"There is something about this magical distance, perhaps thousands of years old, that has captivated souls since a Greek messenger was said to have run from Marathon to Athens to announce victory in war - the story famously goes that as soon as he delivered the message, his run complete, he dies. To Run a marathon is to run for the ages. ((Runners World - The Marathon Now)
A marathon is 26.2 miles which equals 138,336 feet. Assuming a stride length of 3 feet, it will take about 46,112 steps to finish
"Like surviving labor, crossing the finish line of a 26.2 mile race is a testament to perseverance, discipline, dedication, and a few other multisyllabic words often found on inspirational posters hanging on office walls. (Run Like a Mother)
September 2004 Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness...researchers found it is the sleep you get TWO nights before a competition that really matters, not the night before. Among the 22 study participants, VO2 peak, or how efficiently your body can process oxygen, was not adversely affected after one night of sleep deprivation; it was lowest two days after sleep deprivation.
"I'd heard plenty of stories about running a marathon, but hearing about 26.2 and running 26.2 is like babysitting versus having a few rugrats of your own: You can't really know what a marathon is like until you go the distance yourself. (Run Like A Mother).
'Rarely do average men and women -- everyday athletes - get the chance to participate in the same sporting even at the same time as the world's best. You'll never play in the Super Bowl, World Series, or the World Cup...marathon events give ordinary people the chance to experience and achieve something extraordinary."
"Oprah Winfrey ran a more-than-respectable 4:29 and, in the process, changed the perception about what is possible."
"Within the ongoing 21st century running surge is a revolution-wthin-a-revolution: women running and racing in undreamed numbers even a a decade ago. The proof....of the 23,127 who lined up for the 2101 Boston Marathon, 42 percent were women."
