should there be a universal time limit for marathons? (Page 3)

They'd have to be.

Spokesie,

 I'm plugging your 26:09 5K PR into McMillan's Running Calculator (http://www.mcmillanrunning.com/Running%20University/Article%201/mcmillanrunningcalculator.htm) and it's predicting a 4:15 marathon. So you have it in you, you just need to put in the time and effort into a proven plan. Quit blaming what you can't control and take steps to control the factors you can.

I think Mike and Chi were also hitting on another facet of this discussion...that the criteria by which people label themselves a 'marathon finisher' has been expanding.   If you run it?  Walk it?  Walk it in parts, over several days? When can you say 'I did a marathon'?

We had the same debate about 'ironman' a couple weeks back (mdot race vs. non-mdot iron distance), and at the time, I felt that anyone that completed the 140.6 distance, regardless of race branding, can choose their own label (ironman, irondistanceman, IronMan, badass, etc) and it wouldn't get me bent.  And the same conclusion holds for the marathoner label, IMHO.

I wavered a bit reading Chi's comment, because part of me does want to distinguish between people marathoning in 4 hours, vs. 17 with a dinner thrown in.  The magnitude of the commitment from the participant is just different to achieve these differing levels of result, and it ought to be celebrated as distinct, different achievements. 

But then, at the end of the day, it's just a label.  That's all.  The self esteem for the individual is in the accomplishment, not the label, and they'll call themselves whatever they'd like if it makes 'em feel better.  And the only reason that you might want to deny someone else the label is to make yourself feel more special about your accomplishment, and to keep the club more exclusive.  Neither of which i agree with, but whatever...

So marathoners of all ilks...if you finish your race, or make your own race, be a finisher, you're a marathoner.  It's cool with me.

You can state that you are a BOP because you haven’t train for a long time, because you never exercise before, because you are over weight or simple because you don’t have the time train long enough to explore your potential BUT IMO stating that the reason is because of lack of talent, in the case of endurance sports that statement holds little truth...

I just can't agree.   Yes, completing a marathon requires strict dedication and training, but effort alone isn't enough.  A person has to possess a certain amount of God-given talent and ability for the training to be effective.  Some people are good at some things and some are good at other things.  Body type, cardiovascular capacity, it all figures in.

Goals have to be realistic and achievable.  That's where the advice and counsel of a good coach is important, in my opinion.   Focus and work to achieve what's possible, not some pie-in-the-sky dream that can only result in failure and disappointment. 

I consider myself to be highly motivated, but I also recognize that I have certain limitations.

Mark 

Or the way I've heard it around here is, "Stop saying 'I can't' when you really mean 'I don't want to.'"

I didn't say that someone was a BOPer, just because of the lack of talent.  I said that individuals have difficult potentials.  Hard work and effort will help a person to maximize whatever talent and ability they possess, but at the end of the day that still doesn't guarantee and a certain level of performance.  Some people are just going to be faster or stronger than others no matter what.

Mark

Few people have any REAL idea what their limitations are.  Don't box yourself in.

There are plenty of marathons withe a 6.5 hour or longer course limit. But it's mot appropriate for all races. For the Atlanta marathon, if there were a 6.5 hour course limit, the RD would have to ask volunteers to work until at least 3pm, on Thanksgiving. That would result in very few people volunteering, because it would mean drastically altering their holiday plans. And no volunteers means no race.

 And that's why it needs to be at the RD's discretion.

Just be aware that you can't just show up and expect to run the predicted time. Read over the website, here's what he says about "Equivalent Performance":

What is an Equivalent Performance?

When I say "Equivalent Performance", I mean what would be an equivalent race time at one race distance based on your recent race time at another distance. For example, if you run 31:24 for 10K, you might wonder what you could run for a 5K or for the marathon or for a 30K or 15K. Using my Running Calculator, you'll now know. Of course, I must say that these are "estimates" of what you can run. Actual results will vary depending on the course, the weather, if it's your day or not and a myriad of other factors. However, I think you'll find that within a small variation, these estimates are accurate. (Do keep in mind that a 5K runner is unlikely to run the equivalent time in the marathon off of 5K training. The runner would obviously need to train for the marathon to accomplish this equivalent time.)

Houston has a 6-hour cutoff, not that far away. Mardi Gras is a month or so later and has a longer cutoff. Ditto Austin.

Look, there is a myriad of excuses to be found. If you want to do a marathon, find one and do it. As I said, stop saying "I can't" when you mean "I don't want to."

Yeah, and if you can't shoot par you shouldn't be allowed on a golf course...

Mark