Walking a Marathon

Mjspahr

I'm turning 26 soon and want to do a marathon sometime during the year. I have bad knees so I'm planning on walking it. Advice? Friend me!

urbansmamma

My mom did it twice. It's not easy, it takes a LONG time but it's doable. Training is key. The best advice i ever got was it's 80% mental and 20% skill.

Daisy_Cutter

I've walked two. My first one, and then one with a friend that was walking.

You can do it... It'll take you between 6-8 hours and you need to be sure the course you do doesn't have a time limit... or know what it is so you can train to come in UNDER that limit. Some races will close the course support. There are some really walker-friendly races out there that will allow early starts. Find one of those. That way you'll start during cooler temperatures.

You CAN do it... Just train and find yourself a good pair of running shoes. Yes, running... don't get shoes designed for walking. If you're going to be walking a marathon you need running shoes. Trust me on this!

DC

Qatsi

I'll be walking my first marathon in October, in Long Beach. The key, I think, is to train just as you would if you were running.

I started "training" back in February when I decided to commit to the 10,000 steps a day challenge. After walking my first 5K in April, I got to thinking about longer events and penciled in the Huntington Beach half marathon in February 2013 as a goal. By the end of June, though, my long walks were already approaching 11-12 miles and decided to go for the FULL marathon in February, and the HALF marathon in Long Beach as a warm-up in October. But then I looked up some marathon training schedules online and realized I was actually far enough along to be able to tackle the full 26.2 miles in October.

I found some good resources at marathonwalking.com, including articles and training schedules.

Be aware of the course time limits. The LB marathon has a 7.5 hour limit, which works out to a 3.5 mph pace or a 17:11 mile. The HB marathon, on the other hand, has a 6 hour limit, or 4.37 mph or a 13:45 mile. That's some fast walking - good thing I have another five months to get ready for this one!

Agree with the other poster - get good running shoes, and get a custom fitting if you can. You'll pay a bit more, but you'll get a pair of shoes that fits your walking style.

You CAN do this. Ten months ago it was a challenge for me to walk ONE mile, and now I consider anything less than ten miles a "short" walk.

redredy9

This is too late for this year - but if anyoneis interested in walking a Marathon next year - Harrisburg PA has a walking option. The walkers start 2 hours before the runners. Its in November.