Have you ever seen a sticker on someone’s car boasting the numbers 13.1 or 26.2? While these stickers may have raised a few eyebrows several years ago, today they are common and becoming more so as the marathon craze continues to trend. According to Running USA, a non-profit organization, more than half a million Americans completed a marathon last year, a 47% increase in the last decade.
Historically, the first marathon was run in 490 B.C. when Phedippides ran from Marathon, Greece to Athens to spread the news of their victory over the Persians. This 25-mile event eventually spread to the London Olympics in 1908. Queen Alexandra requested that the distance be extended so that the royal children could watch the finish line from their nursery, making the race 26.2 miles, and the official standard for marathons to follow. Since that fateful day, America has adopted and incorporated marathons into our everyday culture.
Today, the economic recession is adding to the marathon craze with record-levels of both marathon runners and races themselves. Those who are out of work are dedicating their new found free time to a more rigorous training schedule, which has driven marathon statistics such as completion time and number of participants to an all time high. Olympic-level competition is also gaining popularity as elite college runners are opting to pursue their athletic careers instead of facing the possibility of unemployment.
On the other hand, as running gains popularity, the price of the registration is also steadily rising. This means that each course must remain open for a longer period of time, which multiplies the expense that is dedicated to auxiliary race costs, like police support. According to Stride Nation, the median price of entry is $65.
Among the increased number of participants are slower runners who aim to check another goal off of their bucket list. Serious marathoners do not believe that it should take more than six hours to complete a 26.2-mile race, yet some people walk every other mile. Some of the more prominent marathons enforce a time limit to keep runners on pace. According to The New York Times, there is an ongoing debate about preserving the event while maintaining a reasonable amount of time for the race.
Marathon Mania has hit Cincinnati and Ohio with thousands of new marathoners joining the new marathons races that seem to spring up annually. Cincinnati’s now famous Flying Pig Marathon will soon be upon us drawing runners from around the world to compete in the Queen City.
Are you a part of “marathon mania”?
Herding dogs have a job to do, a very important job. Rounding up livestock is what they were bred to do. As herding dogs were further domesticated, they traded farmland and mountain ranges for tidy backyards, living rooms and doggie-day care. So the only thing most of these guys are herding in modern times are other domesticated pets like themselves.
Shot on an iPhone, with Instagram conversion, by Jon Keeling.