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Walking a race (Read 1589 times)

    I’ve seen a lot of comments here relating to these large minimum mpw that should be run before entering a marathon. I reasoning is that you shouldn’t enter a race if you aren’t ready. I’m interested in hearing thoughts about those that enter races with the intention of walking. I never saw this 5-10 years ago. Maybe there were a few people that walked across the finish line but lately it seems that 1/4 - 1/3 of the race participants walk the entire race. I bothered me a little at first but unless they start in the front it does not affect my race and if anything makes my overall finish place look more impressive. Should walking entire races be discouraged or the more the merrier?

    Res firma mitescere nescit
    Running in Tampa


    Why is it sideways?

      There is a big difference between saying that running high miles is the best strategy to achieve your potential in the marathon and saying that "you shouldn't enter a race if you aren't ready." The first offers a suggestion about how to reach your potential. The second sits in judgment about people's motivations. By equating the two very different things, your post risks the implication that all of us who recommend running a lot to improve look down our noses on first time marathoners, folks who are content to walk or who have other goals besides running a marathon as fast as they can. This is an unhappy implication, and the only reason I can see for making it is to stir up tired animosities between experienced, faster runners and beginning or slower runners.
      jeffdonahue


        I’ve seen a lot of comments here relating to these large minimum mpw that should be run before entering a marathon. I reasoning is that you shouldn’t enter a race if you aren’t ready. I’m interested in hearing thoughts about those that enter races with the intention of walking. I never saw this 5-10 years ago. Maybe there were a few people that walked across the finish line but lately it seems that 1/4 - 1/3 of the race participants walk the entire race. I bothered me a little at first but unless they start in the front it does not affect my race and if anything makes my overall finish place look more impressive. Should walking entire races be discouraged or the more the merrier?
        I dont think walking should be discouraged at all. While a lot of us are going for good times and are very competitive, if not only with ourselves, I still think that most of us got into running to get into or to stay in shape. So I say if someone wants to take the time to get some exercise and better themselves - Go for it! Also, lets take into consideration taht all people are at least a little competitive. So maybe they will walk the whole marathon or 5K. But then maybe after the race they will say to themselves (you know, if I ran one minute for every 5 I walked I bet I could crush my time), and some day they may become a runner. They may not, but at least they are getting out there and doing something. This world (and the USA in particular) has gotten so fat and out of shape that it is ridiculous, so anyone that is trying to do something about that is good in my book.


        Feeling the growl again

          I don't begrudge people who walk at all, at least they are out there doing something beneficial to their health unlike the vast majority of Americans who eat themselves toward their grave and then blame the doctor for not being able to fix their lifetime of irresponsible behavior. I do, however, have a couple issues with the consequences on the scene in general. First, I still don't understand the huge deal about the marathon. I'd rather see these people capping out the local 5Ks and 10Ks than the marathons. I don't care what your motivation for doing a marathon is frankly, but those not prepared should not do them. Even at Chicago this year, those I knew on-site said most of the bad problems occurred in those that had been out on the course the longest. Not only were they likely to be less prepared, but they had to spend more time out in those conditions. I have seen similar issues at smaller marathons as well. Any issues with conditions are exponentially amplified by time on course. Yet, many of these people never run the low-attended shorter local races but pack the marathons. I think this has a negative impact on the marathons, which bleeds into my second issue. Issue #2 is cost and access. Since I started running marathons, the cost of doing these has exploded. The major ones have gone from races to for-profit, money-grubbing events driven by the demand for spots in the field. The first year I ran Chicago I registered in mid-August on a whim; last year it capped out in late April before I event thought to register and I needed to go through other channels. It's hard enough for the mid-level runner (not elite but not average, say 2:24-2:35 marathon) to find competition as it is, you either blow everyone away at small no-money races or go to mid-sized prize money races and run in no man's land behind the traveling elites but in front of the pack. The major marathons are the only place you can go that attracts enough of this level of talent to actually run with people, but it is very very hard to commit 7-9 months in advance to these races when you truly care about performance. And I think the motivations of this group are just as important as anyone else's. Additionally, the need for increased length of street closures and additional medical personnel drives up cost. So no, I see nothing wrong with walking but I wish it was spread out across more distances to make the larger marathons more accessible again.

          "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

           

          JakeKnight


            There is a big difference between saying that running high miles is the best strategy to achieve your potential in the marathon and saying that "you shouldn't enter a race if you aren't ready." The first offers a suggestion about how to reach your potential. The second sits in judgment about people's motivations. By equating the two very different things, your post risks the implication that all of us who recommend running a lot to improve look down our noses on first time marathoners, folks who are content to walk or who have other goals besides running a marathon as fast as they can. This is an unhappy implication, and the only reason I can see for making it is to stir up tired animosities between experienced, faster runners and beginning or slower runners.
            What he said.

            E-mail: eric.fuller.mail@gmail.com
            -----------------------------

              What about those people who run for 3 minutes, walk for 4. ( or somthing like that ) I know several people who have completed 1/2's and whole marathons doing it that way. I personally would be disappointed in myself if I could not run the whole thing.

              - Anya

              impersonally


                Well, I haven't walked the (few) races I've entered, but I'm certainly nowhere near competitive. I started running for the reason someone else said, to keep in shape, plus I'm a pretty naturally UNathletic person and I like to challenge (torture) myself. So that may be the motivation for some of the others who do this as well. I'd guess a lot of people that enter a marathon planning to walk just want to be able to say they did a marathon, and I don't think that's such a terrible thing.
                What about those people who run for 3 minutes, walk for 4. ( or somthing like that ) I know several people who have completed 1/2's and whole marathons doing it that way. I personally would be disappointed in myself if I could not run the whole thing.
                I did a half-marathon two years ago and ended up running maybe 10 miles, walking for 3. And I was disappointed that I couldn't do the whole thing :-P but I also knew going into it that I wasn't going to be able to. For me it was more of a stepping stone ... it was the first long race I'd done (only 5k's before), so I wanted to see what it felt like. So this year I want to be able to run the whole thing, and if I can't, I'll probably try again sometime, heh.
                Scout7


                  They wanna walk, that's their choice. However, two things need to be kept in mind: A) Some of us are there to run, and do our level best. Please do not disrupt others' enjoyment of the race by lining up at the front, then blocking the course. B) Be cognizant of time limits. Many races shut down after a certain point. And rightly so. If you know ahead of time you won't make the cut-off, then you need to be prepared to support yourself.
                  Rundadrun27


                    I think that everyone enters races for different reasons. Lots of races usually race money for a Charity. Some people enter because of the Charity it raises money for. Other enter to compete, either with themselves or others. I'm running in a 5K next weekend because I want to challenge myself. We have no right to judge others in a race.
                    lostinthenet3


                    MM#1869

                      Well for me it's out of nessiity. I run and walk as my knee allows. I try to run more than walk but walk when my body dictates it. I am planning on attempting a marathon this december. I started out by walking and have moved into running. I orgnally started walking after a good friend was dignosed with cancer and I did a walk for cancer fundraising. I try to get out and run/jog 2-3 miles a night. Most of the time at the 1.5 mile mark my body tells me to stop and most of the time I listen. I can run/walk for 5 miles some times 6 on my longer days. I average about 20-30 mpw. Depends on 4 or 5 days. I have signed up for the Lv marathon just to see if I can complete it. My goal is to run/jog more of it than I walk but as a once 500lb person I know some of my limits. I have lost 220lbs since I began walking and running and I hope to lose more as I incresase my time running and less walking. I see it as a challenge against myself. Sorry if I skew the numbers of the event. I have entered for a challenge to myself. I start at the back of the pack in all of the 5ks I have thus entered because this is where I will finish anyway. Doug.

                      "If you run, you are a runner. It doesn't matter how fast or how far. It doesn't matter if today is your first day or if you've been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run."

                      JakeKnight


                        I ran my second marathon (first of this lifetime) as a complete Gallowalker. It was a 10 minute PR, too. The first marathon I 'ran' every frickin' step, which was painfully stupid. So I sympathize with walkers and run/walkers. I only have two issues: 1: All run/walkers should learn basic courtesy. It's very, very simple. Don't start at the front of the pack; start near the back. If you're running with other people planning to walk, when you're walking - please do NOT walk 5 people across and take up the whole road. And when your walk breaks arrive, take the time to all scoot over to the side of the road, and BE AWARE of who is behind you before you start walking. It's just basic courtesy. The main reason some runners hate run/walkers is a lack of this courtesy - and I partly blame trainers and coaches for not preaching this courtesy constantly. (Although I noticed in Spirit of the Marathon one of the people leading a slower group specifically told her runners not to walk as a "phalanx" several people across. The whole theater laughed at that comment. Just don't be a phalanx. If the word phalanx has you confused, go rent 300. Or Gladiator. It's a great tactic in close-quarters combat. Not so good when other runners want to pass you.) 2: I wish race directors would get rid of longer races that bring half marathon and marathons together for the last few miles - or use out and back identical courses. That situation can bring some fast runners (3:00 marathoners) into close proximity with very slow half marathoners, who are walking in a phalanx formation. ------------------- Other than those two concerns, the more the merrier. And frankly, I prefer people who walk the whole thing to the Gallaway 5-across phalanx that suddenly comes to a stop in the middle of the road. Most of the time, none of this is really a concern. If you're running, how are you seeing anybody walking the whole thing (unless you're really, really slow)? The exception is when they bring two races together at the end. Oh - and not all "walkers" are equal. We do have (or at least used tohave) some racewalkers here who can walk a marathon fast enough to leave some of the "runners" far behind.

                        E-mail: eric.fuller.mail@gmail.com
                        -----------------------------


                        Feeling the growl again

                          "2: I wish race directors would get rid of longer races that bring half marathon and marathons together for the last few miles - or use out and back identical courses. That situation can bring some fast runners (3:00 marathoners) into close proximity with very slow half marathoners, who are walking in a phalanx formation. " Pet peeve!!!! Not the walkers' fault at all in the HM unless they are in phalanx formation. I will never again run a race that does this (it is the race director's fault for creating this situation). I ran the anchor leg of the USATF marathon relay championships at the inaugural Colfax Marathon in Denver in 2006. The HM was started at the halfway point of the full marathon. By the final mile I could not even hold pace with all the weaving, it was downright dangerous. It cost us a spot is I did not know I was quickly overtaking another team and could have caught them, we did not learn that they were there until we saw the results. A week later I ran a full marathon with the same setup, but on an out-and-back course on a 2-lane road. I could not cross the centerline on the return as there were outbound marathoners, and I was weaving continuously through walkers from the HM in my own lane. All but a small number of the walkers were very responsible and cleared a path but it was still frustrating.

                          "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

                           

                            I have no problem with people who enter a marathon and need to run/walk to finish as long as they give it their best, but I don't understand why anyone would enter one with no intention of running. That's kind of like entering a fishing tournament with no intention of fishing. There are plenty of walking events around to participate in for those who prefer to walk, some of them up to 60 mile three day events. Marathons are getting huge with all of those entering for the experience. The last one I did was so crowded that by the time I got through the traffic jam and found a place to park, I barely made the starting time. Tom
                              I started this post because I don’t agree with some of the comments I see here that try to discourage someone from entering a race (usually a marathon) or not starting a race (again usually a marathon) that they have already entered. Although I think there should be a natural progression to the races you enter (5k, 10k, half and full marathon), if someone wants to have their first race be a marathon then more power to them. Overall I don’t have a problem with people who enter a race with the intention of walking the entire race or a large portion of it. At least they are making an attempt to do something physical and hopefully they will enjoy it enough to push a little harder and beat their last time.
                              "2: I wish race directors would get rid of longer races that bring half marathon and marathons together for the last few miles - or use out and back identical courses. That situation can bring some fast runners (3:00 marathoners) into close proximity with very slow half marathoners, who are walking in a phalanx formation. "
                              I agree on this one. I will not run a marathon that has a half at the same time. I’ve had one bad experience when running a 10k and having to run around 5k walkers. If 2 distances are run at the same time I will either choose the shorter or not enter at all.

                              Res firma mitescere nescit
                              Running in Tampa

                              Scout7


                                I started this post because I don’t agree with some of the comments I see here that try to discourage someone from entering a race (usually a marathon) or not starting a race (again usually a marathon) that they have already entered. Although I think there should be a natural progression to the races you enter (5k, 10k, half and full marathon), if someone wants to have their first race be a marathon then more power to them.
                                Your question is different than the questions that get those types or responses. Someone who asks me if he or she is able to run a marathon, yet is only doing 20 miles a week, I'm going to question his/her ability to run the whole thing and be successful.
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