My wife was driving in North Carolina this morning and heard a story on the local NPR station about half marathons.
The point was that the name seems to give the race an inferiority complex.
'Only' half a marathon.
When are you going to run a 'full' marathon?
I have to admit that I've had the same feeling. Though I'm going to run a 'full' marathon in Nov., it seems to me that 13.1 miles definitely stands on it's own.
Some interesting info, such as the distance from Marathon to Athens is only 24 mi. and the current 26.2 mi. distance only dates to the 1908 Olympics. Also, the 'Half' is the fastest growing race.
I couldn't find a specific link just to that story. Fast forward 37 min. into the sports show on the link below.
The author is training for her first Half. Cute story.
Pete
http://www.onlyagame.org/shows/2007/08/20070818_14.asp

The whole history of Phidippides running and dying is very questionable. Nothing was written about it when it supposedly happened. The first writings of the event were about 600 year later. Even the distance of the supposed event is questionable.

I think at most Marathons when they offer a half, the participants in the half out number the marathon about 3 to 1.
Maybe we should just stop calling them "Half"s? It's a really popular race on its own.

Take a look at the Edmonton Marathon website-- they call the half the 21.1k Run. I also noticed when I ran Miami that a lot of the international running referred to it that way.


In fact I'm running a 20k in New Haven, CT on Labor Day which is probably the biggest race in the state. The 2 or 3 marathons in CT don't get as much hype or turn out.

Wow RJ, you sure are a ray of sunshine today :bicycleuc1:

(sorry I really just had to use that new smilie)

Im sure Phidippides ran-somewhere, and he did eventually die so its not all lies ;)


I havent had a chance to listen to the story yet, so Ill wait to comment ;)

awe man I thought it was going to be 'Walking on Sunshine' -Ive had that stupid song in my head since early this morning trying to find a birthday card for my sister in law (it was one of those horrible music cards, she loves them....I suffered through a bunch until I had to stop and try another day)
All those stuffed animals were disturbing :laugh:

RJ doesn't strike me as a "Walking on Sunshine" kind of guy. The Jonathan Edwards number suits him perfectly though, and it is a classic.

I don't have a problem with the name half marathon, but I do have a problem with 21K. Those pesky K's have been trying to sneak into the country for years. The 5 and 10Ks have actually taken up permanent residence. They've already conquered Canada. I think we should build a big wall along the borders to keep the rest of them out, or there will be K's everywhere. :aggressive:

OK, I will now try to make a serious point on this subject. Hmmm, do I have one? Oh yes, the half marathon exists because someone figured out that if the race were shorter, more people would sign up. More participants = more $$, so they cut the race in half, and in some cases, the entry fee. Please note, as the half marathon becomes more popular, its entry fee gets closer to that of the full marathon. Half marathon conveys some of the prestige of the marathon, while somehow seeming more doable for the average person. As a marketing device, I think the name half marathon is nearly perfect. The controversy seems to be among runners who are concerned that their efforts aren't being taken seriously because they are only running "half" of the marathon, but no matter what you call it 13.1/26.2 = 1/2. Run it fast enough, and nobody is going to say "only half a marathon", but if they do :bangin:

On a related note, this is what we will be doing after midnight on 8/25 in order to sleep all day before the ET Half Marathon. :drunk: I explain to people that we are running a half marathon at midnight, under the full moon on the Extraterrestrial Highway near Area 51 in the the Nevada desert. I then explain that there is a full marathon too, but that sounds a little crazy. :roll2:

Did you see the name of this one? Holy crap, I should put it in my signature.
:diva:

WOW!!!

First, there was Braz, then TOJ, but now Diva is coming up with these posts that are just killing me. This gets my vote as PoD (Post of the Day). :1stplace:

Yes, Diva, that smilie is all your's.

Gee, thanks Cannon. I'd like to thank the Academy, and everyone who has the patience to read the silly things I write! And now I'll take one more bow, because it cracks me up.
:diva:

I agree with Cannon, I love reading the Diva monologs! And the smiliey is fantastic! Bow away fair Diva !