Marathon 101 - Basics of the Olympic Sport

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

13. Content Credits http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon Image Credits 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/ By Compete-At: Online Registration Solutions & Event Planning Software for Races

14. Image Credits http://www.flickr.com/photos/fdevillamil/2305163356/ 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 http://www.flickr.com/photos/infomatique/1800236987/ By Compete-At: Online Registration Solutions & Event Planning Software for Curling