I have the privilege next year of having the Illinois Marathon running through my backyard here in Champaign Urbana. The inaugural run of the marathon will be on April 25 and I will certainly take part as long as I'm healthy. The marathon website is not very informative at this point. Registration opens on June 1st and that's about the only info they're giving out so far unless you want to give them money and be a sponsor. They have plenty of info on that. Which brings me to the point.
The Illinois Marathon is a for-profit race that is owned by the same company that owns the legendary Fargo Marathon (sarcasm). Despite this, I expect this to be one of the finest marathons around. The people of Champaign Urbana are some of the nicest you'll ever meet. The local students support all the athletic events and will certainly show up to watch, volunteer, and run. Local businesses are also supporting the event. Body and Sole, the local running store, will make sure that all runners within 100 miles know about the event. This race could soon be in competition with Indianapolis, Chicago, and St. Louis to become the biggest spring marathon in the Midwest after Grandma's.
A few highlights of the course: flat as a pancake because we don't even have a hill in Champaign Urbana. The only way you'll see a hill is if they make you run a parking garage. You'll also get to finish at the 50 yard line of Memorial Stadium. Not quite the Speedway of Indy or running the bases at Wrigley but still going to be a great finish.
A date has been set for this year's Las Vegas Marathon. Fireworks will start the race at Mandalay Bay on Sunday, Dec. 7th at 6:00am.
Registration is already underway. The race will be broadcast live in several regions that morning.
For Midwest runners and those who are forever scared of the Chicago Marathon heat, there is good news. Indianapolis, IN is going to host a new fall marathon. Those who have run the Mini Marathon know that the city can handle big crowds and does a great job as host. The half marathon usually has over 30,000 runners in the spring.
The inaugural marathon and half marathon will be held on November 1st, 2008. This race is not affiliated with the ill-fated Indy Classic Marathon, which was delayed and then canceled last fall.
Total entries for the first year will be limited to 5,000 runners. Registration is now open and costs $60 for the full marathon and $50 for the half before June 30th.
The Indianapolis Monumental Marathon will benefit local public schools and offer a total purse of $10,800 in cash prizes.
Just a quick reminder that registration for the Chicago Marathon starts today. The Chicago Marathon is very popular event and traditionally a fast course, so Boston hopefuls often try to qualify there. Other details:
- Race Date: Sunday, October 12, 2008
- Start Time: 8:00am (CST)
- Participant Capacity: 45,000
- Registration Fee: $110 for U.S. participants; $130 for participants outside the U.S.
Update: The race has reached its 45,000 runner capacity and general registration is now closed. That was fast!
For many runners, walking is a sign of failure; they only walk when they literally can no longer run. We have all walked at some point. In fact, a good method to build up mileage when you first start training is to alternate running and walking. You run a mile, walk a bit, and then run another mile and repeat. As we progress into our running career we tend to work more on time because we can run virtually any distance we need. But what if you could run a faster marathon by walking strategically?
For people who are completing a marathon in 4 hours or more, mixing some brief walks into your marathon can actually cut your time. What you do is plan to walk for 60 seconds after every few miles you run, even if you don't really feel like you have to. Although this is counterintuitive, here are some reasons it's not as crazy as it sounds:
- Walking 60 seconds doesn't actually lose you 60 seconds. The real loss is significantly lower because you are still covering ground while you walk.
- Run-walkers tend to go slightly faster in the run segments than they would if they ran without stopping. For instance, you may find yourself being passed by someone while you walk but then you actually pass them and gain ground on them while your run.
- Run-walkers tend to hold their pace longer. That one minute rest can save your legs and energy and push "the wall" deeper into the race.
- Psychologically, you know you get a break at certain intervals so those 26.2 miles don't seem quite so daunting anymore.
- Many runners have tried this and reported decreased finishing times. In particular, 4-hour marathoners and above see great improvements.
Think of those terrible last 5 miles where you walked at a 15-minute pace, barely able to stand up. Wouldn't it be better to walk a little throughout than to limp home?
