Is there an all-time marathon performance list available on the web somewhere? Or does anyone have any idea how many people have broken 2:20 or 2:30 for the marathon?
I know there have been similar discussions on the board before, but I am curious to know how the number of people that have climbed Mt. Everest compares to the number of individuals that have broken, say, 2:30 for the marathon.
The number of people who have broken 2:30 is hugely more than the number of people who have climbed Everest. Everset has been climbed somewhere bwtween 2200-2500 times.
2:30 has been broken 1263 times by women alone, although there are obviously several repeat performers.
2:10:30 has been broken 1171 times by men, again with lots of repeaters.
Nevertheless, you can imagine that thousands of runners have run between the WR and 2:30.
It would be a more fair comparison, athletically speaking, if it was a minimum of a $60,000 entry fee to run a marathon.
Exactly. Not many can afford an attempt at Everest.