Can “anyone” really do a marathon?

I think you're pretty amazing to be doing 10k. I'm sure it's just a case of training, practice and determination. You can always alternate between jogging and walking.

I was also inspired watching them all today!

I’ve done four halves but yet to do the full distance
its more about determination than fitness and I think most people, prob not all, can do one if they really want to. I include myself in that, just not feeling sufficiently determined yet. I absolutely will one day.

best of luck with the 10k which is a great next step to take. Think about a ten miler or half marathon after.

fwiw I know several women who first did a marathon in their 40s. Some were new to running in their 40s too! Most are fairly slow, finishing in 5h or so. But kudos to all of them.

I think anyone can train to do it but you shouldn’t underestimate how challenging it is.

i did one in October - prior to that I’d been running years and exercised 6 times a week. It was the toughest thing I’ve done and I ended up with a slipped disc and have barely been able to exercise since ! Even walking at one point was a challenge. I’ve since heard of a few people who’ve had similar injuries following a marathon. It takes such a toll.

My husband has run 3 marathons over recent years, and yes he has run all the way. He did his first London marathon in less than 4 hours. It did take up a lot of our life for 6 months during his training period but it was worth it to see the smile on his face when he completed it 🙂

It seems that the biggest hurdle as we get older is avoiding injury. If you can do that, and don't mind going slowly, then yes you can do a marathon.

The advice to build up slowly is good. I started running 10 years ago, did a few 10kms, a few half marathons and then ran a good for age time in Bournemouth marathon in 2018.

So four years of regular running slowly building up the distance worked for me.

As pp say, your mindset changes. I remember thinking 'wonder if I can run 10 miles?' and a couple of years later thinking of a 15 mile run as 'fairly short'.

Having never been a runner, I once trained for a 1/2 marathon at the grand old age of 39. I completed it in 2hrs 15, which I thought was a respectable result, especially as there were 40,000 runners. Could I have carried on and run a few more miles - probably, yes. Could I have turned around and run all the way back to the start line - hell no! I had absolutely no desire to run a full marathon. My running partner did try and persuade me to enter the London Marathon but I knew my limits (mentally as well as physically). She actually went on to do London and really struggled with it, so I'm glad I didn't do it.

All good points! I suppose a couple of years ago I was happy if I could do 5km without walking (this was after a break from running, I did my first half marathon over 10 years ago) - I stuck with it and my shortest runs are currently 7 miles and my favourite distance is 10-11 miles!
Maybe I should give it a go.

I think most people could do a marathon with relatively little training tbh if we consider ‘’doing a marathon’ as completing 26 miles.

If they hadn’t trained it would take them much longer, they’d be at greater injury risk and they’d probably not enjoy it. But they could technically physically complete it. Much of the distance (if you take away speed) is in the mind.

If you can run now, aren’t wedded to a certain time and are prepared to do the beginner training programmes, absolutely go for it.

No, I don’t think I could do it. I used to run a lot, and I’m still fairly fit, when I was younger I would run 10k races fairly regularly but years of road running have knackered my knees and now I can only run on a treadmill and I can’t imagine I’d ever be able to ge to that distance, every time I try to increase my distance above 5k I injure myself.

You have to be prepared to put the time and effort in but yes, I do think anyone can with the right mindset. Every weekend you will have to commit to a long run and 3-4 times a week shorter runs. The sense of achievement when you cross that finish line is worth it. Sign up! I’d recommend Manchester marathon if you don’t get into London.

You can, but having the discipline to stick to the training plan is key.

I'd recommend signing up for an autumn half marathon, that way you'll have a good base already when you find out if you got in or not, rather than trying to cram in marathon training into 6 months from nothing.

Not to one-up the conversation, but, there are plenty of people these days doing ultras and even 100 milers. I listened to a podcast the other day where American Pam Reed completed the Badwater ultra (100 miles I think) and then did another ultra the next weekend. She’s 63. That’s extreme, but for me it brings home what the human body can do. I’ll never do 100 miles, but it shows it’s possible, and that makes 26 miles seem very doable. It also shows that whatever distance you feel you can do, there’s always someone doing less, and someone doing more. You’ve just got to pick where you think you are on that scale.

Agree with @CroccyWoccy - subject to health conditions / disabilities, anyone can with training.

It is hard - not just the training but it takes over your life a little for the 16 weeks or whatever plan you follow. Its more than just the physical training - its eating / sleeping / maybe socialising less (or at least giving up / easing up on wine etc). It is a real commitment and lots of people get injured because they cut corners somehow or life just gets in the way!

But it is 100% worth while. The vast majority of people running London will be doing it for a charity which has touched them in some way, they've all trained hard, many running for the first time. The spirit / atmosphere is brilliant. People shouting your name, cheering you on, running those last couple of miles down the Embankment is just off the scale brilliant, its so emotional. It doesn't matter if you do it in 3 hours or 6, it's just doing it!! I've done it twice, both in my 40s. I know probably 20 or so people who have done it within my wider social circle and everyone has LOVED it. If you want to have a go OP, go for it. Be sensible with the training, start gradually and honestly you will be amazed at home much further/ longer you can go than you think you can !

I run 30-35 miles a week on a regular basis. I am no athlete. I run very slow, about 10min mile over long distances of 7-10miles. I’m about 11min mile for 10+ mile distances.

I have a Garmin watch which monitors my heart rate and my runs. I like to keep to 140-155 but I end up at 155-170 because of the heat. I’m in Texas and it’s over 20c each day already. I prefer to run when it’s 0-15c with low humidity.

If you want to run a marathon I suggest first getting yourself comfortable with 10k and then the half marathon before you embark on the marathon journey. My other suggestion is to do very limited speed work if you have tight hamstrings. The hard starting and stopping injures me every single time.

I mix in yoga now with my running and I’m going to add proper strength training at some point. I just much prefer running.

I really think some of them will have damaged themselves, yes.

I trained for a 5km swim a few years back. That's about the swimming equivalent of a half marathon (took me 2 hours).

I was an able swimmer but not particularly practised at the time. (I think I could swim a half a km or a km at the start of my training.)

I did 2 short swims and a long swim a week, and just added half a kilometre every week, got myself to 4.5km 2 weeks before the event and then tapered.

BUT I don't think I could have done a 10km swim.

I really enjoy swimming but my shoulders just haven't been able to cope with the number of rotations I was asking them to do. That swim itself was fine, but I carried on swimming 6-8km a week for about 4 years after before I hurt a shoulder and it's just never been the same since.

I'm not a runner but I guess I would be wary that the same risks would exist around training for a marathon.

Btw when I had done a few half marathons I was also at the “I’ll never do a marathon” stage. But the desire to do it kind of crept up on me and wouldn’t go away. In the end it’s training like anything else.

But people who have only ever run a mile think that they could perhaps run 2 miles but that would be their limit. That's how it works. Running 2 miles with sufficient training makes you feel you could run 1 mile with relative ease. Running 20 miles with sufficient training makes you feel you could run 10 miles with relative ease. Marathon training is about how much 'relative ease' you want, not whether your body can do it. We have all evolved to run, and the vast majority of us are capable of it. Just like anything else, the more you do, the easier it is. If you add a couple of miles onto your 14.5 a couple of times, you'll be saying 'My longest run was 16.5 miles, I couldn't add more than a couple of miles to it though, that would be my limit!'

I’ve run marathon distance (but not an official race) when I was 50. I had been running for over a decade and built up from 10k or so to half marathons and 70.3 triathlons. I’d wanted to do it for ages and felt 50 was a milestone year so I wrote myself a training plan and stuck to it. I only ran 3 times a week, only did 6/7k twice in the week and kept my long runs for the weekends, which gradually got to about 35k. On the day it took me ages, but it was a coast path trail route with lots of climbing. But I did it, enjoyed it, and felt really happy I’d done it. It taught me the real value of promising yourself something and working for it.
Maybe I’ll train up and do a competitive one some day.

I don't think I could run a marathon, or even a half. It's a question of endurance, rather than speed. I'd also hate to be in that crowd with all the runners.

I've thought about it before but ultimately I think all of the training would take away the joy of running for me. I run for about an hour 3 or 4 times a week. I don't think the risk of injury and losing the enjoyment I have in running is worth it tbh.

If you go onto the BUPA website it has free training plans for various distances including a marathon. If you look at those it will give you an idea of the commitment involved. If you can do those you can run a marathon. But you can't skimp on the long runs, that is a recipe for disaster.

I honestly don't think I could, I am a regular runner, have done 3 half marathons and run the same distance unofficially on a regular basis - the last couple of miles can be very hard and I just couldn't comprehend doing the whole thing again when I stop!
My longest run ever has been 14.5 miles - I could probably add a couple of miles onto this but that would be my limit I think!

I'm sure you can. I've seen a banana AND a rhino doing it.

I totally get the armchair mode thing - when it's all going well I can feel as though I'm sitting down and my legs are taking me for a ride, it's brilliant. I genuinely enjoy the ups and downs too because you get to give different muscles a rest. Round here you can't avoid hills unless you run along the A road, so you get hill fit whether you mean to or not!