Is Running Marathons Really the Ultimate Running Experience?

To many runners, the marathon is the ultimate rite of passage. Running 26.2 miles is a sign that they've really arrived, proof they are a "real runner."

The fall marathon season is upon us. You can see it in the desperate look in the eyes of people training for their big race this fall. Weekends are filled with long runs of 15-20 miles they hope will serve as insurance against the dreaded "wall" that would bring them to a stumbling halt along the course.

I've been there. Done that. Hit the wall at least 10-15 times in my career. But not always in a marathon. You can push yourself to the point of absolute exhaustion in races much shorter than a marathon.

That's not the point of marathons, of course. Everyone hopes their long months of training will prevent them from hitting the wall. Those of us who enjoy running often have dreams of perfect races with legs that never tire and lungs that never fail.

I consider myself blessed in having actually experienced those sensations in real life. As a competitive distance runner with a 31:00 10K time, I actually did win a few races. A very few of them really did feel effortless. Those are the days I think back on with fondness.

But I also recall the long miles of training that led to those successes. I regularly did runs of 10, 20 and even 30 miles to get in shape for races. Along the way I learned there was nothing magical about the 26.2 mile mark. When you've run that far in practice, some of the mystery goes out of the distance.

My first experience running the marathon distance came in a Walkathon fund raiser in Dekalb, IL, circa 1972. A bunch of us ran 30 miles in one of those. I suppose that's what cured me of the need to run 26+ miles again. One stupid, absurd effort was all it took to teach me that distance running is not about the distance, but about the quality of the effort you put into running it.

If that sounds elitist or dismissive, I'm not alone in that opinion. 10 years after my Walkathon experience I was chosen to serve as a local race chaperone for distance legend Bill Rodgers, who won both Boston and New York marathons. Few people had more appreciation and respect for the distance, but when one eager runner popped his head through the window to ask Boston Billy what advice he had for a "four hour marathoner," Rodgers tilted his head back inquisitvely and replied, "You can run for four hours?"

There must be some reward in running four hours for a marathon-- or five, six or seven hours on the road. A sense of speed is certainly not the primary reason. Instead, it is finishing the 26.2 mile distance that is considered an accomplishment in itself. But...what if we stepped back from the marathon for a minute to examine what real running is all about?

When it comes to promoting longevity and an active life, marathoning is the probably the last event most runners should be tackling. I frankly cringe watching biomechanically deficient runners plod, hitch and scuttle their way through long races. I was a light-framed, relatively efficient runner, and still found long runs to be punishing on the body. These days my knees and hips do not allow me to run more than 4-5 miles at a clip. I put in perhaps 50-60,000 miles of training during my career. I almost wish I'd done a little less, or at least done more strength training to help my body bear up under the duress.

I thank God I did not succumb to running more competitive races over 20 miles in length. I might be hobbling more than I do these days. As I watch runners push themselves into training for and completing marathons, I want to tell them there's more than one way to get their kicks. Buy a good bike. Take up swimming. Have sex more often. The marathon is not your only salvation, and it's certainly no shortcut to self fulfillment.