1. The Passion for Marathons
Roderick Teh
LHDT 548 Online Teaching and Evaluation
Fall Semester 2007

2. Excerpt from Robert Browning, Pheidippides
So, when Persia was dust, all cried, “To Acropolis!
Run, Pheidippides, one race more! The meed is thy due!
Athens is saved, thank Pan, go shout!” He flung down his shield
Ran like fire once more: and the space ‘twixt the fennel-field
And Athens was stubble again, a field which a fire runs through,
Till in he broke” “Rejoice, we conquer!” Like wine through clay,
Joy in his blood bursting his heart, - the bliss!

3. What is a Marathon?
The marathon is an endurance race run on an open course of 26 miles 385 yards (or 42.2 km).
The first official marathon was held at the revived Olympic Games in 1896.
It commemorates the legendary feat of a Greek soldier who is said to have run from Marathon to Athens in 490 B.C. to report the Greek victory at the Battle of Marathon, after which he dropped dead.
Marathons today are usually open events for both men and women, often run by thousands of participants, including the venerable Boston Marathon (established in 1897). The women's marathon became an Olympic event in 1984.

4. A Philosophical Perspective
A marathon is more than just another race, and those who run marathons develop a mindset that distinguishes them from other people.
Training for a marathon requires lots of patience, discipline, motivation, strength, and stamina.
Marathon runners learn to hone their focus, and by running such distances, they develop an uncanny ability to endure struggles in life.
We admire the individuals who train and participate in this endurance sport.
We are impressed by the steadfast rigor they invest over time, and the discipline they uphold for this sport.
Marathon runners experience a positive impact of this endurance sport on their lives.

5. A Photo Gallery of Marathon Runners

6. Interesting Marathon Statistics
According to MarathonGuide.com, there was a 3.7% growth in USA marathon finishers from 2005 to 2006.
Over the past few years, there has been a slight gain in the average age of marathon finishers.
By the end of 2007, we can expect at least a 2% growth in USA marathon finishers.
In 2007, the number of USA marathon finishers surpassed the 400,000 mark for the first time in history.
New York, Chicago and Honolulu continue in their top three rankings for the largest USA marathons in 2006.
There were at least 28 inaugural marathons in 2006.
Source:

7. Marathon Demographics
In 2006, the average age of marathon finishers increased slightly to 40.7 years for men and 36.4 years for women.
The average time for men improved slightly to 4:31:26, while the average time for women slowed slightly to 5:06:36.
The fastest age group for men were year-olds with a mean finishing time of 4:20:44.
The fastest times for women were posted by the year-old age group who averaged a finishing time of 4:56:51.
Men aged years represented the largest age group for marathon runners in 2006 (10% of all marathon finishers) .
The largest group for women was the age group years (7.3% of all marathon finishers).
Source:

8. Total USA Marathon Finishers 2000-2006 [Source: http://www. marathon
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
Total Finishers
299,000
295,000
324,000
334,000
362,000
383,000
397,000
Annual Growth
-1.30%
9.80%
3.10%
8.40%
5.80%
3.80%
Percent Male
62.50%
62.10%
61.50%
60.90%
60.50%
60.00%
60.10%
Percent Female
37.50%
37.90%
38.50%
39.10%
39.50%
40.00%
39.90%

9. Total USA Marathon Finishers 2000-2006 [Source: http://www

10. USA Male and Female Marathon Finishers 2000-2006 [Source: http://www

11. Top 10 Largest USA Marathons [Source: http://www.marathonguide.com]
2006 Finishers
2006 Rank
2005 Rank
Growth
ING New York City Marathon
37,936 1
2.90%
LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon
33,618 2
1.90%
JAL Honolulu Marathon
24,573 3
1.50%
Marine Corps Marathon
20,879 4 5
9.30%
City of Los Angeles Marathon
20,169
0.90%
BAA Boston Marathon
19,688 6
12.20%
Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
15,771 7
-1.00%
Walt Disney World Marathon
10,125 8 10
31.10%
Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon
8,215 9
6.00%
Portland Marathon
7,719 11
7.20%

12. The Benefits of Marathon Running
Increased energy
Improved health
Sense of accomplishment
Enhanced emotional health
Increased discipline
Quality time outdoors
Chance to show off
Enhanced patience
Great looking butt and legs
Social networking
Affordable endurance training

13. The Personality of a Marathon Runner
Marathon runners will tell you it’s not just about the marathon itself - it’s also about the training.
Marathon runners are typically successful in life.
Marathon runners learn that nothing can prevent them from attaining their goals in life.
Marathon runners learn the value of managing their time and day-to-day priorities.
Marathon runners learn not to quit when the going gets rough.
Marathon runners learn how important planning is to their ultimate success.
Marathon runners learn how much effort is required for a single successful race.
Marathon runners are fun to hang out with because they are really cool people.

14. Notable Marathon Runners
Male Marathoners
Dick Beardsley
Haile Gebrselassie
Ryan Hall
Hal Higdon
Khalid Kannouchi
Meb Keflezighi
Bill Rodgers
Alberto Salazar
Frank Shorter
Paul Tergat
Emil Zátopek
Women Marathoners
Berhane Adere
Lidiya Grigoryeva
Deena Kastor
Catherine Ndereba
Mizuki Noguchi
Uta Pippig
Paula Radcliffe
Joan Benoit Samuelson
Katherine Switzer
Naoko Takahashi
Zhou Chunxiu

15. Selected Marathons in Minnesota
Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon - October 5, 2008
Grandma’s Marathon - June 21, 2008
Walker North Country Marathon - September 15, 2007
Y’s Med-City Marathon - May 25, 2008

16. Photos from the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon

17. World Marathon Majors BAA Boston Marathon - April 21, 2008
Berlin Marathon - September 28, 2008
Flora London Marathon - April 13, 2008
ING New York City Marathon - November 2, 2008
LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon - October 7, 2007

18. Photos from the Flora London Marathon London, Great Britain

19. Selected Marathons in Asia
Ana Beijing Marathon - October 21, 2007
Great Wall Marathon - May 17, 2008
Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon - December 2, 2007
China Coast Marathon - January 20, 2008
Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon - January 20, 2008

20. Photos from the Great Wall Marathon Tianjin Province, China

21. Selected Marathons in Europe
Paris International Marathon - April 6, 2008
Dresdner Kleinwort Frankfurt Marathon - October 26, 2008
Adidas Dublin Marathon - October 27, 2008
Vienna City Marathon - April 27, 2008
Stockholm Marathon - May 31, 2008
City of Rome Marathon - March 16, 2008

22. Photos from the Stockholm Marathon Stockholm, Sweden

23. Photos from the City of Rome Marathon Rome, Italy

24. Selected Marathons in Canada
Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon - September 28, 2008
ING Ottawa Marathon - May 25, 2008
Niagara Falls International Marathon - October 26, 2008
Bank of Montreal Vancouver Marathon - May 4, 2008

25. Selected Marathons Across the USA
Marine Corps Marathon - October 26, 2008
Maui Marathon - September 14, 2008
City of Los Angeles Marathon - March 2, 2008
AT&T Austin Marathon - February 17, 2008
San Francisco Marathon - August 3, 2008
Wellstone’s Dallas White Rock Marathon - December 9, 2007

26. Walt Disney World Marathon - January 13, 2008
Zappos.com Las Vegas Marathon - December 2, 2007
Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon - May 4, 2008
Chevron Houston Marathon - January 13, 2008
Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon - May 18, 2008
ING Miami Marathon - January 27, 2008

27. Photos from the Marine Corps Marathon Washington, District of Columbia

28. Photos from the ING New York City Marathon New York City, New York

29. Selected Marathons in Australia & New Zealand
Canberra Marathon - April 13, 2008
Blackmores Sydney Marathon - September 21, 2008
Samsung Melbourne Marathon - October 7, 2007
Gold Coast Airport Marathon - July 6, 2008
Adidas Auckland Marathon - November 2, 2008

30. Photos from the Gold Coast Airport Marathon Queensland, Australia

31. Selected Marathons in South & Central America
City of Rio de Janeiro Marathon - June 29, 2008
Mexico City International Marathon - August 26, 2007
Panama City International Marathon - August 10, 2008
Reggae Marathon - December 6, 2008
Cayman Islands Marathon - December 7, 2008

32. Photos from the Cayman Islands Marathon

33. Selected Magazines on Marathon Running
Runner’s World
Running Times
Marathon and Beyond
Marathon Magazine

34. Runner’s World & Running Times Online Resources
Discussion Board
Video Channel
Training Tools
Training Log
Blog Community
News Articles
Travel Guide
E-Newsletter

35. Great Articles from “The Runner’s World”
The marathon and your heart
The runner’s body

36. Recommended Books on Marathon Running

37. Suggested Reading Materials
John Bingham & Jenny Hadfield (2003). Marathoning for Mortals: A Regular Person’s Guide to the Joy of Running or Walking a Half Marathon or Marathon.
Gordon Bloch (1993). How to Train For and Run Your Best Marathon.
Dawn Dais (2007). The Nonrunner’s Marathon Guide for Women: Get Off Your Butt and On With Your Training.
Jack Daniels (2005). Daniel’s Running Formula: Proven Programs 800 m to the Marathon.
Jeff Galloway (2001). Marathon: You Can Do It!
Hal Higdon (2005). Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide: Advice, Plans, and Programs.

38. Tom Holland (2007). Marathon Method: The 16-Week Training Program That Prepares You to Finish a Full or Half Marathon in Your Best Time.
Dave Kuehls (1998). Four Months to a Four-Hour Marathon.
Pete Pfitzinger & Scott Douglas (2001). Advanced Marathoning.
Katherine Switzer & Roger Robinson (2006). 26.2: Marathon Stories.

39. Recommended DVD Resources
Running on the Sun
Running Brave
Marathon Challenge
Without Limits
Marathon

40. Selected YouTube Links on Marathon Running
Marathon Running Tips
Marathon Running: Leg Stretches
Running My First Marathon
Running Blog With Running Tips
2006 Gold Coast Airport Marathon
Dick and Rick Hoyt

41. Dean Karnazes 50-50-50 Endurance
New York City Marathon 2007
San Francisco Marathon
Boston Marathon Course Video

42. Useful Web Resources MarathonGuide.com http://www.marathonguide.com/
Minnesota Distance Running Association
Marathon Maniacs
50 States Marathon Club
USA Track and Field
Association of International Marathons and Road Races

43. Running Planet
Run the Nation
All Sport Central
Marathon Info
42K195
Wikipedia