A "fun" question

[Dstew]

You have run 8 marathons and a 50 K road race with a timing mat at the 42.2 K mark. Have you run 8 marathons or 9?

And by "you" I really mean me and I have been engaged in an intellectual debate in my own head as to whether I have run 8 or 9 marathons. I am not sure this makes any difference but with the 50 K race, I got a cool beer mug for finishing the 50 K but I also got a marathon finisher medal. And anyone who qualified for Boston at 42.2 K could use that time to apply to run Boston. So it would seem the organizers felt that this counted as a marathoner.

But my pedantic and semantically contrarian side would argue that I ran a 50 K race and that fits into a category of its own. That is if one runs a marathon they do not say they also ran a 5 K, a 10 K, a half marathon race but that they ran a marathon. Or is this to justify running the 2017 marathon and then at least one other one so I can say I have run 10 marathons.

As an aside, a friend asked me if I was running again and did I have any races. Yes and yes, I replied. "I am running 29 K up to the top of Moose Mountain and back down in August". Those few and exact words were enough to cause her eyes to glaze over and her reaction is quite normal. The exception is my wife and mother who once they find out will remind me I promised never to do another endurance race for the rest of my life. Thus needless to say, the answer will have zero impact in the real world and any benefit or damage will be limited to my particular dimension.

[ian]

I've seen this one go both ways for runners across a range of abilities and I've never found either way to be misleading. What ultimately matters is how you feel about it. If you wanted to count in binary, you're already at 1000, so I wouldn't suggest chasing additional races solely for the sake of round numbers.

[jonovision_man]

But my pedantic and semantically contrarian side would argue that I ran a 50 K race and that fits into a category of its own. That is if one runs a marathon they do not say they also ran a 5 K, a 10 K, a half marathon race but that they ran a marathon.

But if someone asked you "how many times have you run 10k in your life?" you would include it. If they asked you "how many 10k's have you run in your life?" you wouldn't.

When people ask me how many marathons I've run I don't include Ironmans, even though technically they had a marathon as part of them. I just assume they mean marathon events, not just running 42.2k.

jono

[Dstew]

Thank you for the replies.

I am now officially at 8 marathons, one 50 K road race and registered for my 9th marathon next year. This will be the next one and may or may not be last one.

[turd ferguson]

I think you've run 8 marathons and an ultra.

The fact that the organizers didn't spring for a distinct belt buckle for the 50k doesn't make it into a marathon. And the fact that they put out a timing mat at 42.2 (as a convenience to the runners, really) doesn't make it into a marathon.

If they had decided to buy separate medals and not put out a mat, I don't see how that would change your status.

[turd ferguson]

That is if one runs a marathon they do not say they also ran a 5 K, a 10 K, a half marathon race but that they ran a marathon.

Technically every marathon contains an infinite number of half marathons, all overlapping one another. You've run 8 marathons, one 50k, and an infinite number of half marathons.

[Dstew]

That is if one runs a marathon they do not say they also ran a 5 K, a 10 K, a half marathon race but that they ran a marathon.

Technically every marathon contains an infinite number of half marathons, all overlapping one another. You've run 8 marathons, one 50k, and an infinite number of half marathons.

Some random thoughts:

I agree, I would never say or even consider that I ran 10 X 5 K races, 5 X 10 K races and 3 X 10 mile races or 2 X half marathons in my 50 K race so the idea that I ran a "marathon" is odd. This is in the realm of how many angels are dancing on the head of a pin but as noted, does it matter that I given both a marathon and 50 K finisher "medal" for lack of a better term. That the race organizers specifically noted that one could use their "marathon" time in submitting their registration to Boston. It is not as if they made an special consideration for any other distance. That is why there was some doubt in my mind and an "out" in case my next marathon is my last and therefore I could use the even number to justify and rationalization not running another marathon. But in writing that down, I do appreciate how silly and stupid that is.

This is because on a related note, literally no one could care less whether I have run 8 or 9 "marathons". In fact I am starting to move from a generic "why" and more to a "really, why would anyone want to run multiple marathons" line of questioning. Run the first marathon, universal praise and recognition. Qualify and run Boston, a higher level of esteem. Qualify and run Boston again and good but not quite great. Take 5 years off and run another marathon and that is nice but boy have you slowed down. And why run 300 + k in a month and 517 K is insane - from a vendor who was training to run the New York marathon as his first. Run next year with half the mileage and a half hearted shrug of the shoulders with a good for you with a question mark. Run 50 K and the only question was why would anyone do that, this confirms you are insane. Run a marathon a few months after that and no reaction.

The interesting thing is that I am asked if I am still running and when I say yes, I get a positive reaction. But add I am training for ... and I did a nice easy 20 K run and the reaction is why are you telling me this and why are you doing that.

Over the last few weeks I registered to run the 2016 Moose Mountain run and the 2017 Calgary marathon. If anything, the pace in which I am accumulating mileage has actually slowed this week or is at the same as it has been for the last 8 weeks or so. And yet out of the blue, my wife asked me if I was planning to run a race again. I did not answer her but she somehow knew. She told me she forbade me from running and my response of a chuckle annoyed her. She then suggested she would physically restrain me, again the chuckle response annoyed her but she had to leave and so ended the discussion. The weird thing is obviously there is a change when I am registered for a race as this is not the first time this has happened. Physical, aura or whatever. Odd and cannot explain it but interesting.

[bnn]

8 marathons and 1 ultra.. if I did the ultraman I wouldn't stay I'd done two ironman... kwim?