26.2 Miles. Why?

The modern marathon is 26 miles, 385 yards (42.195K), and it seems that there should be some rationale behind the distance. I mean, we’ve even created a race of half the distance called the “half-marathon.” Surely, there must be some good reason why the race isn’t just 20 miles, or maybe even 25. Right?


According to legend, the marathon commemorates the run in 490 B.C. of a Greek soldier named Pheidippides. So how far did Pheidippides run? The Greek historian Herodotus wrote that the Athenians sent a military courier named Pheidippides to request help from Sparta. He covered that distance (about 150 miles) in less than two days. This sounds a little long for a race but, with the advent of the “ultra-marathon,” perhaps there is an audience for Herodotus’ version of the “marathon.”

Luckily, legend makers came to the rescue. About 600 years after Herodotus wrote about Pheidippides, the legend arose that Pheidippides had been sent to Athens to bring news of the victory of the Greeks over the Persians at Marathon. After reaching Athens, he delivered the joyous message, “Niki!” (“victory”), and then died from exhaustion. The distance between Marathon and Athens is about 25 miles, and a phenomenon was born.

Or was it? The Greeks came up with reviving the Marathon for the first modern Olympics in 1896, and the first marathon was actually a time trial for the 1896 Olympics. This first marathon was won by Charilaous Vasilakos in 3 hours and 18 minutes. The course went from Marathon Bridge to the Olympic Stadium in Athens, a distance of 40 kilometers, or 24.85 miles. The marathon in the 1896 Olympics was won by Spiridon Louis, a Greek postal worker, with a time of 2 hours, 58 minutes, 50 seconds, an average pace of 7:11 minutes per mile. Spiridon is definitely my kind of guy: he won the Olympics despite stopping on the way for a glass of wine!

The first marathon in the United States was on April 9, 1897 in Boston. There were 15 runners, and John McDermott won the 24.5 mile race in 2 hours, 55 minutes, and 10 seconds. The 26.2 mile distance was not established until the 1908 Olympics in London. The course covered the ground from Windsor Castle to White City Stadium, and the royals added 385 yards so the race could finish in front of the royal family's viewing box. We can all thank the British for the 26.2 mile distance!

For most of the first half of the 20th century, the Boston Marathon and the Olympic Marathon were the only regularly scheduled marathons. It was not until the 1960s and 1970s, during the jogging craze, the recreational runners thought it might be a good idea to run the distance.

Despite the longer distance, winning times are also a lot faster now. Paul Tergat from Kenya is the fastest man to run a marathon, setting the record on September 28, 2003 at the Berlin Marathon with a time of 2 hours, 4 minutes, and 55 seconds (4:45/mile). The current world record holder for the women’s marathon is Paula Radcliffe, a distance runner from England. She set the record on April 13, 2003 at the London Marathon with a time of 2 hours, 15 minutes, and 25 seconds (5:10/mile).

The Las Vegas Marathon

The Las Vegas Marathon is one of the oldest marathons in the United States, having been run since 1967. By comparison, the biggest marathon in the United States, the New York City Marathon, started in 1970.

The Las Vegas Marathon has gone through some drastic changes, however, and the course underwent a major facelift last year. The old course started in Jean, Nevada, around 15 miles north of the California-Nevada State line. In Jean, you can find the Gold Strike and Nevada Landing casinos, and it is only about 10 miles from Primm on the State line, home to Whiskey Pete’s, the Primadonna, and Buffalo Bill’s. If you’ve driven to Las Vegas from Southern California, I’m sure you’ve seen the sign, but the thought of stopping there never crossed your mind, particularly in the frenzy of the final half hour of the drive to Las Vegas itself. On race day, runners presumably had to be bused out to this desert location and left to find their way back to Las Vegas.

The original course was desolate, and spectators could not even cheer on runners until mile 15. The original course also went nowhere the Strip, ending up someplace in Las Vegas called “Sunset Park.” Not surprisingly, the original course triggered comments like the following (I’m not making this up):

• "It was horrible, ugly, nasty, scary, just plain awful. I can't think of any other words to describe the experience. Don't do this one!!!"
• "I recently received my finisher's certificate from the marathon and it reawakened miserable thoughts about this year's race . . . SUPPORT???!! Was there any? Running out of cups at one of the water stops, no gels, no oranges -- just a lot of wind both from Mother Nature and from the organizers. I can't figure out what happened to the $75 entry fee if all we got was a ride in a school bus to the start... "
• "Coming to Las Vegas on vacation? Do the marathon. Maybe. Coming to Las Vegas for the marathon? Forget it. Save your money and play the slots. Your odds at getting more out of them will be better than what you get out of the money spent on the entry fee. I can usually find something good to say about all the marathons I have done (this was #72), but can't think of much good about this one. Oh yes, as one of the previous commentators said, they let us stay on the bus up until the start. Wait, I remember something else that was good... we only had to deal with 30-35 mph headwinds; no rain, sleet; dust or freezing temperatures."
• "Seriously, the wind and dust started around mile 15 and lasted through mile 25. I ended the race feeling like a Sand Trooper from Star Wars. Don't expect a glorious start/finish with thousands of spectators in front of the Mirage Volcano or the Bellagio water show. In fact, spectators consist of passing tumbleweeds and the occasional blue-belly lizard."

Last year, the race was renamed "The New Las Vegas Marathon", and the course was updated to include both the Strip and Fremont Street. The new course marks one of the rare occasions that the Strip is closed to traffic. I also understand that the race is now very well supported, so no need to bring cups. The men’s record for the New Las Vegas Marathon was set by Stephen Kiogora (2:11:56), and the women’s record by Adriana Fernandez (2:31:54). With the course running down the Strip, I hope to make like Spiridon Louis and perhaps enjoy a fine glass of wine on my way to victory!

Born To Run (Part 1 of 2)

Some people have running in their blood, born with good genes promoting a natural ability to run fast or for long periods of time, or both. Others start young, perhaps emulating their parents and developing running as a lifelong habit. For example, in May of this year, Len Goldman (President of the Lake Merritt Joggers & Striders), Jessica and I started short races for kids prior to the start of the Fourth Sunday races at Lake Merritt. The kids' races take place every other month starting at about 8:45 a.m.; if you're in the area, come check it out (and put in a 5, 10 or 15K yourself!). The course runs out and back in the parking lot and is probably only about 200 yards, but these kids take it seriously! Many of them, some as young as 3 or 4, get there early and start warming up on the course. When the "Go!" signal is given, the kids take off, although usually 1 or 2 of them get stuck at the line, frozen with apprehension. At the end, every kid receives a medal, and you can see the feeling of accomplishment on their smiling faces. These kids definitely have a head start in developing running as a habit for life.

Still other people have both: good running genes, and development of that talent from an early age. Take, for example, Tom, one of my good friends from high school. Both of his parents ran competitively at the collegiate level, and he started running at an early age. He won a CIF title in the 2-mile in high school, and was pretty easily the best distance runner on our track and cross-country teams. He still runs pretty fast (his older sister is even faster, though, having recently won the La Jolla Half Marathon, with three boys in tow).

As for me, when it comes to running, I had none of that. I don't want to overstate the point: as a kid, I was definitely active, but I preferred sports like soccer, football, and basketball. My parents were also very supportive, making sure I got to practice, even if it meant driving half an hour to get to a 5:30 a.m. practice before school. But running? Not for me. I probably had above-average foot speed but, I mean, what was the point? There was no team, no real objective, just solitary effort.

Somehow, and quite by accident, however, I wound up on the track team, and then the cross-country team, in high school. As a freshman, I played water polo (a very Southern California sport for which I had no prior experience), which I liked but, like running for running's sake, I hated swimming. I started out in the Spring of my Freshman year on the swim team and quickly quit. In the Fall of my Sophomore year, I learned that I couldn't play water polo if I didn't participate in the swim team. Kicked off the team, I decided to take the Fall semester off from sports.

I tried out for basketball in the Winter (I had played on the Freshman team the previous year), but again didn't make the team. During tryouts, I met the aforementioned friend, and he convinced me to try out for the track team in the fall.

Ultimately, I lettered three times in track and twice in cross-country. I was definitely passable, but our team was not very good. I'm sure someone will quickly correct me if I don't get this exactly right: I mostly ran the 400m (posting a best time of 54 seconds) and 800m (best time of 2:07). In cross-country, I was even more middle of the pack, running a best of 17:40 (5:41/mile) but averaging 18:30 or slower (5:57/mile). I would definitely take that pace now! More importantly, I made some great friends who remain close to this day.

On the other hand, there is a downside to being such good friends with your track teammates: a complete lack of motivation to train. Too many times after being sent on a long run, we would head straight for the basketball court and play instead of practice. Other times we would just hang out and goof around. As a result, I never got in proper shape. During my Senior season, I was 6 feet tall and "lanky"(?) at 135 pounds. My times did not measurably improve, and I always suffered from nagging, lingering injuries. Running became pain, pain, and more pain. Throughout my Senior season, I suffered from mysterious knee pain which eluded treatment. I ran through the pain, and my times were just average. I decided to run out the season but vowed never to run again.

(To be continued)

Ready, Steady, Go!

A little over a year ago, as I was doing research for my "bachelor" party in Las Vegas, I came across the Web site for the "New Las Vegas Marathon". Instantly, I was intrigued. Could I possibly go to Las Vegas and run? Gambling (too much). Drinking (excessively). Eating (like a pig). Little (or no) sleep. Sundry misdeeds. Running?

The 2005 Las Vegas Marathon was less than five months away at that point and getting ready in that timespan was not an option. I had never run a marathon. I had never even really seriously considered running a marathon. I had just finished reading Michael Craig's The Professor, the Banker and the Suicide King: Inside the Richest Poker Game of All Time. Had the story about Ted Forrest running a spur-of-the-moment marathon on the UNLV track on the fourth of July to win a bet gotten to me?

The longest I had run at that point was a 10K (6.22 miles for you non-runners), I think. Nevertheless, I made a note of the site and started telling people I was going to run the Las Vegas Marathon in 2006. I told people at the "bachelor" party. I told my co-workers. I told anyone who would listen.

Well, now the time has come. The race is December 10, 2006, and I am registered. The hotel (Mandalay Bay) is booked. I told a lot of people, and four of them so far have even agreed to come and support me (it is, after all, in Las Vegas). In short, I'm accountable.

The thing is, I don't really mind running, but I can't stand the thought of it. It's a constant struggle to train, run races, and focus on the things I will need to do to actually run a marathon. I have selected a twelve week training where I will run 3 or 4 times a week. Running any more than this is simply not realistic with professional demands and other interests. To help me focus, I plan to record my progress every day during the course of training. I will get you up to speed on how I got to this point, including how I could not even run for five consecutive minutes less than two years ago. I will talk about the benefits, and even joy, of running, as well as the sheer dread I regularly experience at the thought of coming home from a long day of work only to head right back out and pound the pavement. I will even get into my lifelong fascination with Las Vegas. We'll all see if someone who once vowed never to run again at the ripe old age of 17 could, more than 15 years later, come full circle and run distances he never dreamed of then.

The journey begins on Monday. I hope you'll join me!