I went home devastated. DNF’d my marathon today

Let's just say he doesn't have the determination of Oprah and millions of others.

Props for the R Lee Ermey imitation! RIP, Sergeant Ermey.

There’s no shame at all. Some people gut it out and injure themselves…… or worse.

You are smart enough to do the right thing and will race again. No big deal :)

So you’re saying if I was overweight and under trained I could complete a marathon? This might be an excuse for me to get hammered every day now

I'm confused why you went out too fast if you were also hurting in the first 10k.

I totally agree. Bailing out of a marathon is not a moral failing. If your goal was just to finish, then you should have kept going. But since your goal was to run a particular time and it became clear you couldn't, bailing out and saving yourself for another day makes perfect sense.

I had a marathon today as well, and considered quitting multiple times. My training was far from ideal. I was on ahead of goal pace but hurting at the half. Wonder if we were running the same race?

It was my first marathon in over 5 years, so I was okay with just finishing once I realized I was a a couple minutes off the pace to get my goal at mile 18.

Winners never quit, and quitters never win. Not only are you a quitter, you're also a loser.

He raced Erie, there are paths to shortcut there

Agreed. BOOZE is not just the answer to today's Wordle, it is also the answer to your problems.

If Kenenisa Bekele can drop out of a 12km championship xc race with 800m to go, you can allow yourself this mulligan.

Really? He DNFed Erie?

I raced Erie last year and if ever there were a PR course...actually came up with my fastest marathon in 30+ years in that race.

Sorry it didn't work out, OP. Not many opportunities like that one.

One of the most humbling experiences of my running career, was showing up to a marathon I was in no shape to run (avg. 20 mpw for a 12 week buildup). I coasted the first 15k on fitness from years gone by and made it to the halfway point at what I wanted to target 90min for under 3hrs. At mile 16 I blew up. I sat on the ground for ten minutes I was so overcooked. I would have quit, but it was in my hometown and my parents were there watching the race and driving around the course. My dad saw me sitting down and said I should finish even if it sucked. I hobbled in. At one point, I was alternating between walking and jogging because I was cramping so bad. But I made it. I split 90min for half marathon and then came back in 2 hrs 25 min for second half marathon, but that race remains one of my proudest accomplishments purely for the fact that I should not have finished, but I did anyway. Now, when other things in life are hard, I know they aren't that hard and always keep going. Never give up. Always do what you set out to.

Seriously?! Some of us basement dwellers have nothing else in our lives but LRC, Fortnite, and Wordle. I even woke up early today, before noon even, to get a start on my Wordle. I have an "O" and the "E" and several guesses left. YOU RUINED MY DAY! Now I just have Fortnite to play the rest of the day. Maybe Mommy will make me some chocolate chip pancakes to make me feel better. MOM!!!!!

Knowing when to bail, especially in a marathon, is just as important as knowing when to stay in and keep pushing it.

It's only one race.

It is a learning experience. The second half of a marathon race starts at 20 miles. Pace accordingly.