How long is the marathon distance?

My throat is parched and my breath is choking. My legs were tired and seemed to be filled with lead. In the ears are headphones with your favorite music, which invariably supports the energy in the body. You run on the machine, not paying attention to every step. After the finish, great relief and satisfaction. You feel so light, as if you were going to take off. Breathing gradually comes to normal, it becomes even and measured.

Approximately such conditions are experienced by all who have ever been involved in running for long distances. Although "big" is an elongated concept. For some run and 1 km will be a feat. But we are now talking about distances of 10, 15 and 20 kilometers. It is in such races that a good willpower and endurance are needed.

But the very top, which attracts its unattainability, is the length of the marathon distance. This is the line to which many amateur runners want to approach. But in connection with the serious preparation that is needed to overcome such a race, it will not be possible to accomplish it to everyone. But still, how long is the marathon distance? It is 42 km and 195 m. This is the way the athletes run, in order to carry the honorable name of a marathoner all his life.

Where did this length come from?

To answer the question "what is the length of the marathon distance," we need to turn to historical information. So, in 490 BC there was a battle between the Greek army and the Persians. This took place near the ancient city of Marathon. To inform Athens that the Greeks defeated, the messenger Phidippid was sent, who ran a distance of 42 km and 195 m. He passed on the good news and fell dead from exhaustion.

After a long time, the length of the distance of the marathon run was changed several times and corrected. But in 1921 it was installed and recorded exactly this figure by the international federation of amateur athletics. Over the years, marathon races have been organized around the planet, involving several thousand people at a time.

This kind of sport like running is very popular among people. They are engaged in health improvement and to maintain a tone in the body. It is available to every person who can move around.

What you need to run a marathon distance

Before you run a marathon distance, everyone who wants to go through a huge amount of training. In addition, a strong desire and iron endurance will be required. You need to run every day at least 10 km and, depending on the body, choose the right food. As a rule, preparation for the race is a whole system, which is compiled individually for everyone. It includes:

• The diet and its quality. Meals should be controlled in time. Also, a separate system can be a diet that implies a certain amount of substances for the body. Specially selected products, controlled by the number of their reception.
• Training mode. He must effectively organize the rest with the load. The regime is one of the main components for proper preparation.
• Development plan. This is a schedule, according to which there is a gradual increase in the load in the form of increasing the distance.

Errors of beginners

Many of those for whom the length of the marathon distance became the goal for the near future, begin to train. And, in order to improve their form, they try to get it too quickly. Such accelerations are very dangerous for health and can drive the body into a dead end. To avoid this, remember the rule that all loads must be gradual. In no case is it necessary to force the training and try to run too long a distance without adequate preliminary training. It is better to divide everything into stages and move from one small goal to another. Such a planned way will help to adapt to an unprepared organism, to withstand the load.

Also, there are many drugs and various stimulants that help the body to activate energy reserves and raise endurance and strength. But the abuse of such drugs is fraught with consequences on the body in the form of damage to the liver and other organs that suffer primarily from drugs. They should be taken very carefully, under the supervision of an experienced doctor. Do not expect that you all know in this matter, you can not rely only on yourself. Superfluous consultation never hurts.

Training program

If you are used to regular training, the length of the marathon race will not seem so terrible as it may seem. But to conquer it, you need to begin reinforced workouts in 3-4 months. You can use the annual events in big cities, when a certain date is running, and prepare for them. Such organized races help athletes meet and communicate with each other. In addition, participants have prizes for medals and commendations that can be kept for memory.

To start a focused training, you can use the "3 + 1" principle. In this case, you should run 3 days in a row and rest for one day. Next, you need to increase the number of training days as you enter the form to 5 + 1 or even 6 + 1.

Distance at each training, too, must be increased gradually. It should be between 10 and 25 km. Also, not every day you need to run the same number of kilometers. You can raise within one cycle. For example, on the first day the distance is 10 km, the second - 15, the third - 20, the fourth - 25 and the fifth - 30 km. Such wavelike training gradually develops endurance. Also, the program must include training for acceleration. In this case, the runner overcomes 1-3 km in acceleration, and then runs from 0.5 to 2 km at an average speed. It is necessary to have strength at a distance when there is a climb on the road.

Records in the marathon race

The world record of marathon distance in 2014 was established by the Kenyan native Dennis Kimetto. He ran the distance in 2 hours 2 minutes and 57 seconds. He managed to break the Wilson Kipsang marathon distance record for as long as 26 seconds. Every year, new records start to differ only a few tens of seconds. This is due to the limits of the human body.

Olympic Games

Marathon distance at the Olympic Games is one of the cult events, which usually completes the whole event. The race was included in the list of competitions one of the first. Often, the finish of the marathon runners takes place at the stadium in honor of the closing of the Olympic Games. This has become a kind of tradition, which is supported at every event.

There is a special commission for certification of the way the marathon passes. In accordance with the rules, there should be no lifts that exceed the maximum permissible deviations. Also, there should be no significant excess or shortage of distance.

Since the number of marathon runners is large, because of which it is very difficult to fix the start and finish, special electronic chips are used, which are given out to each participant for its registration.

Organization of competitions at the Olympic Games

Organizers of races, as a rule, use routes that have an association certificate. For this purpose, the start and finish points are installed and equipped. Every 5 km of the distance, toilets and bases with prepared water and food for marathon runners are installed, because overcoming this distance is a serious test for the body. This is necessary to maintain the water balance and replenish the energy of athletes. Also there are special workers who follow the order, the ambulance carriages are on duty throughout the distance for emergency cases.

Amateur Competitions

There are also commercial organizations that organize marathons. All participants are registered and make a monetary contribution. In this case, they are given a serial number. Results in such competitions may not be ratified by the international organization, since the number of meters of the marathon distance may differ from the established one. Among the popular races, unofficial are the Los Angeles and Boston marathons, which use a route with irregularities.

Conclusion

The conquest of such a peak as the length of the marathon distance is one of the goals of many amateur runners. And it is not possible for every athlete. This requires a lot of training and have good will power. In the world, there are many communities and fan clubs that distribute information and collect marathon participants from around the world.

Marathon distance, the history of which began in 490 BC, obeys, as already mentioned, by far not all. But those who overcome it, with their own example, prove how strong a person can be.

That's probably all about how long the marathon distance is. But do not think that 42 km and 195 m - the distance, which is the maximum length. Human capabilities are truly limitless.