this primarily flat-terrain marathon. runtherock.com
• ROCK ‘N’ ROLL LAS VEGAS MARATHON AND HALF MARATHON (DECEMBER): Run down rarely closed “The Strip.” See hundreds of runners dressed as Elvis and even a run-through wedding chapel. las-vegas.competitor.com
• HONOLULU MARATHON (DECEMBER): Popular for novices, it’s flat, scenic — and in Hawaii. But a chaotic, crowded start means little running until mile three and slower finishing times. honolulumarathon.org
• WALT DISNEY WORLD MARATHON (JANUARY): Run through “The Happiest Place on Earth” and past Cinderella’s castle. Flat terrain and the largest U.S. marathon that offers a half-marathon option. disneyworldmarathon.com
TRAINING FOR 26.2
Look to one of these resources for a plan to get you marathon-ready.
• Runner’s World magazine has more online plans for every type of runner than you can imagine, plus interactive personal training. runnersworld.com
• Running guru HAL HIGDON has 18-week programs for five ability levels, plus plans specifically for seniors, multiple marathoners, and more. halhigdon.com
• Most big races have their own free training plans. The ING NEW YORK CITY MARATHON offers three 15-week online versions; Chicago has a 17-week version; and most host live group-training runs. Go online for details.
• TEAM IN TRAINING is the biggest of many charity groups that provide coaching, support, and group runs nationwide. teamintraining.org
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