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Marathon Completion Opinion, Purist
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To each their own, and even if someone walks 26.2 miles then that's an awful lot better than sitting on their arse, at least they're giving it a go.
Having said that, my sister bought a place at the New York marathon and walked the whole way for charity. Fine, but I was left with mixed emotions when she said she'd done the New York marathon. Ok, technically she did, but it is a running event, and it is clearly much easier to just walk round and take it easy, it's just not the same achievement as a marathon. IMHO the whole point of a marathon is that it's a challenge and an achievement, pushing yourself mind and body to complete something very difficult. Part of the satisfaction comes from knowing you've done so, and I can't help but feel my sister's sense of achievement should be much less, it just isn't the same challenge. At the time, I remember being happy for her but at the same time, she bought a place which a runner could have had.
I know that if I end up walking in places then I'm disappointed and disgusted with myself, because it's a running race and I want to run it from start to finish. It's just not the same if I walk part of the way, and I get really frustrated with myself at the time when it's happened,
But that's me and that's how I feel - while I don't think that the achievement is the same, I certainly wouldn't criticise anyone for walking part way, especially if injury is involved and it's the only way to finish.
I run because I enjoy it, not to tell people about it and get kudos. What anyone else does and how they feel about it makes no difference to me. Feeling like your sister's sense of achievement should be less seems a bit mean really. I know I don't feel a huge sense of achievement about running a marathon because I know I could do it any time if I wanted, whereas for a non-runner to train a finish would probably feel like something huge. I get a sense of satisfaction from running a good time but that's about it. Anything I could achieve is nothing special in the world of running.
HA77 - absolutely agree. Just can't help slightly resenting the comparison - "she's done a marathon as well". Genuinely good for here, and still an achievement, but not the same thing in my book. It is clearly harder to run than to walk - otherwise we'd have walking races where people got tired or "hit the wall" and took "running breaks" to recover!
love doing distance, see how far i can just get by any means,
prob because im slow runner and cant run anymore, but the idea of covering is more appealing than just running for time
rodeoflip - I'm not surprised you felt a bit resentful - she's done a 26 mile walk in New York basically - a vast majority of people can do that. Don't feel any shame, I wouldn't.
That reminds me - when I was 11 we walked 26 miles from Wareham around the Purbecks on one of those activity non school days, then across to Sandbanks via the ferry and then along to Bournemouth Pier. I think i'll say I did the Purbeck marathon and press a medal to impress everyone at work. They'll be so impressed i did a marathon at that tender age
like, complete running it, run/walk, walking but if they cant run
what do you think of the ultra races where they walk alot
runner27 - walking it all the way is an achievement, I mean, it is 26.2 miles and it's a long way. There's also the argument that someone walking is out on the course for much longer than a runner. Even walking all the way is better than just sitting on your arse.
But there's levels of achievement, isn't there? - that's why people have A / B / C goals for races. And entering a running race and completing it by running from start to finish has got to be a bigger achievement than walking in places, which has also got to be bigger than walking all the way. For me personally I'm gutted if something happens and I can't run all the way. The heat got to me in London this year and I ended up walking in places, and being bitterly disappointed with every step.
My point was that if someone enters a running race (especially a big race like NY) with no intention of running it, then walks round at 15 mins/mile pace from start to finish, then I think their achievement is less than someone who puts in the training and runs through extreme fatigue, etc., to finish in a much more competitive time. To put it in context - my sister's time was well over twice my PB for the same year - she finished having barely broke a sweat where I ran through all sorts of physical issues and crossed the line just about broken. Like I said, each to their own, I just don't think that the two achievements compare.
An ultra is a bit different, where it's purely about the distance for most people, the time is incidental, and walking in places is the norm.
In a marathon, everyone is only running against themselves, I get that. Just finishing is a huge achievement. But IMHO I don't think you've "run a marathon" until you've run a marathon.
Just like walking 100m doesn't make you a sprinter.
Just my 2p-worth.
hey, sorry if i sounded weird, just wondering what you thought of it all.
thanks
reason i do distance so i can run/walk.
do it as complete instead of running, run/jog/walk
3mile run / 0.1km walk. staves of hips damage and pain i get
runner27 - That's a bit different, if you are trying to stave off pain etc by doing it a particular way then that's no problem. It's just when people aren't chronically injured and purposely run/walk - in my book they are taking the place of someone who could run (or try to run) it.
Ultras are a bit trendy at the moment - but some of them are getting to the stage of a slightly longer sunday walk with a bit of running. For me the 50k and 100k look like proper ultras..after that it gets a bit silly tbh.
Completed/Done - let her tell the office what she wants. She hasn't run a marathon, different thing.