The first marathon runner ran a distance of 42 km. Standards and records for marathon running. Rank standards for marathon running among women

The history of marathon racing does not go back many years. In fact, she is a contemporary of the new Olympic movement. It all started in 1892, when the French aristocrat Pierre de Coubertin undertook to revive the Olympic Games. Then a proposal to include marathon running in them was made by the famous French linguist and historian, Sorbonne professor Michel Breal, who was a typical armchair scientist and expert on Ancient Greece. Thus, the founder of the marathon is a man who himself never ran a hundred meters in his life.

Naturally, it was decided to hold the first modern Olympic Games in Greece. And so, on the final day of the Olympics, April 10, 1896, the first marathon race in history took place. The runners' route ran from the town of Marathon to the Panathenaic Stadium and was 40 km. The winner, of course, was the Greek, Spiridon Louis, who overcame this distance in 2 hours 58 minutes 50 seconds. By the way, it was from the first Olympics that it became a tradition to organize a men’s marathon race as the final stage of the Games.

Over the next four years, the marathon movement spread throughout Europe and America.

The main mistakes of the first marathon runners:

Incorrectly chosen clothes. Runners dressed much warmer than required: long-sleeve T-shirts, knee-length shorts, and sometimes sweatpants.
Improper drinking regime. It was believed that drinking water during the race was contraindicated. But some managed to drink wine or brandy right at the distance.
Inadequate preparation for the race. Nowadays they begin to prepare for a marathon 3 months in advance, but then most people limited themselves to three days at best.

At the next two Olympics in Paris and St. Louis, the length of the marathon distance was maintained within 42 km. Its current length is 42 km. The 195 m marathon owes its name to the 1908 Olympics in London. It was then decided to lengthen the distance to please the royal house, so that part of the royal family could see the start of the race opposite Windsor Palace, and the rest could see the finish from their royal box at the stadium.

And these last 200 meters almost killed the main contender for victory, Italian Dorando Pietri. Having already run into the White City stadium, Pietri fell several times from fatigue. But they picked him up, doused him with water, and he ran again. It took the Italian 2 hours 54 minutes 46 seconds to cover the distance. But after a complaint from the US team, the Italian runner was disqualified because... he finished the race with someone else's help, and the American John Hayes was declared the winner with his result of 2 hours 55 minutes 18 seconds. And four months later, these two marathon runners met in a rematch, and the Italian athlete Pietri won it. By the way, both runners subsequently earned decent money by participating in all kinds of marathons.

And the marathon movement was gaining more and more popularity. Even their own idols appeared in fan circles: Harry Barrett, Fred Cameron, Clarence de Maire.

But the marathon gained its permanent distance as an Olympic sport only in 1924. Probably no one will be able to say for sure why the IOC then chose the London race of 1908 as the standard. At the 1924 Paris Olympics, Finn Oskar Stenroos won with a time of 2 hours 41 minutes 22 seconds.

Today, the main record holder is the athlete from Kenya, Dennis Kimetto, who set a world record on September 28, 2014 at the Berlin Marathon - 2 hours 2 minutes 57 seconds.

Women's Marathon

What about the fair sex? But women were allowed to participate in the Olympic Marathon only in 1984 in Los Angeles. Of course, before this, attempts were made by female runners to change the situation. Thus, American Katherine Switzer ran the Boston Marathon in 1967 without disclosing her gender. Then she managed to cover 42 km. in 4 hours 20 minutes.

And the first Olympic champion in the marathon distance with a result of 2 hours 24 minutes 52 seconds was the American athlete Joan Benoit Samuelson.

The current unbeaten record holder is British runner Paula Radcliffe, who completed the marathon in 2003 in 2 hours 15 minutes 25 seconds.

The oldest marathon runner is considered to be the Indian Fauja Singh, who completed another race in 2011, breaking the century mark in 8 hours 11 minutes 06 seconds.
American Margaret Hagerty began training at the age of 72, and she completed the marathon distance at 81.
In addition to the marathon, there is a half marathon and an ultra marathon.
Russian Sergei Burlakov completed the marathon in New York in 2003, despite the fact that at that time both legs and both hands were amputated.
Runners from Kenya and Ethiopia are considered the fastest stayers.
The average speed of professional marathon runners is 20 km/h.

10 minutes to read. Views 2.8k.

Marathons are not uncommon among a large number of sports competitions. Both professional and experienced athletes, as well as amateur athletes, take part in them. How did the marathon distance appear and how many days in a row can you complete it?

What is the history of the marathon, which is more than 42 kilometers long, and what are the current ones for women and men? Who are the top ten fastest marathon runners and what are some interesting facts about the 42km marathon? Read this article for tips on preparing for and completing a marathon.

History of the 42-kilometer marathon

The marathon is an Olympic track and field discipline and the length of the marathon is 42 kilometers, 195 meters (or 26 miles, 395 yards). Men have competed in this discipline at the Olympic Games since 1896, and women since 1984.

As a rule, marathons are held on the highway, although sometimes this word means competitions in running over long distances over rough terrain, as well as in extreme conditions (sometimes the distances can be different). Another popular running distance is the half marathon.

Antiquity

As the legend goes, Pheidippides, a warrior from Greece, in 490 BC, at the end of the Battle of Marathon, ran non-stop to Athens in order to notify his fellow tribesmen of the victory.

When he reached Athens, he fell dead, but still managed to shout: “Rejoice, Athenians, we have won!” This legend was first described by Plutarch in his work “The Glory of Athens,” more than half a millennium after the actual events.

According to another version (Herodotus tells about it), Pheidippides was a messenger. He was sent by the Athenians to the Spartans for reinforcements, and ran more than 230 kilometers in two days. However, his marathon was unsuccessful...

Nowadays

Frenchman Michel Breal came up with the idea of organizing a marathon race. He dreamed that this distance would be included in the program of the Olympic Games in 1896 in Athens - the first in modern times. The Frenchman's idea was liked by Pierre de Coubertin, who was the founder of the modern Olympic Games.

The first qualifying marathon was eventually held in Greece, with the winner being Charilaos Vasilakos, who completed the distance in three hours and eighteen minutes. And the Greek Spyridon Louis became the Olympic champion, completing the marathon distance in two hours, fifty-eight minutes and fifty seconds. Interestingly, on the way he stopped to have a glass of wine with his uncle.

Women's participation in the marathon during the Olympic Games took place for the first time at the games in Los Angeles (USA) - this was in 1984.

Marathon distance

At the first Olympic Games in 1896, the length of the marathon was forty kilometers (24.85 miles). Then it changed, and since 1924 it became 42.195 kilometers (26.22 miles) - this was established by the International Amateur Athletics Federation (the modern IAAF).

Olympic discipline

The men's marathon has been the final track and field program since the first modern Olympic Games. Marathon runners finished at the main Olympic stadium, either a few hours before the closing of the games, or at the same time as the closing.

Current world records

In men

The world record for men's marathon running belongs to Kenyan athlete Dennis Kimetto.

He ran a distance of 42 kilometers and 195 meters in two hours, two minutes and fifty seconds. This was in 2014.

Among women

The women's world title belongs to British athlete Paula Radcliffe. In 2003, she ran the marathon in two hours, fifteen minutes and twenty-five seconds.

In 2012, Kenyan runner Mary Keitany tried to break this record, but she failed. She ran the marathon slower than Paula Radcliffe by more than three minutes.

Top ten fastest male marathon runners

The favorites here are mainly athletes from Kenya, as well as Ethiopia.

Runner from Kenya Dennis Kimetto. He ran the Berlin Marathon on September 28, 2014 in 2 hours, 2 minutes and 57 seconds.
Runner from Ethiopia Kenenisa Bekele. He ran the Berlin Marathon on 25 September 2016 in 2 hours 3 minutes 3 seconds.
Kenyan runner Eliud Kipchoge ran the London Marathon on 24 April 2016 in 2 hours 3 minutes and 5 seconds.
Kenyan runner Emmanuel Mutai ran the Berlin Marathon on September 28, 2014 in 2 hours, 3 minutes and 13 seconds.
Kenyan runner Wilson Kipsang ran the Berlin Marathon on September 29, 2013 in 2 hours, 3 minutes and 23 seconds.
Kenyan runner Patrick Makau ran the Berlin Marathon on September 25, 2011 in 2 hours, 3 minutes and 38 seconds.
Kenyan runner Stanley Biwott ran the London Marathon on 24 April 2016 in 2 hours 3 minutes and 51 seconds.
An Ethiopian runner completed the Berlin Marathon in 2 hours, 3 minutes and 59 seconds. September 28, 2008.
Kenyan runner Elihu DKipchoge completed the Berlin Marathon in 2 hours, 4 minutes. September 27, 2015.
Kenyan runner Geoffrey Mutai rounds out the top ten. who completed the Berlin Marathon on September 30, 2012 in 2 hours, 4 minutes and 15 seconds.

Top ten fastest female marathon runners

In 2 hours 15 minutes and 25 seconds, an athlete from Great Britain Paula Radcliffe ran the London Marathon on April 13, 2003.
In 2 hours 18 minutes and 37 seconds, the runner from Kenya Mary Keitany ran the London Marathon on April 22, 2012.
In 2 hours 18 minutes and 47 seconds, the Kenyan runner Catherine Ndereba ran the Chicago Marathon on October 7, 2001.
In 2 hours 18 minutes 58 seconds Ethiopian Tiki Gelana completed the Rotterdam Marathon on April 15, 2012.
In 2 hours 19 minutes 12 seconds Japanese Mizuki Noguchi ran the Berlin Marathon on September 25, 2005
In 2 hours 19 minutes 19 seconds, an athlete from Germany Irina Mikitenko ran the Berlin Marathon on September 28, 2008.
In 2 hours 19 minutes 25 seconds Kenyan Gladys Cherono completed the Berlin Marathon on September 27, 2015.
In 2 hours 19 minutes 31 seconds the runner from Ethiopia Aselefesh Mergia ran the Dubai Marathon on January 27, 2012.
In 2 hours 19 minutes and 34 seconds, a runner from Kenya Lucy Kabuu completed the Dubai Marathon on January 27, 2012.
Rounds out the top ten female marathon runners Dina Kastor from the USA, who ran the London Marathon in 2:19.36 on April 23, 2006.

Overcoming a running distance of 42 kilometers 195 meters is the third stage in the Ironman triathlon competition.
The marathon distance can be covered both during competitive and amateur races.
So, in 2003, Ranulph Fiennes from Great Britain ran seven marathons over seven days on seven different continents and parts of the world.

Belgian national Stephaan Engels decided in 2010 that he would run a marathon every day of the year, but he was injured in January, so he started all over again in February.
On March 30, the Belgian beat the result of Spaniard Ricardo Abad Martinez, who ran 150 marathons in the same number of days in 2009. As a result, by February 2011, within a year, 49-year-old Stefan Engels completed the 365th marathon. On average, he spent four hours on the marathon and achieved a best result of two hours and 56 minutes.

Johnny Kelly took part in the Boston Marathon more than sixty times from 1928 to 1992, and eventually reached the finish line 58 times and won twice (in 1935 and 1945).
On December 31, 2010, 55-year-old Canadian citizen Martin Parnell ran 250 marathons during the year. During this time, he wore out 25 pairs of sneakers. Also, at times he had to run in temperatures below minus thirty degrees.
According to scientists from Spain, the bones of marathon runners for a long time in old age do not undergo aging and destruction, unlike other people.
Russian runner Sergei Burlakov, who has both legs and hands amputated, competed in the New York City Marathon in 2003. He became the world's first marathon runner with a quadruple amputation.
Indian citizen Fauja Singh became the world's oldest marathon runner. He entered the Guinness Book of Records when he ran the marathon at the age of 100 in 8:11:06 in 2011. Now the athlete is over a hundred years old.
Australian farmer Cliff Young won the ultramarathon in 1961, despite the fact that he participated in it for the first time. The runner covered 875 km in five days, fifteen hours and four minutes. He moved at a slow pace, at first falling far behind the others, but eventually leaving the professional athletes behind. He succeeded in this because he moved without sleep (this became his habit, since as a farmer he worked for several days in a row - collecting sheep in the pastures).
British runner Steve Chalk raised the largest charity donation in marathon history, two million pounds. This happened during the London Marathon in April 2011.
Brian Price, 44, took part in the marathon less than a year after he underwent a heart transplant.
Radio operator from Sweden Andree Kelberg covered a marathon distance while moving along the deck of the ship Sotello. In total, he ran 224 laps around the ship, taking four hours and four minutes.
American runner Margaret Hagerty took up running at the age of 72. By the age of 81, she had already participated in marathons on all seven continents of the world.
British runner Lloyd Scott completed the London Marathon in 202 wearing a diver's suit weighing 55 kilograms. He spent about five days doing this, setting a world record for the slowest marathon run. In 2011, he took part in the marathon dressed as a snail, spending 26 days in the race.
Ethiopian athlete Abebe Bakila won the Rome Marathon in 1960. Interestingly, he covered the entire distance barefoot.
As a rule, a professional marathon runner runs a marathon at a speed of 20 km/h, which is twice as fast as the migration of reindeer and saigas.

Marathon running standards

For women

for a marathon with a distance of 42 kilometers 195 meters for women are as follows:

Master of Sports of International Class (MSMK) - 2:35.00;
Master of Sports (MS) - 2:48.00;
Candidate Master of Sports (CMS) - 3:00.00;
1st category – 3:12.00;
2nd category – 3:30.00;
3rd category - Zak.Dist.

For men

The rank standards for marathon running at a distance of 42 kilometers 195 meters for men are as follows:

Master of Sports of International Class (MSMK) - 2:13.30;
Master of Sports (MS) - 2:20.00;
Candidate Master of Sports (CMS) - 2:28.00;
1st category – 2:37.00;
2nd category – 2:48.00;
3rd category - Zak.Dist.

How to prepare for a marathon in order to run it in the minimum amount of time?

Training mode

The most important thing is regular training, which should begin at least three months before the competition.

If your goal is to run a marathon in three hours, then you need to run at least five hundred kilometers during training in the last month. It is advisable to train as follows: three days of training, one day of rest.

Vitamins and diet

The following must be consumed as vitamins and microelements:

multivitamins,
calcium,
magnesium.

You can also try the popular “protein” diet before the marathon, and a week before the competition, stop eating foods that contain carbohydrates. At the same time, three days before the marathon you need to exclude foods containing proteins and eat foods containing carbohydrates.

Equipment

The main thing is to choose comfortable and lightweight sneakers, the so-called “marathon” ones.
Places where friction may occur can be coated with petroleum jelly or baby oil.
It is better to give preference to high-quality clothing made from synthetic materials.
If the marathon takes place on a sunny day, a hat will be required, as well as a protective cream with a filter of at least 20-30.

Set a goal and clearly go towards it. For example, determine the time it will take you to cover the distance, as well as the average time.
There is no need to start quickly - this is one of the common mistakes of all newbies. It is better to distribute your forces evenly.
Remember: reaching the finish line is a worthy goal for a beginner.
During the marathon itself, you should definitely drink - either clean water or energy drinks.
Various fruits will help replenish your strength, such as apples, bananas or citrus fruits, as well as dried fruits and nuts. Energy bars will also come in handy.

Marathon is an Olympic discipline in the athletics program.

The classic marathon is a race over a distance of 42 kilometers 195 meters. Marathon running has become one of the popular types of athletics around the world. Nowadays, many marathons are held, both in Russia and abroad. There are a variety of types of marathon starts, from amateur races to world championships with a high prize fund.

A half marathon distance, the half marathon is also a popular distance in road running. World half marathon championships are held and world records are set.

What is a marathon, what is its history, where did the name come from, how was the length of the distance determined?

Marathon history

As the legend of Marathon says, a Greek warrior named Philippides in 490 BC. e. after the battle of Marathon, he fled without stopping from Marathon to Athens to report the victory of the Greeks. Having reached Athens, he managed to shout: “Rejoice, Athenians, we have won!” and fell dead. The legend that he ran from Marathon to Athens first appeared in Plutarch's essay "The Glory of Athens" in the first century AD.

Marathon distance

In 1896, the International Olympic Committee measured the distance from the Marathon battlefield to Athens. It was 34.5 km. At the first modern Games in 1896 and at the 2004 Games, marathon runners ran a distance from Marathon to Athens.

Initially, the length of the marathon distance was chosen quite arbitrarily. At the first Olympic Games, marathon runners ran 40 km.

At the 1908 London Olympics, the starting point was moved from mile 25 to 26 miles 385 yards (42 km 195 meters) so that the Royal Family could comfortably watch the runners from the windows of Windsor Castle. At the first seven Olympics there were 6 marathon distances from 40 to 42.75 km.

42.195 km as the official length of the marathon was established in 1921 by the International Amateur Athletics Federation.

Marathon running

The main features of running marathon distances are a constant pace, maintaining a sufficient amount of water and nutrients in the body. There are food stations with water, energy drinks, and food (bananas, dried fruits, etc.) along the marathon course.

Even for an experienced athlete, completing a marathon is a difficult physical activity. Proper preparation for the marathon is the most important condition for success.

Marathon preparation program

You shouldn't run a marathon while training. Typically, long training at the end of preparation is no more than 35 km.

If you've decided to take it to the next level and run your first marathon, this is a very real challenge. But you need to prepare properly.

How to prepare for a marathon

If you are already an experienced runner who has mastered shorter distances of 10 km and a half marathon, then based on the already mastered pace of multi-kilometer running, you will need to accustom your body to maintain speed in conditions of depletion of carbohydrates and fluid reserves. Which is usually enough in half, and the result is ensured by the ability to maintain the maximum possible intensity of the load, fully provided by oxygen consumption. (The so-called ANSP or AnP mode).

At the marathon, the speed is several percent lower, but the main obstacle is the background of resource depletion, the so-called wall, after 30-35 km.

Ways to overcome it are to increase the efficiency of the body's work by using long distances of the order of 32-33 km, usually once a week.

And also, special targeted nutrition regimens before and after training.

A qualified trainer will prepare detailed personal training plans for you. Specifically, an honored coach of Russia works with our team, who practically from scratch trained a whole galaxy of world and European ultramarathon champions, Russian champions and champions in half marathon, cross-country and mountain running.

Marathon preparation from scratch for beginners

Above it is said about the preparation of runners with experience for their VT. and the first distance of 42 km 195 m

Well, preparation for a marathon for beginners does not begin with the fact that we immediately begin to prepare for this particular distance. First, you need to master the period of getting into running. Those. learn to run just a few kilometers at a slow pace so that your heart rate does not go off scale beyond 160 beats per minute.

When this milestone is mastered, you can move on to a faster pace until you feel the strength to compete at 5 or 10 kilometers.

This is simply a commercial exploitation of the hidden reserves of your body.

The fact is that a person without serious illnesses, in most cases, with a strong desire, is able to overcome even a marathon, with minimal preparation, without any coaches!

Another thing is what it will cost. And not so much in terms of the hardships of the distance and poor completion time, but in the long-term consequences for health and further growth of results.

Therefore, aim for a marathon after you show passable results in the 10th and half marathon.

Preparing for a marathon in 6 months

Preparing for a 42km run in 6 months is acceptable for experienced runners who have already mastered half of it. During this time, you can have time to improve general physical training and, on its basis, increase the efficiency of the body’s work through long-term training and the cruising marathon pace of running itself, increasing the running speed directly associated with it in the PANO mode (see above).

Preparing for a marathon in 3

This is exactly the period of one full round of training for those who have already run a marathon and now want to improve their results, or for those who have already shown themselves well in the 10,000m, half marathon and thirty races.

Preparation for the marathon in 1 month

When there is a month left before the marathon, it is good if marathon endurance has already been achieved, and the strength potential of the muscles is not lost in the pursuit of too much training mileage. An experienced trainer will help you balance these 2 contradictory factors.

And if you managed to get into this state 4 weeks before the marathon, then it’s time to carefully work on increasing the pace of PANO (see above) and leave a week and a half for deloading in order to get to the start with a good supply of internal reserves of the body.

Now you are ready.

When is the best time to run a marathon?

To show the highest possible result in the marathon, you need to choose the best start time. The optimal temperature for marathon running is about 14-16 °C. As the temperature rises, the result worsens by about 40-60 seconds per degree.

Types of marathons

Non-profit marathons are included in the program of the Summer Olympics, World Championships, Europe, etc.
Commercial marathons are held annually in the largest cities of the world. Commercial marathons are open to amateur runners.
Extreme marathons - races in the desert, at the North Pole, in the mountains, etc.

Photos of extreme marathons

Ultramarathon (ultramarathon) - a race less than a marathon distance

Daily running - here the distance is not the number of kilometers, but 24 hours. Whoever manages to run the most is the winner.

A multi-day race is a multi-day race, where each next day athletes start in accordance with the gap from the leader on the previous day.

Famous marathons in the world

Every year, about 800 marathon races are held around the world.

The most popular and prestigious marathons in the world:

Boston Marathon
Chicago Marathon
London Marathon
Tokyo Marathon
Berlin Marathon

The number of marathon runners at the start exceeds 30 thousand.

The prize money for the 2008 Boston Marathon was $796,000, with $150,000 paid to the winner.

The winners of the Berlin Marathon in 2012 received $500,000.

It is considered an honor simply to take part in such a prestigious start together with the leading runners, joining the world athletics movement.

Main marathons in Russia

About 50 marathons are held in Russia every year. The most famous marathons in Russia:

Moscow International Peace Marathon
White Nights Marathon
Siberian International Marathon

Marathon - interesting facts

On December 31, 2010, Alberta Canadian Martin Parnell, 55, a retired mine engineer, ran the marathon 250 times in one year, covering 10,550 km, wearing out 25 pairs of running shoes, at times in temperatures below minus 30C.

What do marathon runners think about?

About 40% of runners' thoughts were about distance and speed. Pain and discomfort occupied 32% of thoughts. Marathon runners complained about the appearance of calluses and muscle pain. The remaining 28% of thinking is observing your surroundings. The runners talked about nature, weather and other athletes.

After the half, every day there was a struggle in me: to run the marathon on September 20 or to postpone it until spring. More often I was inclined to run in the spring. I read recommendations that for a marathon you need 80-90 km of weekly running, which is 320 km per month. I have been running regularly since spring, May - 83.82 km, June - 114.22 km, July - 125.3 km, August - 193.4 km. On August 30, I ran a long training session of 30 km in 03:03:47, at a pace of 06:07 min/km, and decided to run the marathon this year. Registered for the Siberian International Marathon in Omsk. On September 9 I found myself in Moscow, went to the Sports Medicine Clinic and determined my anaerobic threshold. I ran on the track wearing a mask with wires, my PANO turned out to be 161. A week before the marathon I decided to do a glycogen load. From Monday morning until Wednesday afternoon I ate virtually no carbohydrates. I ate cottage cheese, chicken breast, fish. I lost 2 kg in 2 days. From Wednesday afternoon I began to indulge in pasta, grapes, and drank pomegranate juice. On Wednesday I gained 500 grams of weight, on Thursday another 500 grams, I did not weigh myself on Friday and Saturday. At the sports dispensary, when receiving a certificate, the doctors asked what prompted me to run at that age, I answered: five years ago, at a karate competition, there were the same questions. On September 18, my family and I left by car from Tyumen to Omsk (distance 600 km), spent the night in Ishim with my parents and on September 19 went to Omsk alone. I was in Omsk at lunchtime. I received the starter pack, ate the pasta, the jitters were very strong, the marathon could not leave my mind.

I went to the cinema to clear my head a little, the film was incomprehensible, I left halfway through the film. I checked into the hotel, the room was very cold, I left my things and went back to eat pasta. Afterwards, I went to the starting point and looked where I could park in the morning. In the evening I went to bed early, around 10 p.m., fell asleep with difficulty, but woke up at one in the morning, no sleep. I read a book and fell asleep again. In the morning I woke up without an alarm clock at 5 am, the marathon started at 10. I made oatmeal with boiling water from the cooler with raisins and dates, and brought it with me so that there would be no surprise at breakfast in the restaurant. In an hour and fifteen minutes I drove to the launch site and picked up a married couple from Novosibirsk from the hotel. At 9 I already parked and went to see what was happening there. There were many teams, wearing costumes from different enterprises, there was a lot of movement, everyone was getting ready. About thirty minutes later I returned to the car, took off my jacket, drank BCAA and L-carnitine. I took bananas, BCAA and a windbreaker with me, so that I could put them in the storage room next to the start and eat them after the finish, before reaching the car. At the last moment, I decided to take my iPhone with me, stuffed it into my fanny pack along with the gels, and what a surprise - the lock came loose. There was still some time left, I fiddled with the lock for about 10 minutes and ran to the start. I still had to go to the toilet and put my things in the storage room. I approached the storage room, which was indicated on the map as a cell for those running 42.195 km, but from there they sent me in the other direction. I handed over my things and began to make my way through the crowd to the start. There were many children and representatives of enterprises wearing branded T-shirts. I started looking for pacemakers, didn’t find anyone, they announced the start and we ran. I ran calmly, controlled my heart rate, the plan was to run the first half at a heart rate of 150. We climbed the bridge, then descended from the bridge in a figure of eight, and then I saw the finish.

Until the last moment I had no anxiety, my analytical abilities simply turned off. I didn’t even notice that there wasn’t a single person with blue license plates nearby. At the finish line, I fought my way through the crowd, ran further along the marked route, I ran and realized that I was alone, I thought that somewhere I missed the turn at 42.195 km. He turned around and ran in the opposite direction onto the bridge, against the flow. I started asking where they run the 42 km? And they told me that they didn’t seem to be running across the bridge at all, but fled to the oil workers’ area. One of the volunteers showed the direction and I ran. At this time, there was already panic in my head, my pulse was reaching 165, I tried to calm down and realized that I couldn’t run at such a pulse. I saw the 1 km flag on the side of the road and realized that I was on the right track. All these searches took me about 45 minutes. I ran out 45 minutes later than the main group, ran more than 6 km and was already quite nervous. This is how my first marathon began for me. Only on the second kilometer did it dawn on me that there were two starting points at 6 km and at 42.195 km and I started in the wrong place. I did a lot of the right things in advance, but I was so slow at the start at the last moment. I decided to run to the finish anyway, calmed my pulse and calmly ran alone at a pulse of 150. Turn around and the first group of volunteers was at 4 km, they looked at me with great surprise. There was only one thought in my head: “I got stuck at the start.” I tried my best to remove this thought, but it was really difficult, it sounded like a mantra. The hardest thing was to look into the eyes of the passers-by who were supporting me, the support was very compassionate, they saw the last marathon runner running. I started eating gels from the fifth kilometer of the main distance, from my actual eleventh. I was able to remove these two counters from my head only after the tenth kilometer and then I no longer remembered that I had run 6 km before the start. After the second gel, the lock on my purse broke again and I ran away with it open. I had eight gels and one shot with guarana. At the thirteenth kilometer, an ambulance pulled up behind me and slowly escorted me. Cheerful thoughts even began to come to me; I remembered films about how an ambulance accompanies dying people at a marathon. I’m running like in a movie, I’m missing a motorcade of motorcyclists and video cameras. And at the same time, I monitored my heart rate, ran at 155 and understood that if I increased my speed, I wouldn’t be able to run 48 km. At the fifteenth kilometer there was another surprise, the organizers arrived and said that I was not within the 11-minute limit, and if I didn’t catch up, they would remove me. Limit 21 km in 3 hours. I increased my speed and was already running close to the anaerobic threshold or higher, 158-163 beats per minute. There was even excitement, the goal was to run half to the limit, so as not to be removed from the race. After the fifteenth kilometer, the volunteers had already turned off the water point, saw me and brought water from the car. At the seventeenth kilometer I overtook the first grandmother, the ambulance remained to accompany her, I felt a little better psychologically. There was a grandfather and a boy in his twenties. And now I’m already running fourth from the end. After the half and realizing that they wouldn’t take it off, I lowered my heart rate a little to 155-158. Psychologically it was already easy, the panic was gone, periodically I overtook very tired runners and for some reason I was sure that I would make it.

At the twenty-fifth kilometer, a group with a pacemaker at 3:15 was running towards them, they had two kilometers left to the finish, and I was seventeen. Bananas and oranges appeared at food stations, but the orange didn’t work, it got stuck in the teeth, so after that I only took bananas. After the thirtieth kilometer I was already overtaking en masse, many were simply walking. I thought, if only the “wall” didn’t come, I already had more than thirty-six kilometers. And the “wall” heard me and didn’t come. Glycogen loading turned out to be effective and eight gels with you too. I ran very calmly, my legs started to ache, but everything was within the normal range. I had already picked up the pace and was running at a heart rate of 162-165.

At the 38 km point, the doctor, seeing my vigorous run, said: it feels like I’m already running for the second round. I was the only one who ran vigorously, the others really trudged along, all the vigorous ones had long since finished.

I didn’t feel overwhelmed, I decided to drink guarana at 40 km. I drank guarana and found another gel, before that I thought that I had run out of gels. I ate the gel right away. Volunteers offered a bottle of water, although there was no food outlet, they miraculously appeared so that I could wash down the gel and guarana. At the finish line I accelerated, smiled at the photographers, my pulse was 170.

Finished with a time of 04:52:34, this is from the start at 6 km and subsequent wanderings in search of the real route. I was glad that I ran 48 km, I feel great, no injuries, only the nail on my left big toe turned black.

Immediately after the finish I drank BCAA, ate a banana, got a massage, and ate yogurt in the car.

I arrived at the hotel, washed myself, felt cheerful, satisfied, like after a good workout. So the poet got into the car and calmly drove to Ishim. At 9 pm I was already steaming my feet in my parents’ bathhouse. Could things have been different? Of course it could.

For your first marathon, it’s better to take someone for support. The jitters are very strong and the brain turns off. I think that this will not happen at the second marathon.
Glycogen loading helped me for a week, there was no wall at all.
I took BCAA and L-carnitine before the half and marathon, I don’t know what their role was in making it, but I’ll definitely drink it in the future.
There is no need to do anything new before the start that you did not plan in advance. This is about trying to stuff a phone into a purse along with gels.
Well, the marathon is not as scary as it is made out to be))

P.S.: Special thanks