Endurance runners often encounter critics who question why people choose to put themselves through the agony of running a marathon. In all fairness though it’s a reasonable question. Why do people run marathons? Why do people run to the point of physical and mental exhaustion? Why do some do it over and over again?
During my journeys as a runner both in the United States and abroad I’ve had the fortune of picking the minds and hearts of dedicated runners and asked them why they run. The variety of answers I got were as diverse as a box of Jelly Bellys!
Personally, I run marathons for a variety of reasons. I run because I want to see what I’m capable of doing. Sitting in an office 50 hours a week doesn’t necessarily give me the opportunity to find out what I’m capable of (physically at least). Nor does sitting in an office all week allow me to see the world, which is another reason why I love to run. I can’t think of a better way to see the world and interact with it than to do so by foot. One such experience was the 2007 Florence Italy Marathon. I also run marathons because I have an intrinsic drive to explore and compete. It’s in my nature to take risks and push the limits. That’s why I run marathons. But enough with my reasons. What are the other reasons I’ve heard from marathon runners around the world?
Here are some of the answers I’ve been given to the question
why do people run marathons?
1. “I was brought up as a runner and have run my whole life”
2. “My friends and/or family are runners and I did it to join them”
3. “I was bored with how things were going in my life and I needed a change”
4. “Over the past few years I’ve managed to really put on some weight and needed to get back in shape”
5. “I read about a cause such as breast cancer or HIV/AIDS that I could raise money and awareness for by running a marathon”
6. “I believe that people were made to run“
7. “I’m not the religious type, but there’s something spiritual about running in the outdoors and interacting with our world in a very simple yet inspiring way. To me, running is my religion since it brings me peace and happiness”
8. “Running marathons makes me happy and gives me a sense of accomplishment”
9. “I would love to be a swimmer but I suck at it”
10. “It’s a challenge”
11. “I’m addicted to collecting the finisher’s medals” (My personal favorite!)
12. “I ran a half marathon and felt great about it, so I figured I have it in me to run a full marathon”
13. “There’s a certain sense of honor I get by participating in an event with such deep roots in world history”
14. “It’s one of those things I promised myself I would do before I die”
15. “I’m an adrenaline junkie and crossing the finish line is a thrill”
16. “My friends pressured me into it”
17. “Running seemed like a healthy hobby to pick up and over time I got better at it”
18. “I had an injury and my doctor told me that structured exercise would help me recover. As I got stronger I become more addicted to running and staying fit and it all ballooned from there”
19. “I lost a loved one and wanted to dedicate a marathon in their memory”
20. “Growing up I never played sports. When I became an adult I decided to change that and got into running”
21. “In my professional life I’ve noticed that I automatically get more respect because I’m an endurance runner. Running marathons is my way of maintaining a professional edge”
22. “I want to be a positive role model in my kids life”
In just a few years of running marathons I’ve come across the above reasons. Undoubtedly I’ve probably left off a few. Do you know of any other reasons why people run marathons? If so, please comment on this post and tell us what it is!
I ran a marathon to see how far I could push myself mentally and physically.
“anything less than your best would be waste of the gift”
That was the reason for my friend that used to be very overweight, now he’s not
I run because for me it is the only time that is my time. I run for the feeling of personal growth. I run for health. I run for peace of mind. I run for self respect. And sometimes I run for glory!
[...] back and do it again and again. After some research I came across Andy John’s post explaining why people run marathons, and this can apply to just about any physically challenging milestone. I think we were all born [...]
Thank you for your feedback and comments Kris, Josh and Jonathan. Much appreciated!
I run because I want to stay healthy. I don’t want to get overweight, have heart disease, cardiovascular disease…
I want to feel good about myself. Running keeps off stress. And it isn’t just running, you can do a bunch of other exercises like swimming, hiking, a sport, etc.
Being active is the one of the keys to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Because I can and it doing it make me feel alive. You go through life conditioned to think that anything thats hard or long isn’t worth it but I think you need pain to develop as a person and enjoy life. After an injury where I could barely walk running make the world seem brighter and a happier place and if you have legs wasting them is a crime. Running releaves stress its not something you have to talk about if you don’t want to and it can be very personnel. You don’t need anything to do it and it stops boredom. Lastly people push there bodies to the limit to to feel alive and live life to the full without thinking what if?
Im still in Highschool and I’ve run 4 marathons, run track/cross country, and am soon going to run an Ultra, but i still don’t really know why i run…
I’ve never run a marathon. I’ve just signed up for my first 10K race. And I’m willing to run a marathon – in a not so distant future. Why I run? Because it was the one thing I used to hate doing and totally sucked at. So my pride took over and I had to prove to myself that, if all these people could do it, why couldn’t I?
And from running 1min at a time, here I am.
Its just putting one foot in front of the other…over and over and over and over ….!
Running is what I do all year. The marathon is an end of the year party, like a prom, to celebrate another successful and happy year of running!
The reason we run is to impress ourselves with ourselves and of course impress other people as well!
It is for our glory. Oh yeah and we enjoy the self abuse and pain especially once we get use to it. Then its time to seek some other kind of high. Like having an affair or maybe when we get older possibly running for public office!
I run not because I enjoy running, but I want to be the fastest among my peers. I know it seems so shallow and ridiculous but everybody has different reasons. I just wish I didn’t have to do it for others.