Forums >Racing>1st Marathon and your Marathon PR?
Ok, I know lots of you are scared off with all these sub 3 and sub 4 times, so I will speak up to encourage the silent majority who are out there looking at this thread with trepidation . (Who would have thought back in the 60's and 70's I'd be in the silent majority?)
5:27:19 (Age 60)
4:51:59 (Older than that, even)
4:49 in 2003
3:09 in 2012 (age 53)
3:21 (50 y)
2:59 (56 y)
Dad, Runner, Programmer
Awesome Thread! I love this data. I love it so much I've compiled it by hand and here are the results.
First my own:
3:54
3:37
Now the rest. I recorded 71 data points ranging from a 2:35 to 5:46 first marathon and a 2:28 to 4:51 pr marathon. With the greatest improvement being 1:48! So here is the break down. Let me know if you want me to mess with the data in other ways. The numbers below are the averages in each time category.
So nothing too surprising here. The faster your first marathon, the more you improve. I was surprised overall with how much folks were able to improve. It gives me hope based on my time. If I am the average RunningAHEAD marathoner I should be able to get my time down to about ~3:14ish
2015 Goal:For now, keep running!
Mostly harmless
4:29:52 - 3/18/12
3:54:51 - 3/16/13 (second marathon)
"It doesn’t matter how often you do it or how much you accomplish, in general, not running is a lot easier than running." - Meb Keflezighi
Awesome Thread! I love this data. I love it so much I've compiled it by hand and here are the results. First my own: 3:54 3:37 Now the rest. I recorded 71 data points ranging from a 2:35 to 5:46 first marathon and a 2:28 to 4:51 pr marathon. With the greatest improvement being 1:48! So here is the break down. Let me know if you want me to mess with the data in other ways. The numbers below are the averages in each time category. Time Categories First Marathon PR Marathon Improvement > 4:30 4:53 3:48 1:04 4 - 4:30 4:17 3:24 0:52 3:30 - 4 3:48 3:13 0:35 3 - 3:30 3:16 3:00 0:16 < 3 2:49 2:38 0:11 Overall 4:00 3:19 0:41 So nothing too surprising here. The faster your first marathon, the more you improve. I was surprised overall with how much folks were able to improve. It gives me hope based on my time. If I am the average RunningAHEAD marathoner I should be able to get my time down to about ~3:14ish
Very cool! Thanks for doing this. (I think you meant to say, "The slower your first marathon, the more you improve.")
I would love to improve on my First/PR from 19 years ago! I'm relying heavily on this data to predict my next finish time!
Very cool! Thanks for doing this. (I think you meant to say, "The slower your first marathon, the more you improve.") I would love to improve on my First/PR from 19 years ago! I'm relying heavily on this data to predict my next finish time!
My mistake. You are correct. Glad you find it useful
Interval Junkie --Nobby
If I am the average RunningAHEAD marathoner I should be able to get my time down to about ~3:14ish
Would be fun if Eric put avg PRs for the whole RA population on the website somewhere.
2021 Goals: 50mpw 'cause there's nothing else to do
Pace Prophet
4:33:19 age 41
3:29:13 age 48
I'm not a math/science type but I think the problem is that you really would need to separate out male/female, younger/older for any type of data to be useful. And, I think fitness before first marathon would be even more important - first marathon for a couch potato vs. first marathon for a fit person is a different story. I would wager fit people have less room to improve in the first place.
Plus, Eric's needs to work on apps.
My blog is JT Running DC. It's awesome. Guide to Washington DC Area Running Routes. Guide to the New York City Marathon. Guide to the Boston Marathon. Guide to Running Gear. Guide to Running Clothes.
Break on through
1st marathon (2006 - Mystic Places) 3:00:40
PR marathon (2010 - Hartford) 2:51:11
"Not to touch the Earth, not to see the Sun, nothing left to do but run, run, run..."
3:50 1996 Atlanta Marathon
3:05 2009 Flying Pig Marathon
Get off my porch
Time Categories First Marathon PR Marathon Improvement > 4:30 4:53 3:48 1:04 4 - 4:30 4:17 3:24 0:52 3:30 - 4 3:48 3:13 0:35 3 - 3:30 3:16 3:00 0:16 < 3 2:49 2:38 0:11 Overall 4:00 3:19 0:41
Well I find this analysis exceedingly cool, mainly because I have run one marathon at 4:16, and based the above data, I will achieve <3:25 and BQ. Which I have difficulty imagining actually doing.
I will therefore choose to ignore the fact that the analysis probably has no statistical significance whatsoever.
Dave
registered pw
3:42, but i didn't train for it. I ran a 17 miler the week before and decided to do the Harrisburg marathon since everyone from New York was coming to town and thought it would be a really neat thing to do with all of these people. I registered ont he last day, which was 3-4 days before the race. I was happy with the results and at the end of the race, i said, never again. i am a gluten for punishment.
Fast forward to now, i am a tad bit wiser. I have ramped up my mileage and am doing 20-25 milers to acclimate myself to the long distance. I am hoping to knock 20-25 minutes off of my first one.
I am planning on running one memorial day weekend. I'm hoping to average a 7:30-7:40 mile.
2017 goals:
sub 1:30 half
Feeling the growl again
Very nice. It would be nice to see the data points (N) for each category, and 90% confidence intervals/standard deviations if you want to play with it more. It would be nice to visualize the variability/error bars.
"If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does. There's your pep talk for today. Go Run." -- Slo_Hand
I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills