If you’ve run for any length in time, then you’ve likely received this question from a curious acquaintance or colleague: “How long is a marathon again?”
It might seem arrogant or petty even, to point out to those who aren’t aware of the length of a marathon. It can be not only 26 miles.
There’s that pesky point-freaking-two–385 yards with inestimable importance. In the final seconds the races are won or losing, Boston-qualifying dreams come to life (or end in failure). It is the realization that it comes to pass, but you have .2 left.
“It hurts everywhere if you’ve done it right,” says Des Linden, the 2018 Boston Marathon champion. “And when you’ve made a mistake, wrong, you’re in the process of suffering. It hurts in any way.”
Return to Boston 2011 before Linden became a world champion in Boston. She enters Boylston Street with two other women. The finish is close that she is able to surge to take the lead. Kenya’s Caroline Kilel responds with a stride that is exactly the same as her stride. With less than 385 yards left, Linden is just barely ahead of Kilel before Kilel moves ahead. As they race to the finishline, and Kilel’s gap grows and Linden is able to catch Kilel by less than two seconds.
“How much of a procrastinator are you to have to sprint to the finish of a 26.2-mile race?” Linden states. “It’s not over until you cross the line.”
If you’ve run for any length in time, then you’ve likely received this question from a curious acquaintance or colleague: “How long is a marathon again?”
It might seem arrogant or petty even, to point out to those who aren’t aware of the length of a marathon. It can be not only 26 miles.
There’s that pesky point-freaking-two–385 yards with inestimable importance. In the final seconds the races are won or losing, Boston-qualifying dreams come to life (or end in failure). It is the realization that it comes to pass, but you have .2 left.
“It hurts everywhere if you’ve done it right,” says Des Linden, the 2018 Boston Marathon champion. “And when you’ve made a mistake, wrong, you’re in the process of suffering. It hurts in any way.”
Return to Boston 2011 before Linden became a world champion in Boston. She enters Boylston Street with two other women. The finish is close that she is able to surge to take the lead. Kenya’s Caroline Kilel responds with a stride that is exactly the same as her stride. With less than 385 yards left, Linden is just barely ahead of Kilel before Kilel moves ahead. As they race to the finishline, and Kilel’s gap grows and Linden is able to catch Kilel by less than two seconds.
“How much of a procrastinator are you to have to sprint to the finish of a 26.2-mile race?” Linden states. “It’s not over until you cross the line.”
If we are thinking about the process of getting to how the length of a marathon has become it is important to understand where this thrilling, exhilarating, curse-worthy .2 was derived from. In 1908’s London Olympics the London Olympics, the marathon began in Windsor Castle and finished in the White City stadium, measuring 26 miles.
Before that the distance of the marathon was around 24 miles, based on the ancient race plowed by Pheidippides. However, the royal family required that runners finish in front of their viewing area which resulted in an additional 385 yards. In the past the distance for marathons varied between 24 and 26.2 miles. But in 1921, with no known reason, the number 26-26-two became official and we’re left to accept it.
“When it is at the .2 number, there are runners who proclaim”I did it. I’m here. And then they flounder towards the finish line,” states Stephen Walker, Ph.D., a sports psychologist who assists Olympic marathoners. “And there are people who are contemplating whether they’ll be able to finish. They reach the .2 and then think, ‘Oh my God, I can’t continue. This is my last chance.’ >.'”
Although there are no steps left to take with legs buckled under them, some runners will take any step to ensure they get it as easy as Devon Bieling during the 2017 Tunnel Vision Marathon. In an attempt to qualify the race, she stopped and then dropped in a controlled way and did roll — yes she rolling–through the finish line in 3:34:02, which was 58 seconds slower than her qualifying standard.
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