Not running on empty

Marathons see increase in participation as people become more health conscious

By Stephen Weigand

The temperature at the start of the Philadelphia Marathon was 28 degrees, so cold that the air horn used to signal the start of each race wouldn't work. Organizers resorted to counting down over the public address system to start the races.

Yet, more than 18,000 people braved the cold temperature to run in the races held Nov. 23 -- a marathon, half marathon and 8k race. Nearly 7,400 participants finished the marathon, according to the results page for the race at Active.com.

The marathon was James Morren's first. Morren, 25, of Brooklyn, New York, said he had done endurance races before, but never a 26.2-mile marathon.

"I wanted to challenge myself," he said.

Rowanne McKnight of Nashville, Tenn., said she runs because she is goal-oriented and because she is able. "It's fun and a good way to get outside," said the mother of three, adding "it's cheaper than therapy."

This year was the 15th Philadelphia Marathon and the largest. Only about 1,800 people participated in the city's first marathon in 1994, according to a Bucks County Courier Times article.

The number of people participating in marathons has skyrocketed, said Jean Knaack, executive director of Road Runners of America, a nationwide group with running clubs throughout the country. She attributed the increase to people being more health conscious and to those raising money for charities.

Robert Weiner, national masters media chair for USA Track & Field , said there has been an incredible running boom since the 1970s.

In about a decade, American Frank Shorter won the marathon at the 1972 Olympics, runner William Rodgers won the Boston and New York City marathons four times each and American Joan Benoit was the winner of the first women's marathon at the 1984 Olympics.

"These three together exploded interest in running in America," Weiner, who is also president of the Capitol Hill Runners in Washington, D.C., said.

By the numbers

According to Marathonguide.com, more than 403,000 people completed marathons in the United States in 2007, an increase of 2.3 percent from the 397,000 in 2006. The site recorded 299,000 finishers in 2000. However, there were less marathons held in the U.S. in 2007 than in 2006.

A very small percentage of these marathon runners are elite athletes, Knaack said, adding that completion times under four hours are considered respectable.

For a growing number of participants, simply finishing the race by running or walking or a combination of the two is enough. About 80 percent of people between the ages of 25 and 40 can finish a marathon, estimated Patti Finke, a running coach with the Road Runners of America.

Finke is an exercise physiologist who has held six-month training camps for people looking to run in the Portland Marathon since 1984. She described the average marathon beginner as a woman between 25 years old and 30 years old who is looking to do something new or for personal empowerment. Finke agrees with Knaack that the involvement of charities has contributed to the growing numbers of people participating in marathons.

"That's where all the personal empowerment came from," Finke said, "to raise money for charities."

However, Knaack cautions against raising money for charities as a reason for wanting to run a marathon. Although the reason might be for a good cause, she said, charity runners might not be ready and could be injured during the training.

"It really comes down to your mindset," she said, "but it's not easy to run a marathon."

Marathons are not necessarily for everyone, said Weiner, adding he is a running advocate more than a marathon advocate. He said he thinks the most a person should do in a year is two marathons. More than that, he continued, and you could set yourself up for potential danger of what a normal body can take.

Knaack and Finke recommend participating in shorter runs and races, such as 5Ks, 10Ks and half-marathons, before considering marathon training. The shorter races are also good ways to take incremental steps to build upon and get runners used to training for longer runs.

"It's about building your endurance and stamina," Knaack said.

George Higgins, a participant in the half-marathon in Philadelphia, said new runners have to put in the time running and that they should enjoy it. "There's no way you're going to run 13 miles unless you enjoy it," he said.