The hold of the marathon over masters runners is a serious problem.

When racing on “Pure Hate” the distance and age don’t matter.

anecdote doesn't help us understand the problem.

I think we can all agree that for the 50+ set, the odds are severely against hitting your marathon potential on 40-50 mpw. And that the majority of 50+ers have trouble running more than that.

Sure, we all know counter examples. But think of the great mass of runners, not the outstanding examples. That mass of runners is being funneled into repeat sub-optimal performance in the marathon when they could be hitting their potential at 10k and under.

Not sure why anyone would want to argue with those facts of the case. I mean you could say 'the experience is the thing, not the stopwatch' or 'there just aren't any quality races in my neck of the woods so I have to do big marathons' but still that's sentencing runners to performance less than they are capable of.

But fine, I'm late 50s and run around 30:00 for five miles.

Fleshman's injury streak began after the marathon, which she was not prepared for and went deep into the well during. Huddle felt obligated to race the marathon despite nearly medaling at World's in the 10k, bc she said "I am old" and "30s are girl's marathon era". She went from 4th in the world on the track, to running okay in the marathon but not ever being one of the best in the US as a non-responder to super-shoes.

That's accurate--I've learned that 40-50mpw will get me to a certain level, but to really get to my goals 60-80 mpw is what I'll need this summer.

Agree. For my latest marathon in 2019 (then age 40) I finally did som proper marathon training following the Hansons Advanced Program. That was my 6th marathon (first in 2003) and during the race I felt that I was prepared for the distance and was able "race" the marathon. This made me realize what kind of training I need to do to be able to enjoy the marathon. Haven't signed up for one since...

I stopped running marathons in my early 50s not because I couldn’t handle the mileage but because I couldn’t break 3 hours any longer. Besides after 30 years of running 20 milers on the weekends I was bored with the effort. Switching to half Ironmans I found a new competitive energy to fill the void and build a better overall fitness level heading into my 60s and 70s.

Reaching or not reaching your potential in the marathon has the same market value, zero.

It’s just running. Nobody cares one way or the other.

That said, the point about running 40 or 50 a week is correct but almost everybody does this regardless of age . How many people with lives outside of running can run 100+ miles week?

So, according to OP, no one except pros should run Marathons.

No one cares. It’s a hobby. By definition no one truly reaches their potential and that’s okay.

Why does it matter to you?

Just like the guy who started the thread, you're just looking to find conflict or whine about what someone else says or does that has ABSOLUTELY NO EFFECT ON YOU!!!

SO.... STFU, you snowflake, whiny loser. Not everyone is like you... So stop with your entitled attitude thinking that what you like or think is the only right way.

This is the proper attitude.

I fully agree.

And not just at Masters level. It’s a pity that runners meet one challenge and then assume that further distance represents a greater achievement.

Why not run the same distance faster?

Whisper it quietly - it’s actually harder to run short distances quicker. Really work at getting that 5k into the 17 minute range. Run a sub 40 minute 10k.

And what level will 40-50 mow of good training get you to?

"Why not run the same distance faster" is a question that's been around the sport for decades and there is probably not one single answer. If you're asking it of the masses who turn up in major marathons I suspect it's most of them don't have the background in the sport that most of us who hang out here and haven't developed an appreciation for fast times at distances other than the marathon nor have the people in their social and work circles, e.g., they probably know there's something special about running a mile in under four minutes but that's about it. They're more likely to be impressed with a 4:20 marathon than by a 4:20 mile. If you tell people at work you ran a 4:20 marathon last weekend they'll be impressed, as you probably are. If you tell them you ran a 4:20 mile last weekend someone may tell you "that's nice" and then mention that his sister ran three miles on each day of the past weekend.

The other thing that's going on is that road races are now "events" as much or more than they are competitions and a big city marathon is the epitome of this development with expos, pasta dinners, bands along the course, courses that double as sight seeing tours, etc. There's almost never as much hoopla attached to something like a ten mile race.

I only read the first and last pages. I think the orginal poster has a valid point even though it doesn't apply to everyone although it does to me. I'm 55 and can run 50 miles a week with workouts but can't approach 70 anymore with workouts. That was always my sweet spot for marathon training. I've stopped running marathons in the last few years and focus more on 10k and half-marathons. I've slowed considerably, but the distance suit me better. I can take the extra days off after workouts to truly recover and not "fall behind" on weekly mileage required to train effectively for the distance. I'm having much more fun and actually seeing progress between cycle rather than just getting more beat up.

Yes, the reason so many run majors is for the experience. The time is secondary. It’s not like anybody outside of a very few are gonna shock the world with their times even if they do make a professional commitment. Nobody cares.

OP also assumes that people who run marathons do so exclusively. I ran the NYC Marathon last year and will do so this year but by far my most common race distance is 4 miles.

USATF Masters track and road race championships are a joke. I wish that wasn't the case, but it is.

I'm glad he enjoys these races, and I've got nothing against people doing them, but they're simply not competitive. It's just whatever handful of people decide to make the trip.

The only two nationally competitive Masters races are Club Nats and the Boston Marathon. There are some good road races where you'll find a critical mass of Masters runners from your area, but nothing competitive on a national level.

Like it or not the marathon distance is very popular. And although we hate to admit it, we all enjoy attention. Announce on your local Strava running group you are training for X marathon and you get overwhelming support and kudo’s. It’s just human nature to do things that others praise.

Cheer up though. The marathon is becoming passé. The ULTRA is what the really cool kids are doing now!

I just run a s0hit ton of miles because my metabolism stopped years ago but my crap diet never did.

Rather than be a fatso I'm happy for my big fish/small pond place as a competitive masters' marathoner.

That's a crock.

Club Cross Country is indeed the deepest meet of the year, but a lot of the same players (medalists-top 4-5) are there at the masters road and the other XC races.