A marathon, 26 and a little more.

Anyone who has been running since the 70s or before, certainly would remember Jim Fixx. Some people have credited him with the running craze that appeared to take off during that decade. Unfortunately, he met with an early demise in spite of his commitment to exercise. Running in those days was somewhat of a novelty, but for those of us who knew of its benefit, it only seemed natural to lace up and head off for a jaunt.

I recall my first official road race quite clearly. I was required to register with the Amateur Athletic Association in order to prove my amateur status. What an ordeal. However, after much paperwork, I was able to register for a 10 miler near my hometown. I believe there were 150 entrants in all, but the community support was terrific. That is a far cry from what typically happens today. Registrations are accepted online, via the mail, and no one, and I mean no one, questions your amateur status. You can register almost to race time. However, if you do that, you might not get the T-shirt! Sound familiar?

Naturally, for anyone who has been running for a while, the marathon becomes the defining goal, the ultimate distance race. How can anyone run 26.2 miles? Undeniably, it takes a fair amount of commitment, self sacrifice, and maybe just a little bit of fringe behavior. But once you have completed one, you will always be able to answer yes to that query when someone asks you, "Have you run a marathon?".

So for 26 miles, the thought of completing the race may not appear on your radar, but as you run those final 365 yards, with the crowds cheering and the adrenaline flowing, it will be worth going just a little bit more!