Table of Contents
8 Interesting Facts about the Marathon
Every runner dreams of completing the coveted marathon distance to prove first and foremost to himself that he is capable of it. Interesting facts about the marathon will be entertaining even for those who do not run a few miles every day. Who knows, maybe after reading this, you will have the desire to go for a run?
For most people, a marathon falls into one of two categories: either you do it or you look up to those who do. Recent trends show that more and more people are becoming committed to the first category. Almost every weekend somewhere in the world, hundreds of runners cross the finish line. To learn more about this distance, consider some fascinating facts about the marathon prepared by the experts of WriteMyEssay.me service.
Marathons have not always been 42.195m long
The first few marathons in the Olympic competition were just over 40 km long. But that changed at the end of the 1908 Olympics held in London. The marathon course at that event was originally designed to be 42 km. The route ran from Windsor Castle to White City Stadium. However, an extra 195 m was added because the Olympic organizers wanted the race to end right in front of the royal viewing platform at Buckingham Palace. Since then, the marathon has always been exactly 42,195 meters long.
The oldest annual marathon
Inspired by the Olympics, the Boston Athletic Association held its own marathon in 1897. The event has been held every year since. The first race had 15 participants. Over time, the popularity of the race grew and at the moment, the marathon hosts more than 20,000 participants each year. It is noteworthy that world records cannot be set at the Boston Marathon. This is due to the high altitude difference throughout the distance. The maximum allowable standard is 42 meters, while in this race this figure is more than 136 meters.
Most consecutive marathons
The highest number of consecutive marathons successfully completed by a single person is 366. Danish marathoner Annette Fredskov holds this record. She has completed 366 marathons in a 365-day period. This period lasted from July 2012 to July 2013. Belgian runner Stefan Engels ran 365 marathons in one year. This is certainly no easy feat, considering that usually for the average runner, completing at least one marathon is a huge accomplishment in itself. One can only wonder how they find time in such a busy schedule to recover and gain strength for more races?
The youngest marathoner in the world
What were you doing at the age of 3? The youngest registered marathon runner in the world is Budhya Singh, who first participated in such a race when he was just 3 years old. At the age of 5, he has reportedly already run about 50 marathon distances. In 2010, a documentary film about Singh, “The Marathoner,” was released. When the phenomenon of the youngest runner became public knowledge, it caused a flurry of criticism against his guardian and coach. Most of the accusations were that the boy was allegedly being exploited for material gain. Because of this, Singh was subsequently banned from running marathons in terms of humanity, at least until he was older. Budhia now goes to a boarding school for sports and spends a lot of time training, running, playing hockey, and soccer.
World’s oldest marathon runner
The world’s oldest marathoner completed his last marathon at the age of 101. His name is Fauja Singh and he successfully finished the 2011 Toronto Marathon with a time of 8 hours, 11 minutes, and 5 seconds. So this means that the previous oldest marathoner from Singapore, Chan Meng Hui, who is now about 90 years old, still has just over 10 years to spare in terms of his running career!
The slowest marathon time
How long does it take you to complete a marathon? For the best runners, it will take 2 to 3 hours. Others may take up to 7 hours to complete the distance, depending on weather and other factors. For Lloyd Scott, the figure was much higher. In the 2002 London Marathon, Lloyd reached the finish line 5 days and 8 hours after the start. Such a figure seems unreal. However, everything becomes clear when you learn that the marathoner ran in a 59 kg suit designed for deep-sea diving. In 2011, Scott broke his record in the same race when he completed the distance in 26 days, this time he crawled in a snail suit. This runner continues to hold the record for being the slowest person to complete the London Marathon. So if you can’t get into the record books as the fastest marathoner, why not strive for the opposite and set the record by being the slowest?
Taking gels and supplements during a marathon
Why do people invariably take gels and supplements when they run a marathon or any other long race? Carbohydrates are stored in the human body in the form of glycogen, a substance that helps produce energy. The maximum amount of glycogen is about 2000 calories. Thus, the energy gained before the start will be enough for a marathon runner to run about 30 km. Since the distance is a little longer than this mark, during the race you have to take extra energy somewhere to cover another 12 kilometers or more. To give you an example, a person weighing 60 kg running at 6.3 minutes per km burns about 2,777 calories during a marathon. Our body simply cannot physically store that much energy. That’s why every participant of such competitions will need gels and supplements.
Exotic Marathons Around the World
Interesting facts about the marathon would not be complete without mentioning the most unusual races in the world. One of the exotic marathon venues could include the Great Wall of China. Given the differences in altitude and the constant descents and ascents, this race is not easy, but the views are gorgeous. The title of the coldest marathon is rightly held by the race at the North Pole. The air temperature is usually around -25 degrees. If the scale of the Great Wall of China is frightening and the cold makes you shudder just thinking about it, and you want some fun, then the Walt Disney World Marathon is just what you need. And yes, Mickey, Minnie and their friends will be cheering you on throughout the course.
Conclusion
The unusual facts about the marathon will always be replenished and inspire people to overcome their own fears and doubts to finally get their act together and run the coveted miles of the distance. Every self-respecting runner should run a marathon at least once in their life. It is not difficult to choose from thousands of competitions held around the world and find a suitable option. The main thing is to have desire and aspiration, and the rest is a matter of technique.
