Half marathon with no training

To be fair, squash and football both need good stamina to get through a match
despite the running being lots of anaerobic bursts rather than continuous. Doing that regulary through the week is a decent volume of appropriate base fitness even though it's not optimal training.

Good point - I just know from endless running updates and commentary that coffee is a no . I am not a runner 😂

@Pearl69 yes lots of coffee is a bad idea before running. It doesn't come back up so much as go down too quickly! Also running on its own can speed up bowel movements. So lots of coffee plus running - a recipe for toilet disaster

How old is he?
My brothers used to run marathons in their 20s and 30s. They played a bit of squash and football sometimes so fit ish but not runners. They managed just fine. Young bodies, strong impulsive heads. He will be fine if he is determined 💪

Oh please come back and let us know how he got on!

sub 2 hours is hilarious!

I run regularly and think its a silly idea!
A few months ago I did a half that I had trained for (i do a 10+ mile run most weekends and 3 sessions during the week) I set off too fast and ran out of steam half way and the second half was fairly unenjoyable and involved lots of walking! I did finish under 2 hours but it wasnt the time I was aiming for!

....But i generally enjoy half marathons when I pace them well, if he wants to have a decent try, aim for an autumn one, the weather will be cooler and hell get more time to train

Also are you in the UK? A half marathon at the end of July does not sound wise. There is a reason why most mass participation distance races take place in spring and autumn here. Running in the heat with no experience is a recipe for disaster.

Mr Monkey ran a half in mid September a couple of years ago. There was an unseasonal heatwave - 30 degrees). He got round ok as he is experienced in running in the heat but he said people were dropping like flies on tne course.

If he can easily walk the distance then at least he will be able to complete it although the time will be slow. But if he struggled with a 5k at a normal pace then I’m not sure 2 weeks is long enough to do 20+ at a run. I also wouldn’t recommend lots of coffee, running itself can make people need to poo, so add coffee plus lack of training and I’d be worried about shitting myself

I would feel the same as you op. You say he struggled to complete the 5k, so this is daft. I don’t think it’s unusual to be concerned about someone you love putting their body under so much strain and not sure why some people here are giving you a hard time about it.
a quick google says there’s a real risk of injury. Hope he realises how hard it is and walks most of it.

I’ve only recently started running, doing couch to 5k for weeks now… I thought myself reasonably fit before but have really needed t build up my stamina, cardio, lung capacity/breathing and muscles. There are various muscles that I never really knew existed causing knee and hip pain that I have had to work on gradually strengthen, ensure my gait, pace and how my foot hits the ground is right (I’m sure there are all technical words for this but I’m still a newbie).

I would be very worried about the damage he will inflict on his body if he attempts to run it all, ‘pushing through’ to get a competitive time. Chances are he physically won’t be able to and will end up walking most of it and be bitterly disappointed with himself..

Ha, if he can barely run 5k how on earth does he think he’ll run 21? What a tool.

Top tip - my DH runs marathons but never runs on a coffee (I think it comes back up !) . Your DH is a muppet but he ll live.

I think he will be fine. he backs himself, that's the main thing. I know someone that did a marathon with no training in under 3 hrs. They were a PT so pretty fit.

A half marathon is pretty challenging with training but is going to be an unpleasant experience for someone who has never run more than 5k and thinks coffee will get him round under 2 hours.

I expect the wheels will come off around 10k and he will be walking/jogging it in with a few blisters and sore legs.

Do let us know how he gets on!

Firstly, he's got two weeks so he can get in a few runs, but he shouldn't start serious training now - it's too late and will just exhaust him. Secondly, he should hydrate and fuel properly for the 48 hours before the race - two litres of water per day minimum and a big bowl of something carby the night before. And thirdly, he should accept right now that he needs to run/walk. If it's hilly, he should run the flats (at whatever pace he can manage) and walk up the hills (that's what ultra marathoners do). Fourthly, he should accept every bottle of water that is offered to him on the course and tip it over his head if he's not thirsty or feels uncomfortably hot. And finally, if he feels faint, dizzy or unwell he should stop and ask a marshal for help.

I ran a half with very minimal training after I caught Covid in the middle of my training. I managed to run the whole distance, but I'm a regular runner and the time wasn't impressive - I just wanted to get round. I felt bloody awful afterwards too. You can do a 5k with no training if you're reasonably young and fit, 10k is pushing it - that's a decent run - and a half? I wouldn't ever recommend that someone runs a half without training.

He's likely to find that it hurts more and takes longer than he thinks it will, but it's highly likely that a reasonably fit young man can haul himself round half marathon distance without specific training. However long it takes, in a few years' time he'll be going, "Oh, I once did a half marathon, I didn't need to train for it, I didn't bother timing it but I think it took me just over an hour."

On the other hand, I'm an experienced runner and have found myself spending most of the last couple of miles of a 1:45-ish half marathon chatting with a young lad doing his first half marathon "for a bet" wearing cargo shorts and leather boots and with his race number pinned to his back. He took off ahead with half a mile to go and had put two or three minutes between us by the finish.

OP, I'd advise letting him get on with it and giving him as much support as is practical for you.

Buy in some ibuprofen and deep heat...

He'll probably get around.
I've ended up doing 2½ hour HMs with last minute injuries (torn muscle-didn't know what it was at the time, trapped nerve and tendonitis) so while I was trained, I did have to abort plan A times and do run/ walk strategies. Mental grit will get you a long way.

The sub-2hrs is very unlikely, and aiming for a time like that rather than just completing is more likely to make him burn out.

Coffee is literally a shit idea for an untrained newbie. He needs something plain and carby like porridge. Many novice HMers struggle with churning their digestive systems around even with training and practising fuelling and it takes plenty of time for the body to adjust, often a few training blocks.

He sounds like the type to give it a blast and be determined to learn the hard way on some rough headlines of information, but you might get most foothold of influence on the nutrition side of it, and that makes a huge difference in not bonking out at mile 11.

Please update us on how it went... 😁

Dh is doing 15 k in two week. He goes to gym 4x a week is very strong/ fit. He has trained over last few months with two runs a week starting at 5k and building up he’s just done 13k so is confident for 15k by race day. People can obviously do long distance with little training but not well and he will hurt his body for it.
He sounds arrogant.

How old is he and is he reasonably active? Agree with others that unless he's generally quite unfit or older, getting round shouldn't be an issue but sub 2 hours is pretty unlikely.

I woke up one day and decided to do a half marathon. It was fine. Took a few hours, my legs the next day were destroyed but we are designed (health issues aside) to move.

If he had a good level of fitness, had been running a bit/can run at a good pace and did a slow trott/walked when needed he'd likely get round unscathed. If he doesn't do much running and goes for 2hrs he'll feel like shit and possibly injure himself.

Im basing this on the half marathons I've run and trained for!

I’ve done a few half-marathons, a couple of them with minimal training and the others with some training but not as much as you’re supposed to do. I came in at about 2hr 30 each time. I was in my 20s and 30s at the time and was regularly running at least 5ks. There’s no way I could do it now (early 40s).

As well as the fitness aspect, there’s also all the other stuff that kicks in at that kind of distance: blisters, chasing, lost toenails. If he hasn’t had much chance to practice in his running gear and make any adjustments he needs to mitigate those things then it’s going to be a rough week afterwards.

Runners are a funny bunch! I imagine he’s got the 2 hours from multiplying his 5k time by 4, not taking into account any other factors. Do let us know how it goes.

Ex competitive runner here. He will not do it in 2 hours without training. He will very likely injure himself. It’s not really fair on the people volunteering to do first aid because he will very likely need it. Ideally he should walk and jog and even then he will probably be very sore and possibly pick up an injury.

It’s a stupid idea and he probably won’t finish. Or will end up having to walk most of it.

However, he’s unlikely to do himself any real harm beyond sore legs and a bruised ego.

Coffee is a bizarre idea. That’s not going to help unless his goal is to shit himself and/or have to keep stopping for a wee.