Marathon 101 - Basics of the Olympic Sport

By Compete-At: Online Registration Solutions & Event Planning Software for Races

Marathons 101

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Marathons: The Basics

• Marathon: A long-distance foot race that is 26.2 miles (42.195 kilometers)

• The race is named after the Greek soldier Pheidippides

• The marathon became standardized as an Olympic event in 1921

• Large marathons can have tens of thousands of participants

• More than 800 marathons are organized throughout the year



History of the Marathon

• According to legend, Pheidippides was a Greek messenger who was sent from the town of Marathon to Athens to announce that the Persians had been defeated

• The first Olympic marathon took place in 1896

• The women’s marathon was introduced to the Olympics in 1984

• It has been a tradition in the modern Olympics for the last event to be the running of the marathon


Training for a Marathon

• Most running coaches believe that the most important part of training is the long run

• Many runners try to reach 20 miles as their long run

• 40 miles a week is an average distance for runners that are training

• Most training programs last around five to six months

• Consult your health professional regularly during your training







Tips for Participating in a Marathon• Most likely you’re not going to win :-(

So start slow and take it easy, set your own personal goal and strive to reach your goal.

• Don’t drink to much during the race and take plenty of nutrients.

• Write something unique on your shirt or wear something unique. This will allow spectators to cheer for you – “Run Steve, Run!”

• Bring warm clothes and a throwaway blanket to the start. Sometimes you will wait hours and hours and you shouldn’t start a race stiff.

• Take salt tablets during the race to keep your sodium levels up.

• For more tips, Google “Jonathan Roche 10 Tips for running a marathon”






Famous Marathons

• More than 800 marathons are organized around the world

• Five of the largest marathons: Boston, New York City, Chicago, London, and Berlin make up the biannual World Marathon Majors

• Marathons also occur at the North Pole, on the Great Wall of China, and in Greenland







World Records

• World records for marathons were not recognized until 2004

• Before world records were recognized, the best times were referred to as “world best”

• The world record for men was set in Berlin by Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia with a time of 2 hours 3 minutes and 59 seconds

• The world record for women was set in London by Paula Radcliffe of Great Britain with a time of 2 hours 15 minutes and 25 seconds






Online Registration for Races

• With the high number of participants in marathons, online registration is a must to manage registrants for any size race

• Compete-At provides a tailored, turn-key platform for marathon organizers to set up their events online: http://www.compete-at.com/running/index.html





http://www.compete-at.com/running/index.html





Content Credits

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon

http://www.flickr.com/photos/polarmate/196430219/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hojusaram/2339926870/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pkeleher/2385765806/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/athomeinscottsdale/3108205128/

Image Credits







http://www.flickr.com/photos/fdevillamil/2305163356/








By Compete-At: Online Registration Solutions & Event Planning Software for Curling

Image Credits


http://www.flickr.com/photos/fdevillamil/2305162176/in/set-72157604024065288/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/michalo/283653390/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pheidippidespic1.jpg

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Sports

Marathon 101 - Basics of the Olympic Sport