IF YOU RECENTLY signed up with a run club or began operating on your own, you've most likely observed a rise of sweaty selfies, self-congratulatory captions, and glossy medals flooding your feed around significant marathon weekends. Marathon season has actually ended up being as inescapable as football season, with occasions like the Berlin Marathon and New York City Marathon setting involvement records– over 56,000 runners began the latter– and the 2025 London Marathon drawing a record-breaking 840,318 candidates.
“Social media has actually stabilized the marathon,” states Nick Klastava, a Maryland-based USATF Level 1- and RRCA Level 1-certified coach with Running Explained. “I believe individuals seem like ‘well, if I'm going to run, I may too do the outermost range– that will make me a genuine runner.'” (That's not to dismiss ultrarunning, which includes races longer than 26.2 miles, he includes; that neighborhood simply hasn't seen rather the very same development as roadway running.)
“What's excellent about the marathon is the range covered,” describes Blake Dircksen, C.S.C.S., a running coach, physiotherapist, and owner of Backroads Endurance Company. “The truth that somebody can run 26.2 miles, that's the accomplishment.” Keep in mind: The misconception that influenced the race ends with the runner dropping dead (RIP, Pheidippides). Even non-runners can comprehend, no matter surface time, how remarkable it is to run up until now– a full-blown 5K, which might feel more extreme, simply does not appear as difficult, due to the fact that many people might quickly stroll that range if required.
“Social media has actually put the marathon on a pedestal, and other ranges do not bring the very same quantity of influence,” states Dircksen. The buzz, enjoyment, and large quantity of material around the greatest marathons can muffle other elements of running, however you do not need to end up 26.2 to be thought about a “genuine” runner. It's alright to go with much shorter ranges– and to even state no to racing at all.
Is Everyone Actually Running Marathons?
IN SPITE OF WHAT SOCIAL media may have you think, more individuals are in fact running much shorter ranges than the marathon. Market price quotes recommend that almost 50 million individuals in the United States went performing at least as soon as in 2023, however just 10 percent of runners surveyed throughout the world had really taken part in a marathon, according to Running USA's 2023 Race Trends. On the physical fitness tracking app Strava– which has 135 million users– just 5 percent of runners ran a 26.2-mile race in 2023, according to its Year In Sport report; that number increased by 9 percent in 2024.
Half marathons are runners' preferred range, a 2024 report from RunningUSA discovered. More runners take part in races from 2 miles to 13.1 miles than those who complete 26.2 miles, too. These much shorter races are less lengthy to train for while still providing a great difficulty, study participants stated.
And they're best: Training for a marathon is a substantial endeavor, and choosing to run one is a choice that should not be made even if everybody else appears to be doing it. While many runners promote the marathon as the supreme test of strength,
