Half marathon with no training

Two weeks to go with only a sub-optimum 5k before? No running base? Good time to start the #brainytapir 😎

Coffee and pre-workout is a good recipe for shitting himself.

It's unlikely he'll die, but sounds like a good recipe for a few hours of suffering. Please let us know how he gets on.

A couple of bizarrely hostile posts on this thread. Why shouldn't the OP be concerned about her partner's health, and why the nasty remarks about 'drip feeding', just on the basis of one extra detail?

Hahaha. I did once. I had been a runner in the past but had done no running for about a year. I never completed sub 2 in any of my half marathon so that was never a goal but I did it. Flipping hurt the next day tho.

My concern is when he puts his mind to something he can be very stubborn and competitive so I think when the run starts he’ll actually go much faster than he should

I'm sure he will, at the beginning, but his body won't let him sustain that and it will just cause him to be much slower later in the event. Stubborn over-exertion is more of a danger in a short race like a 5k, because your mind does have the power to sustain it for the whole distance.

How old is he? If very young (say early-to-mid 20s or less) he might be able to complete it in a respectable way, just from the unearned privilege of youth.

Otherwise, I think that the likelihood is that he will complete it very slowly and have muscular pains from hell that kick in 48 hours afterwards.

I can understand having the chutzpah to say 'yeah, half marathon with no training, fine', but the sub 2-hour goal feels a bit cocky, and if he fails, the failure will do him good.

The coffee thing is daft and bodes ill for his success/enjoyment on the day.

He will do it.
He will injure himself.
Lesson possibly learned.

He'll probably get round but will have a fairly unpleasant 2 hours. As others have said traing in running is not just about fitness but learning pacing, hydrstion and nutrotion( the coffee idea is terrible).

Mr Monkey regularly does 1hour 25 min half marathons sometimes with no extra training BUT he runs at least two marathons a year and as a bare minimum runs two 5k races a week (parkrun and his evening runclub) and at least one 20k run a month.

Lol, please do tell us how he gets on.

Crazy thing to do.

Anyone sane would be training and building up to this kind of distance over months not just throwing himself in at the deep end.

highly likely to end up injuring himself.

Doesn’t sound like he’s the kind of man that can be reasoned with though so I’d stay well out of it and let him crack on but I certainly wouldn’t be running around after him if the inevitable happens and he gets hurt.

It’s a stupidly thing to do and he will find it hard and will likely need to walk a lot

He's going to struggle I suspect especially in this heat.

Any other information you'd like to drip feed to nudge people to your way of thinking?

Anyway, is it naive to run a 20k with no training? Yes. Will he do it relatively easily with minimal risk to his health? Also yes.

So a person wants to do a half marathon may quit before he starts may attempt it an complete it or may just run bits and walk other bits

Why ia it any of it and issue for anyone other than the person doing it?

I’m all for people challenging themselves to go further but half marathons are physically a lot harder than most people think, especially in hot weather.

He’ll likely make it round but with some of the following ticked;
a lot of walking
a slow time
something that needs a trip to the medical tent - think blisters, bleeding nips, upset stomach/puking, dehydration or hyponatremia
a lot of complaining after (lucky you)
feel crap for a while after (also lucky you)
wanting to do another one to right the wrongs

Get him a banana suit to wear, then he can pause and chat to spectators, stop for selfies etc.

It also has the benefit, should he come last, that he can tell everyone he was only doing it for his Granny as "it's what she would have wanted".

He's a cocky idiot and he's probably going to shit his pants, but it won't do him permanent harm and will hopefully teach him a lesson. There's a reason people train for these things.

what time did he do 5k in? You say he struggled, but was it a 30 min struggle, or a 20 min struggle?

Does he do other sports? It’s hard to gauge his fitness from what you’ve said.

Please report back on how he gets on 😁

Please come back and tell us how he got on. As a fit person who’s done a few half’s after a bit of training I think he’ll struggle. He will be able to walk it but I suspect that’s not going to be good for his ego.

Can he do it? Yes. Can he do a sub 2 hour? Doubtful. Should you be worried? Not unless there's something missing from your info such as he has recently had a coronary by-pass.

Are there any hills? He won’t be able to complete it in under 2hrs on the basis of your description of his fitness. He’ll probably do a combination of setting off crazy fast, slowing down, walking, gearing up, running, walking etc. It’ll be mentally gruelling because hea underestimated how far 13 miles is, and I’d expect him to be in a bad mood afterwards 😂. Just try not to have an “I told you so!” face at the finishing line!

Do come back and let us know how he gets along 😉

He’ll end up walking a lot of it, rather than running it. If he struggles to do 5k, he’s not going to be able to do 21k, especially if warm.

If its any help, Im a non runner and as a seriously overweight 59 year old, having had covid the week previously only getting the all clear the day before, I did a 13 mile charity hike - roads, beaches, cliffs, steps etc and survived.

Took me 4 hours though and that was walking

If it's an even surface and hes in reasonable health , he will be fine. Only I would skip the coffee and make sure Ive a light breakfast and some protein snacks and jelly babies with me - as well as loads of fluids

How old is he? My ex husband's brother decided to run a full marathon, he did train, he had a heart attack. They said he was lucky he collapsed at one of the first aid tents as the defib is the reason he lived. He had to retire has undoubtedly shortened his life span and will be on meds forever now. He was in his 50s when he did this, but appeared slim and fit.

Of course it's not, in any way, strange to be concerned about foolishly trying to run a half marathon with no clue or training.

Chances are he'll probably be fine, but you're not foolish at all to be worried.

Sub 2 is just over 9 min/mile.
That’s a pretty decent pace for an intermediate runner who has trained.
I don’t rate his chances tbh, but if he’s of regular fitness I’m sure he’ll get round somehow.

Im sure he can finish half marathon but doing it under 2h is very ambitious. There is no need to be anxious, can't really see what could go irreversibly wrong.