About 50 years ago, marathon runners were looked upon as heroes. Not everyone was able to run such an impressive distance without stopping. Today, however, marathon running competitions are held in hundreds of countries around the world, with professionals and amateurs participating together. Running is very popular; every year thousands of people find in it a way to improve their health, challenge themselves, or compete with running masters.
And the marathon movement finds broad support: many world-famous brands act as marathon sponsors, providing not only financial support but also promoting this sport among the broad masses of their fans. For example, Red Bull has created a special section on its official website: http://www.redbull.com/ru/ru/stories/1331720045838/ultramarathones-for-superheroes, which covers sports events and events of global significance.
It is a deep misconception that one can prepare for a marathon from scratch in three months or less. The super-load, accompanied by micro-tears of muscle fibers and the expenditure of about 2000 kilocalories, will not allow an amateur to finish the race. Pheidippides, a trained and strong Greek warrior, dropped dead after bringing news of victory over enemies from the town of Marathon to Athens. And that distance was only 34 km; what can be said about ordinary people leading a sedentary lifestyle?
Preparation for a marathon includes approximately 4-5 sessions per week with a total volume of at least 50 km. Comprehensive preparation for covering a marathon distance includes interval, progressive, and recovery runs, as well as one long training session (13-35 km). The latter pursues the following goals:
* adaptation of the body to loads close to marathon ones;
* development of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems;
* selection of an optimal pace for covering the marathon.
Each runner before the start chooses a cluster – a special section where participants with a certain expected finish time gather. Elite runners start from the front line; beginners or amateurs start the marathon further back. This is done to avoid crowding at the start.
Aid stations are located every 5-7 km. At them, a runner can drink water and eat high-calorie food such as bananas, raisins, oranges, and energy bars.
The world record in the marathon among men was set by Kenyan Dennis Kimetto – 2 hours 2 minutes 57 seconds; among women, the achievement of Paula Radcliffe from England remains unsurpassed – 2 hours 15 minutes 25 seconds. Despite the large gap in results between professionals and amateurs, marathon running is becoming increasingly popular, and the most famous marathons in the world gather several tens of thousands of participants at the start.