Is there a 6-hour pacer? Can you run/ walk? How flat is the course? What will be the expected temperature? Road or trail? Concrete, asphalt, or some grass?  Crandic marathon in IA has a 6hr cut-off. I am planning on a run/walk. It will be tight. Downhills and concrete are not my friends. These are the questions I ask myself. I will register on the last day available.

In my experience it would be very hard to maintain what is a comfortable pace for 5 miles for as long as a marathon, especially if you haven't been walking for longer times consistently.  You have only a 23 second leeway in pace and that's not a whole lot.

It seems like a bad idea. A 13:43 pace is slow for running, but fast for walking. Hard to imagine maintaining that pace for 26.2 miles unless you’ve been training for it. Regardless of pace, that’s still a long way to walk, if you haven’t already been walking long distances regularly. For me it’s harder to walk 5 miles than run 10, since I’m more used to running and the mechanics are slightly different.

But I guess it can’t hurt to try, unless to HCK’s point, it does.

I have seen walkers doing 5Ks and I think some doing a half but never considered that anyone could walk a full marathon and come in under six hours! I'm sure it's possible and that it has been done, but since you have never done it before I have to be skeptical if you can maintain the 13:43 for the marathon distance. Do you have the option to choose the half at some point during the race or do you have to commit to the distance before the start? If you can choose then at the split you can make the judgement if you can continue on at the required pace or opt for the half.

I did the Pro football hall of fame at a 12:30 pace(5:30) for  11 miles using a half-marathoner as my pacer. I could not hold the pace on my own after the split. By mile 17 I was running 13:56 on average ( 6:05). I decide to walk/run the last  9 miles. Finished in 5:57:15. My airfare,  Airbnb, and race were nonrefundable so I had nothing to lose. I repeated MO because a stayed with the half. It was a good call as  I witnessed my friends struggle in the heat. I would not have made the  6:30 cutoff. I know someone that can walk 26.2 ln under 4 hours but he runs a BQ time at most of his races. Whatever you decide ENJOY!

Did you intend to post to this forum?

I am extremely disappointed. I like to play football, but my low stamina prevents me from joining my team. As a means of improvement, every morning before I start my duty time, I run at civil engineering firms brisbane. However, I need a mentor to help me.

I'd drop to the half.  We have a half marathon in town here, my wife walked & I ran, she was a bit over the 3.5 and we were worried about the last place and keeping folks/volunteers out there but everyone was real supportive and upbeat. Great experience, we're doing it again this year.

I think in your case, pushing it through the marathon will encourage another injury.  Rehab and continue your 50 state marathon goal. Nicely done!

I had plantar fascia injury in 88 after a half marathon and was entered in NY Marathon.  They gave me automatic entry into 89 race, and I ran it with no injury!  That was my last marathon I did it was such a great experience