Born to Run or Born to Race?.....November 2009

Born to Run or Born to Race?
By Tom Licciardello

In 1980 there were 143,000 marathon finishers in the United States. In 2008 there were 425,000. When the numbers are tallied for 2009, I can assure you that the number will be even higher. As you might guess, record times have tumbled.

In 1977, when I ran my first marathon, the men’s world marathon record was 2:09:12, while the current record is Haile Gebrselassie’s incredible 2:03:59. For the women, it went from 2:34:47 to Paula Radcliffe’s phenomenal 2:15:25.

Equally astounding is the average pace of the all the participants. In 1980, the median time for men was 3:32 and for women it was 4:03. Last year, for men it was 4:16 and for women, 4:43. This statistic seems to contradict the trend in world records, and has become fodder for controversy among marathoners.

In the October 23rd edition of the New York Times, Adrienne Wald, the women’s cross-country coach at the college of New Rochelle was quoted as saying, “It’s a joke to run a marathon by walking every other mile or by finishing in six, seven, eight hours. It used to be that running a marathon was worth something – there used to be pride saying that you ran a marathon, but not anymore”.

The article goes on to point out that “purists” believe that slow runners have “ruined the marathon’s mystique”. Among the complainers was a woman who completed the Baltimore marathon in 4:05. My, how times have changed.

In 1983, my wife, Lyn, ran her personal best marathon in 3:43, and three years later competed in the Boston Marathon completing the event in 4:13, well within the current acceptable standard of the Times defined “purists”. Don’t try to find her results in the official Boston Marathon listings, however. In 1986, the clock was turned off at three and a half hours.

Had that standard applied in the 2009 running of the Boston Marathon, only 7,467 of the 22,843 official finishers would have been recorded – 2/3rds of the field would have been listed as DNF (did not finish), including the 4:05 “purist” from the New York Times article had she run.

Dave McGillivray, Boston’s race director, understands how this issue affects race directors. As race fields grow and finishing times slow, care must be given to provide adequate support to the runners and be sensitive to the demands of the communities through which the race is run. Road closures for races are tolerated, but required re-openings can make runner’s safety compromised. Many events like Boston have instituted time limits, typically 6 hours.

To be fair to all, communication is the key. According to McGillivray, "It's all in the preparation and communications. A race has to determine up front what its desires and capacities are. Every race has different constraints and limitations. The key is to determine those up front and communicate them to all the participants well in advance. Likewise, runners / participants must know their ability levels and limitations. They should choose races that state time limits within their means and reach. To participate in races where they know up front they will not be able to make the cut off times is not doing any one any good. We all can co-exist nicely if we are clear on the guidelines and simply follow them."

While race directors have to face numerous logistical issues with handling ever increasing participant numbers and slower paces, there remains the question as to why so many casual joggers become obsessed with the notion of running a marathon. It can’t just be for the commemorative tee shirt and medal. Perhaps it’s more elemental.

Again, I find I must refer to Chris McDougall’s recent bestselling book, “Born to Run”. In his book he cites numerous anthropological studies that argue that man was, indeed, born to run, and run for a long time.

Early Homo sapiens survived by a new technique of hunting – running down prey that simply couldn’t run longer than the hunter. In studying tribes that still use the hunting-by-attrition technique, the typical chase lasts about five hours before the intended prey gives up. Is it coincidence that most marathoners can complete their hunt for the finish line in five hours?

If McDougal, anthropologists, and exercise physiologist are correct, then going for a five hour run isn’t “mystical”, it’s what we were born to do.

In an age where childhood obesity is at an all time high, the cost of healthcare is soaring, and we are desperately seeking methods to promote better health, perhaps getting more of us to do what we were born to do is the best answer. Baring an obvious physical limitation, the next time someone tells you that they simply can’t run, remind him that we were all born to run. And you sub-5 hour marathoners, be nice to your fellow hunters!