How long did you train to run under 3 hours for the marathon?

How old are you?

It til me 14 months og training. Maybe a long run every month. But I have not improved much since then. We are all different. Some will get fitter faster than others. Some may start with feks high vo2 max without it ever improving while others may start low and ser å steady improvment

It took me 20 months to get from a 4:12 (2016 LA) to 2:52 (2017 Chicago) in the marathon. I changed my diet to mostly natural foods and did mild calorie restriction (-500 Cal/day)and went from 156 to 120 lbs (I am 5’6”), did Hanson’s Advanced Training with a peak of 88 miles before Chicago, and cross trained with Orange Theory Fitness (treadmill, Rowing, Core/Strength HIIT).

You want it, runn harder !!

16 months

Ask fifty sub-3 marathoners, and you'll likely get fifty very different answers. I may be pretty average, though, and it went like this:

--Competed in high school, then just minimal off/on fitness running for three years.

--Walked onto a DIII college track team in March, trained for 10,000m.

--Injured by May, took a month-plus off.

--Trained July, August.

--Ran 3:15 marathon on Sept 12.

--Took a week off, trained some more.

--Ran 2:52 on October 18.

So, in regards to my post above, it depends on how you look at it.

From the day I first jogged around the block as a 13-year-old, it was 8 years.

From the start of serious distance training, it was 6 months.

From the first marathon, it was 5 weeks.

I could say 26 years, or I could say no (focused) training, just my usual every day runs. In the months prior to my marathon, I only had a handful of runs under 8:00 pace. My average pace in training was over 10:00 per mile, and as slow as 13:00+per mile. It was a lot of miles though (six weeks of 96-130 mile weeks, several more over 80), and up and down mountains or hilly trails or dog jogging. It was 26 years in the sense that I started running at 16 and ran my first marathon at 42. On the other hand, if I had really done marathon training, I probably could have run around 2:30 instead of 2:54.

My first marathon was in May of 1972 at the end of my sophomore year in college. I'd been running since my freshman year of high school though did very little running until college. My first time under 3:00 came in February of 1975.

Like others have said, I think this question depends highly on your running background.

I have not run a sub-3 marathon, but I ran a 1:18 half marathon last fall on 3 months training after not running seriously for 10 years. Hanson's Calculator says that converts to a 2:42 marathon. Since then, I have only improved. So if I attempted a marathon this weekend, I most likely would break 3 unless I go out way, way too fast or hit the wall really, really hard.

Before not running for 10 years, I ran 16:15 5k in high school with peak 60-70 mile weeks and trained moderately for the first couple years of college. From 20-30 years old, I stayed active doing whatever, but no serious, extended training. So I knew it what took to train hard, had a solid aerobic background, have a personality well suited for running, and all that definitely helped me with my half marathon goal.

Age 33

October 1976, third year of running, first one 3:49

August 1977 3:06

September 1977 3:16 (no one told me not to do it)

October 1977, something like 3:14

May 1978, 2:59

3 years.

Over 30, average talent.

3:38

3:20

2:58

2:55 or bust wrote:

How long did it take for you or someone you know to run the marathon under 3 hours?

It took me 2:56 to run the marathon in under 3 hours. But seriously, like others have said you will get a ton of different answers. From my first year running as an 8th grader? I guess it took ~17 years. From when I decided I wanted to try to run a marathon? About 16 weeks.

I ran 4:20 and high 15's in HS. Ran a 4:06 mile in college. I've trained intermittently since then, but also put on about 25 pounds. In the late summer, a friend decided he wanted to train for a marathon in winter, so I did that with him over a 16 week period. I ran about 35-55 miles a week and ended up running 2:56.

Pretty much what everyone is saying. A lot of it depends on how fast you already are. How well you respond to training, genetics ect. My brother has been trying to break 3 hours for 4 years. He turned 41 this year and he still hasn't done it. His last race was a 3:05. He trains really hard, probably does too much speed work and not enough distance but that is being nit picky. His biggest struggle is keeping his weight down. He naturally has quite a bit of muscle and if he could drop about 20 lbs of it off I think he would have broken it already.

Ran D3 (badly) 3:59/14:59/25:30

Got fat and smoked/drank heavily for 8/15yrs or so.

At 36 started running again to lose weight.

At 38 was in decent 1:25 shape. At that point spent 3-4 months getting ready for marathon. 2hr run, w/ 8x1k @ HMP-10k, and maybe a tempo. Did 40-45mpw.

Ran 1:27->2:59 on my first try at 39. Used Pfitzinger 18wk 85mpw plan to get down to 2:35 at 41

8 months of "serious" training (as in, doing tempo runs and track workouts for the first time), coming off a 19:00 5k not specifically training, I mean just going for the occasional jog, playing some soccer, hiking etc.

I've got lost on my long run before and jogged those times.

For 2:55 marathon I would say.

5k time 18:00 flat or slightly better.

Peak mileage of 60, 70 preferably.

Half marathon 1:20

I was running about 10-15 mpw the first time I attempted a thon and ended up around 2:35 as a 16 year old