Gone Running: Could You Run a Marathon? April 28 2019

If you have been inspired by Wilson Kipsang running the fastest marathon time of 2:04.27, what are the chances of you running and finishing the London Marathon next year?  Here are some interesting statistics based on previous London Marathons (source www.foot4ward.co.uk):

1) Approximately 50,000 people have their applications accepted to run the marathon.  Sometimes the figure can be as low as 1 in 3 get a place.

2) Approximately 28% of runners have to pull out of the marathon before the day mainly due to injury. St John’s Ambulance deal with 1 in 6 runners during the race. A study by the University of Bern in Switzerland found that if you bought more expensive shoes with extras such as extra cushioning, priced $95 or over you were twice as likely to get injured than if you wore cheap trainers at $40 or less.  Extra cushioning may actual

3) Between 1-2% of runners do not make it to the finish line. On the positive side that means almost 99% of runners do finish.  

4) 1 in 800 runners are taken to A&E with 1 in 10,000 admitted to hospital.

5) Unlike other road races such as the half marathon, the ratio of females to males is much lower in the marathon.  Women only make up a third of marathon runners and are likely to be much younger than the men, in the age 20-39 bracket.  30% of male runners are aged 40-49. 

6) It is not necessarily the young who are the fastest marathon runners.  A Spanish study on the New York marathon showed the fastest age was 27 and 29 for men and women respectively.  Times decreased on average by 4% for each year below these ages and 2% for each year above.  You are never too old to run a marathon with a man aged 101 finishing the London marathon in 2012.

7) 29.81% of runners finish a marathon in under four hours, burning off the equivalent of four Big Macs of energy.  This does depend on how much you weigh and your fitness.  For a more accurate figure, multiply your weight in pounds by 0.63 and times that total by the number of miles you have run for the amount of calories burned above the basal metabolic rate (calories spent just resting). 

8) The average runner will take 185 steps per minute (although if you were to walk it that figure drops to 100 steps per minute).

9) With regular training, it is not just your running and stamina that improves, research shows that self-discipline, goal-setting and organisational skills improve as well which enhances all aspects of your life and may just get you that promotion.

10) Running gives your brain a work-out too.  Rhode Island College found that mindless aerobic activities increases creativity afterwards.  Studies looking at preventing or delaying dementia are also seeing running as beneficial as it encourages neurogenesis i.e. the creation of new neural pathways.

For those of you who are still determined to run the 26.2 miles of the marathon, Honeymellow are here to help.  We have put together a pinterest board at http://bit.ly/OUESJR which includes lots of motivational quotations to get you running on even the coldest and darkest of days.  If you follow this link pin.it/-3VMLl5  you will also see a range of tips from the right technique to the right trainers. Our own personal recommendation is to invest in some fantastic insoles such as Sorbothane - we've found they are a must when pounding through the farm's pathways without subjecting our joints to needless wear and tear. Your knees will thank you for it.  Finally don't forget our ‘Gone Running’ sign to let people know where you are as you pound the pavements and the satisfaction to taking it down when you get back.  Good luck! 

If this all sounds too much for you and simply reading this has meant you have had to lie down in a darkened room, see our blog: Walk or Run? The New Miracle Drugs, for an easier way to improve your health.