Today's forecast is sunny and almost 60 degrees, near perfect weather for New York City’s 42nd Marathon, which begins this morning, November 6th, and will host approximately 45,000 participants. To me, marathons are always staggering, the sheer size and breadth of the event. It would be as if everyone in the entire town of Bloomfield all came together and ran to Garden State Plaza and back. Not something you could imagine happening any time soon.
Marathons are so named for the city in Greece where a battle ensued between Persians and Athenians in 490 B.C. Legend has it that a Greek messenger ran from Marathon to Athens with news of Greece’s victory in what became known as The Battle of Marathon. His run became the inspiration for an athletic event – a run between Athens and Marathon – first introduced in 1896.
The distance that messenger ran is either 34.5 km (21.4 miles) or 40.8 km (25.4 miles), depending on which route he took. Since then, the race has become a standard 42,195-meter run (just over 26 miles) since 1924. The New York City Marathon has become the largest in the world.
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In addition to the physical and mental preparation runners must go through, nutritional preparation can make or break the day for an athlete. Many runners swear by bananas as the perfect high-carb, potassium-rich food to get them through a race. Indeed, many spectators pass out bananas along with water as an on-the-go pick-me-up. Pre-race, bananas can calm a nervous stomach by suppressing acid secretions and the potassium content also replenishes electrolytes lost in perspiration. Many say they help stave off cramping.
Other, non-nutritional marathon facts:
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- The first New York City Marathon was in 1970
- In 2000, a Wheelchair and Handicapped Division was added
- Men’s marathon record holder: Patrick Makau (Kenya) 2:03:38 in the Berlin Marathon on September 25, 2011
- Women’s marathon record holder: Paula Radcliffe (UK) 2:15:25 in the London Marathon on April 13, 2003
- Fastest Men’s Time in the NY Marathon: 2:07:43 by Tesfaye Jifar (Ethiopia) in 2001
- Fastest Women’s Time in NY Marathon 2:22:31 by Margaret Okayo (Kenya) in 2003
- Oldest Marathon Finisher: Fauja Singh (Britian), 100 years old, finished in 8:11:5.9 in the Toronto Waterfront Marathon on 10/16/11
- In 1977 an eight-year-old ran the marathon in under three hours – and other New York Marathon trivia
If you want to run, there's plenty of local support. The Essex County Running Club organizes group runs in both summer and winter. Also, the upcoming Ashenfelter 8K through Glenridge every Thanksgiving morning. You can register here.
