Could You Run a Marathon without Training for It? - Neatorama

Well, I couldn't, but I'm not so young anymore. Other people, however, have run -- not just walk, but run -- marathons with little or no training specifically for that grueling race. BBC News Magazine talked to runners and doctors about this challenge:

Typically, those signing up commit to long periods of meticulous planning, a careful diet and a regimented programme of progressively longer runs.

And yet those limbering up for the London Marathon on 22 April can be forgiven for feeling galled by Irish pop singers Jedward - aka John and Edward Grimes - who claim to have completed the Los Angeles marathon on a whim, straight off a flight and with no training.

Such an accomplishment flies in the face of all the advice offered by the medical world and the running community alike.

If you had to run a marathon tomorrow, could you do it?

Link -via Kottke | Photo: Flickr user steffenz

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Not me! I would fail to run after 0.000000000000000000000000000000001 mile. [grin]

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I can't run very far because of my lung condition, though I do try to do lighter exercise to stay in shape. So I couldn't run a marathon, even if I tried to train for it.

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I'm reasonably confident that I could walk (3.5 MPH) a marathon without stopping, provided that I had access to water. But run it? No.

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My husband did the Goofy Challenge at Disney World with no training whatsoever. That's doing the half-marathon on Saturday, and then the full one on Sunday. He was very, very sore for a long time after that, but he did it! As for me, I can hardly even run to my mailbox without feeling like I'm going to pass out.

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I think I'd die if I tried running to the mailbox! Besides, I have one of those running styles that make other people embarrassed for me. I could easily walk a marathon.

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I trained for my first marathon in 2006. Since then I've run almost two a year with no training. My whole mentality when I get up the morning of a race is, "Okay, bright-guy...you signed up for this. Let's go." For the next four hours and 26.2 miles finishing becomes my job. You just have to have the right attitude.

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"Lunchbox" - A Radio Personality in Austin, TX recently did this. He said on the radio that he didn't think Marathons were that big a deal and that he could do it without training or practice, etc.

Apparently he finished...

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/local/austin/lunchbox-finishes-262-with-no-training

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Ive found that, you can find the "pace" in which you could run a lot of time..until finish your calories fast reserve... if you are feeding this reserve while running, as many runner do...you can do it too.... you will sure finish.... your time will be shitty, but you will finish... real athletes train for a specific time, record, etc.... if you dont have those limitation....just go

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I'm with marishka. With sufficient motivation keeping pace behind me -- hell, yes! But there would be the devil to pay when I got to the finish line. Thereafter I may have to have my feet amputated.

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I would run if there was a bear chasing me. But given that a bear would easily run me down, I guess I wouldn't finish.

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I could complete a marathon and I'm a fat lazy slob.

Now, completing it in less than a week is a different thing entirely.

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Run? Not so sure. Finish in an undisclosed number of hours? Sure. But there better be zombies chasing me .

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Oh, I can run the marathon all right. Finishing it is a wholly different matter!

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