Walking a marathon ?

1992mittens13
1992mittens13 Posts: 65 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
This may seem silly, but I have never participated in a marathon, or even seen one for that matter.
I'd like to start participating in the breast cancer runs, and MADD runs.. or any other events in my area.

However, I can't run. I don't even know the last time I actually ran. I can't even jog for more than 10 seconds really, my fitness level is not even close to that.

Walking it would be a challenge, but it's something I would do.

But.. would I look silly? or does there tend to be walkers too ? (and not just as breaks, but the entire thing).. I just want to start somewhere!

( Again, sorry if this seems silly, I've just never been around one to see what people do! )

Replies

  • RachelAngel01
    RachelAngel01 Posts: 77 Member
    I suggest looking for a local Galloway training group in your area. You can train to run/walk a half marathon (or a marathon, but you may want to start at half marathon distance to avoid injury) with them, and they can put you with an appropriate training pace group. I started in a run 30 sec/walk 1 min group. I think you would be shocked at how far you can go with intervals like this, particularly at a slow pace.

    The reason I suggest this route as opposed to straight walking is that, depending on the particular race's course time, you may not be able to finish the course before it closes. I have seen walkers at some races, but you would need to do some investigating as to which races are walker friendly. Not all are.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    edited October 2014
    Around here the breast cancer runs are 5km, rather than a marathon, and lots of people walk. Given the volume of people and the short distance it's not something you'll get a terrific time on anyway.

    As far as walking a marathon is concerned. It can depend on the race. The walkers on a race I was in a few weeks ago started an hour earlier than runners for both the marathon and the half marathon. Runners started picking up the walkers about 35 minutes in.

    Some races have a break time, so you'll either have to reach a checkpoint by a specific time, or a sweep bus will follow the route at a defined pace. So essentially does the race allow enough time to walk the distance?

    All that said, I'd suggest trying a Couch to 5K running plan, to see if it's something you enjoy, and then build from there.

    Note that in terms of time, you could walk a 5K in about 45-50 minutes, walkers on the half marathon were taking 3:30-4:00 hours compared to around 1:45-2:45 hours for runners and the Marathon walkers were on their feet for around 7:00-8:00 hours, compared to between 3:00 and 5:00 for the bulk of the runners.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    Walking a 5k (3.1 miles) is reasonable. Walking a marathon (26.2 miles) is a bit of a stretch. Start small and work up.
  • 1992mittens13
    1992mittens13 Posts: 65 Member
    Haha, oh my. I know I wrote marathon, I totally meant the 5KM / 10 KM Fundraising events. oops, my fault. My brain lost track there.

    Thanks for the answers :)
  • MrsKGrady
    MrsKGrady Posts: 276 Member
    I totally run/walk or walk 5ks in my area (I'm doing 19 this year). If you want to just walk one, look for a run/walk. If you want to start running, I can't recommend the couch to 5k program enough. Until I had to stop for a medical reason, I was running more and more each 5k I did. I can't wait to start running again.

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