Marathons 101

Best way to get rid of the extra pounds this Thanksgiving is lots of running. We take a look at the ultimate running event - the marathon!

Marathons 101 - The 411

A marathon is a long distance running race that tests an athlete's endurance and stamina. The standardized distance for a marathon is 42.195 kilometers or 26.22 miles. The majority of the time these races are run on city streets or highways - but they can go off-road too. Recreation runners try hard to finish the race in under four hours, while world class racers finish in less than three hours.

Marathons 101 - Training

A marathon is not an easy race to run. It takes nearly half-a-year's worth of training to be able to be in shape for the race. It's recommend that someone training for a marathon should run around 30-40 total miles per week. Out of those 30-40 miles, you must have one weekly run that consists of 15-20 miles. Anything more than this can increase your chance of injury. Rest is vital in the training process. Running these long distances can take a toll on the body, so it is very important to rest so your body has time to recover.

Marathons 101 - Best Marathons

Nearly every major city has an annual marathon - there are more than 800 marathons organized yearly around the world. The biggest marathons occur in New York City, Boston, Chicago, London, and Berlin. These cities make up the World Marathon Majors series, dishing out prize money of $500,000 to each the female and male winners. Because of its popularity, the New York City Marathon allows only 37,000 entrants each year.

Marathons 101 - Getting Involved

Marathons are primarily for adults and it is not a good idea to participate as a kid. If you are interested in participating in one someday, it is good to keep yourself in cardio shape. Participate in sports such as track and cross country and enter shorter 5K races. By the time you are an adult, you will be ready to conquer a marathon!

Marathons 101 - Did You Know?

In 1896 G. Grigorou won the first marathon held in Greece.

In 1960 Abebe Bikila of Ethiopia won the Olympic Marathon barefoot!

Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia holds the men's world record for marathons with a time of two hours, three minutes and 59 seconds. He accomplished this in the 2008 Berlin Marathon!

Great Britain's Paula Radcliff holds the women's world record of a time of two hours, 15 minutes and 25 seconds. She did this at the 2003 London Marathon.

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