To think there is no way my SIL will manage to run the marathon?

[edsheeransgingerbeard]

This will probably make me sound like a horrid unsupportive cow, which I'm not, honest!
We were all hugely surprised yesterday when SIL revealed that she has secured a charity London Marathon place. She currently does zero exercise, refuses to walk anything other than short distances as she finds it too much hard work, and is fairly unhealthy generally. She hasn't done any kind of running / jogging for over 20yrs (and never a marathon)
It is obviously fantastic that she wants to start training, and has a goal to aim for. But to go from zero to 26 miles in 4 months is madness, is it not?
I'm a huge lazy glutton right now. I have run a few half marathons over the last few years and I think I could probably get round a half marathon course by the end of April if I started training next week. But not a whole marathon.
AIBU to think that a very unfit person who does not exercise in any way at all can successfully train for a marathon in just over 4 months?

I’d much rather support people like your sister who have a genuine up hill struggle to complete it. Even start it.

People like @Justontherightsideofnormal are just arseholes. Everyone deserve to run, not just those who see themselves as “athletes” (gag). Get over yourselves man, if you’re not raising money for charity and just looking for accolade go bloody run 26 miles to an applause sound track...

Get over yourselves man, if you’re not raising money for charity and just looking for accolade go bloody run 26 miles to an applause sound track...

Oh, fuck the fuck off
Why can't we accept that:
Some people want to run the marathon for charity
Some people want to run the marathon for personal achievement
Some people want to run the marathon for a PB
Some people want to run the marathon to win it.

The people in the first category get charity places. The people in the second category may be charity or ballot places. The people in the third category may have ballot, or club ballot, or GFA, or championship places.
The people in the fourth category are Kosgei or Kipchoge or Farah etc etc, so don't have to jump through any hoops to get to the start line!

All of the above have just as much right to be there as each other. Which is what makes the London marathon and other races like it - ie the Great North Run - so bloody special. On a personal level, for example, I can honestly say that I raced Mo Farah a few years ago. Ok, he beat me by half an hour or so (GNR) but we ran in the same race!
This is what makes big road races special, for so many different reasons. It brings the elite and the masses together for so many different sorts of achievement. The sneery tone of people on this thread, many of whom have never taken on a half marathon, let alone a full, is a bit much.

What are you going on about, Runningonempty? The sneering is coming from the people whose husbands are 'athletes' or those who've completed the marathons themselves and want to 'kick the ladder away' from those who they deem unworthy. It's pathetic.

I do agree with your comment that all have as much right to be there as each other... so, with that in mind, why are there so many naysayers chipping in to disparage? Not in the spirit, is it?

I'd love it if OP's SIL does this on her terms, finishes in whatever time, and gets her photo taken with a famous bod... and posts about it here.

I've never run a marathon in my life and never will... I have cartoon-esque boobs and they are just not suitable for that sort of thing.

Justontherightsideofnormal

To be fair it isn't quite as difficult to get a place if you go for a charity place. I know of several people who have done the London Marathon via charity places as they've never got one via the ballot. Has he tried that way?

I've ran 2 marathons and doing my 3rd in May this year. They are tough, very tough. I was running for over 6 years before I did my first which I signed up for a year in advance.

I think with determination she can do it. Not running the whole way, but can def cross that start line and finish line. She will need a LOT of determination though.

TBH I'd rather sponser someone like your SIL than a regular runner.

In answer to the why dont people get a charity place if they keep getting rejected from the ballot. I've applied for VLM the last 3 years and have been rejected every time. From what I have seen on social media it seems to be more common to get 10 years rejection than get in the first year or two of trying. I have not tried for a charity place simply because I wouldn't sponsor me (as it's not my first marathon and Im a regular runner anyway) unless I was really good friends with myself. Also I think to be sucessful at raising the required level of sponsorship you need to be the outgoing type of person who everyone warms to etc. This is not me. Though yes I keep getting rejected, but I dont have any problems with other people doing it whether they are runners or not. Good for them I say. If they have the chance then I think they should do it.

@LyingWitchInTheWardrobe well she is because she hasn't run in over two decades and thinks she can run 26 miles in 4 months. She hasn't got a chance. If she tried for next year that would be doable. But this year? Nope.

Even people who practice for years can struggle. You see some professional athletes being carried over the finish line.

If it was a half marathon, maybe. But a full one? Not a chance. She's going to damage herself beyond repair by trying. If she tries, I'm not convinced she even will if walking is too much of a struggle for her.

It's the charity that is going to lose out on this which isn't fair. Just because she's had some random thought to try this.

Meh, have a look at the K2B. That's a 40 mile walk mainly uphill........some run it In a couple of hours.

Just under 4 hours was the fastest ever time for a man. It is over 5 hours for the fastest ever woman. For most it is much longer. No one has done it in a couple of hours.

but then you're relying on your friends and family to raise the minimum sponsorship

Most people I know have just put in most, if not all, the sponsorship money - which varies in amounts - themselves. They've just used the charity space as a way of getting in, and seen it as an expensive entry fee.

Well let's hope she is not on Mumsnet. I would never forgive you for discussing me in public.

FWIW I got a ballot place 2nd of trying, but still ran for a charity. Despite being a keen runner I am not a marathon runner so this was a big goal for me. I raised £2500. I wouldn't be able to raise that again as that was my first marathon and people would be less willing to sponsor me now.
If I wanted to improve my time I would not choose London as (unless you're in one of the first pens) it's too congested.

Exactly the same happen to a colleague. She was over weight, never really done any running in her life, worked ft with 3 kids, single mum. I did think she was mad and couldn't imagine her doing it but I thought good for her.

Well she did it! She started running, starting at a couple of miles and built it up, incredibly quickly. She was running 10k, then her first 1/2 a couple of months later. Ok, she was a very slow runner, but still running.

She did the London marathon, slowly, with a lot of walking, 6 hours +, and said she'd never done anything so hard, but SHE DID IT and I was so proud of her. I've been running for almost 10 years and only managed a half marathon distance 3 or 4 times in these years (albeit much faster).

My colleague lost so much weight on the process and has kept it. She looks amazing. Your friend can do it, just be supportive.

I wonder if the people on here with super fast marathon racing husbands are the same ones who mysteriously drop in his “hobby” at the weekend on other threads

Can't say I care overly much why people run marathons, or why any particular person is there at the start line.

But I do think ra-ra'ing suboptimal preparation is 'toxic positivity'. It's not you who is going to dealing with recovering from the injuries, is it? If it was my friend, I'd much rather "piss on her chips" than encourage her to do a program of training that I thought would cause injuries. I'd rather have friends who talked me out of overambitious plans, too. Not all 'support' is worth the name.

That’s great she’s trying to raise money for charity, but like you I’d say she has two chances if finishing it within the seven hours target (if that’s a thing). Slim and none.

I hope she seeks medical advice before embarking on any training. People die at these things as they push themselves too far.

Hopefully you will be there to help her train. Presumably starting off tomorrow or Monday with a brisk two mile walk at scouts pace or something. Take your phone, water, hankies and large plasters. It’s likely she’ll need em. Oh and the bus fare home in case she can’t make it back on foot.

I.dont think there.is a 7 hour cut off time anymore or they just let you continue on the pavement.
To a few poster whove said.peole die runking marathons because they push themselves etc the majority who die have an undiagnosed heart problem. There was the lady who died of a undiagnosed PE and another who drank too much water on a hot day. Running a marathon doesn't generally kill people.

Has your Sil started training yet? Please keep us updated I'd love to know how she gets on.

OP hasn't said whether or not her friend is going to actually do the marathon, just that she has secured a place. She's also said that she's going to support her.

There's been some brilliant advice on training for this on the thread peppered with the usual non-advice just putting down.

I'm going with the more upbeat positivity rather than the judgemental clap-trap that some posters are so fond of. I'm also assuming that OP's friend has a functioning brain and will do what is best for herself.

ShirleyPhallus I wondered that too.

It's the charity that is going to lose out on this which isn't fair
The charity won’t miss out, they take the money whether you run or not.
She can do it, if she sticks to the training and has a plan to run/walk on the day. Going to be tough but she’ll feel amazing when she has finished.

Shit I did training for a half marathon in 6 months and it was hard and I did have an ok level of fitness beforehand.
Some people so walk it though so maybe if she is planning on doing the

She’ll need to be super dedicated but it’s possible if she sticks to a training plan and doesn’t skip any runs. I doubt she will be able to run it all but she’ll be able to get round.

The training is the hardest part to be honest, it becomes a real chore having to go out for long runs every weekend and I’m quite a keen runner!

It's always partly about mental strength, but some of it is just about what your own particular body will tolerate. I entered myself for a half marathon 3 times and never made it to the starting line. I'd built up my running carefully and sensibly over a couple of years, increasing very gradually, trained really sensibly for each event. Every time my training runs went over about 10 miles I had to quit due to injury. Mentally I could certainly have done it.

Also, being 50 and overweight won't just make her less fit, it will make joint problems massively more likely.

To be fair most of the people who die at marathons rend to be very fit youngish males who push themselves far too hard. Her lack of fitness would probably prevent her from giving herself a heart attack but ligament damage etc could be severe.

Dying to know if she's actually done any training yet??

@lookingmyagenow
'To be fair most of the people who die at marathons rend to be very fit youngish males who push themselves far too hard'

See my previous posts this is not true!

It took me 3 months to do couch to 5k.

most of the people who die at marathons rend to be very fit youngish males who push themselves far too hard

This simply isn't true.

There tend to be more male deaths at Marathons because

a) more men enter marathons than women
b) more men have cardiac events than women, especially in the population aged under 50ish (ie men compared to pre-menopausal women, assuming previous good health in both groups)

Older men and post-menopausal women are the highest risk group, but they are not always the greatest number of casualties on the day because they are a much smaller proportion of the entrants. There are more adverse events amongst those who do not run regularly.

SAD (hypertrophic obstructive cardio myopathy) is incredibly rare, but can strike down anyone.

The casualty rate is rising, but to put it in context, it's about one death for every two million runner miles. Nearly all are cardiac events of one sort or another, possibley exacerbated by heatstroke/electrolyte imbalance.

This is an interesting article, which repeats the (now standard) advice that if you cannot run 15 miles comfortably by one month before the event, you should defer or scratch if that is not an option for that race; for VLM ballot places you can defer right up until the day before. Not sure if that is also true for charity places.

www.peakendurancesport.com/endurance-injuries-and-health/endurance-health-and-lifestyle/london-marathon-incidence-injury-illness-death/

I wouldn’t sponsor a none runner to do a marathon, far less chance of hem finishing it walking most of it rather than running.