There’s something wrong about the name we’ve given to the half marathon.
It’s just not right to refer to such a challenging and worthy racing distance as “half.” The name suggests it’s only part of something greater, only 50% of a preferred distance, and less than complete. Wrong.
Every other race enjoys a proper, respected description either in miles or kilometers—5k, 10k, 5 mile, 10 mile, etc. But unfortunately, we’ve chosen to name and define the half marathon using a fraction, misleading some to believe the marathon is the greater race.
Nobody would ever refer to climbing half of Mt. Everest. Nobody wins half an Oscar. We would never put the word “half” in the name of an Olympic event. There are no half triathlons. We don’t call someone with $500,000 a half millionaire; we call them very successful!
Many marathoners are also half marathoners, and they would deny that the half marathon is a step child of the full marathon. On those days we are training for the half marathon, does anyone feel like they’re giving it half of what marathoners are giving? Don’t think so.
I actually ran my first marathon before running my first half marathon. The reason—there were hardly any half marathons being hosted back then. And the few 13.1 races that were around seemed like afterthoughts for the “also runners” not yet in shape for 26.2 miles.
Now the half marathon enjoys a hugely popular reputation, with full respect, excitement, and a racing experience that challenges the beginner as well as the most competitive runner.
The half marathon isn’t a diminished version of anything. We don’t have to compare it to “the full” marathon to give it credibility. We often try to talk up the half marathon by rationalizing that it doesn’t require as much training, it’s over in half the time, and it doesn’t take as much time to recover so we can race the distance more often without breaking down. Those are all great points—but the merits of the half marathon can stand alone without comparing it to the full.
I love the half marathon. The training is demanding and often whips us into our best fitness levels ever. The distance is hard, the field of runners includes every level of talent and passion, and the sense of accomplishment is euphoric. To run the half marathon well requires immense effort, concentration, determination and perhaps even more strategy than any other race. There is a feeling of excitement and challenge every step of the way.
Unfortunately, the name we’ve given to 13.1 miles is probably with us forever. It’s a quick, handy reference to the official distance, and it’s become part of our running culture.
We’re looking forward to learning from everyone’s advice, tips and half marathon experiences this week at Take It and Run Thursday. Your collective wisdom won' t make us better partial marathoners -- it will make us better runners!
Half Marathon Ornament on Google Images
There’s something wrong about the name we’ve given to the half marathon.
It’s just not right to refer to such a challenging and worthy racing distance as “half.” The name suggests it’s only part of something greater, only 50% of a preferred distance, and less than complete. Wrong.
Nobody would ever refer to climbing half of Mt. Everest. Nobody wins half an Oscar. We would never put the word “half” in the name of an Olympic event. There are no half triathlons. We don’t call someone with $500,000 a half millionaire; we call them very successful!
Many marathoners are also half marathoners, and they would deny that the half marathon is a step child of the full marathon. On those days we are training for the half marathon, does anyone feel like they’re giving it half of what marathoners are giving? Don’t think so.
I actually ran my first marathon before running my first half marathon. The reason—there were hardly any half marathons being hosted back then. And the few 13.1 races that were around seemed like afterthoughts for the “also runners” not yet in shape for 26.2 miles.
Now the half marathon enjoys a hugely popular reputation, with full respect, excitement, and a racing experience that challenges the beginner as well as the most competitive runner.
The half marathon isn’t a diminished version of anything. We don’t have to compare it to “the full” marathon to give it credibility. We often try to talk up the half marathon by rationalizing that it doesn’t require as much training, it’s over in half the time, and it doesn’t take as much time to recover so we can race the distance more often without breaking down. Those are all great points—but the merits of the half marathon can stand alone without comparing it to the full.
I love the half marathon. The training is demanding and often whips us into our best fitness levels ever. The distance is hard, the field of runners includes every level of talent and passion, and the sense of accomplishment is euphoric. To run the half marathon well requires immense effort, concentration, determination and perhaps even more strategy than any other race. There is a feeling of excitement and challenge every step of the way.
Unfortunately, the name we’ve given to 13.1 miles is probably with us forever. It’s a quick, handy reference to the official distance, and it’s become part of our running culture.
We’re looking forward to learning from everyone’s advice, tips and half marathon experiences this week at Take It and Run Thursday. Your collective wisdom won' t make us better partial marathoners -- it will make us better runners!
Half Marathon Ornament on Google Images