How much harder is a full marathon compared to a half?

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  • kylTKe
    kylTKe Posts: 146 Member
    I think most people approach both races the same (probably because of the name), which is why you get so many "half is easier than a full" comments. Is a full marathon 26 times more painful than a mile? If you're thinking yes then you must never have run a real mile. As with pretty much all races, shorter ones cause more acute pain whereas longer ones cause more exhaustion. And really, the mythical 20 mile wall is a bit of an invention. Can you deplete your glycogen stores during a marathon? Yes. But plenty of runners don't experience anything like hitting the wall, and many more simply convince themselves that they have because of all the fairy tales they get told. It's usually more mental exhaustion than anything else.

    My point is, you shouldn't be afraid of the full marathon, but, remember that it's a different race than the half and you should approach it accordingly.

    Good luck.
  • seekingstrengthX2
    seekingstrengthX2 Posts: 771
    So happy to see my thread revived again. :)

    Registration for my full opened July 1st and I registered THAT day. I also booked my hotel so no backing out!
    :happy:

    Thanks for all of the wonderful advice!
  • ww123butterfly
    ww123butterfly Posts: 6
    I am doing NYC this fall also. It will be the second time I tackle NYC and the marathon! Good luck!
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