Run like you stole it
Last Sunday, while over 50,000 people ran the London Marathon, I completed a much shorter (and lazier) event: the “Watch-Athon.”
Cuppa? Check.
Curious brain? Double check.
Admiration? Absolutely.
And no intention of joining in.
I hate running. If you see me sprinting, call for help — I’m either being chased by a bear or trying to catch my phone after leaving it on the train.
Unless I’m on a beach. Then I’ll run — launching myself into the sea at full speed like some kind of joyful seal.
But oddly, I do love marathons.
Not the running. The everything else.
The science. The strategy. The sheer bonkers decision to voluntarily run 26.2 miles through wind, weather, and wardrobe malfunctions.
Because a marathon is not just an athletic feat. It’s a maths problem, a science experiment, and a rebellion wrapped in Lycra. Your brain works as hard as the robber on the run.
Need super-curricula inspiration? A marathon teaches you everything school tries to.
Take one of these as your starting platform and engage in some research of your own.
The first DM was a marathon
Legend has it in 490BCE a sweaty Greek soldier, Pheidippides, ran from Marathon to Athens (about 25 miles) to announce a Persian defeat. Then dropped dead.
Heroic? Absolutely.
Would a WhatsApp have helped? Also yes.
But if he ran 25 miles, why do we run 26.2?
Blame the British.
In the 1908 Olympics, Queen Alexandra wanted the race to start at Windsor Castle, so the royal kiddos could watch it, and end right in front of her stadium seat. Voilà: 26.2 miles of royal preference.
In 1921, the IAAF made the distance official, because apparently, monarchy > muscle fatigue.
For a deeper dive into the history, read 26.2 Miles to Boston by Michael Connelly.
Science vs sweat
Running a marathon is essentially thermodynamics in trainers. Your body burns glucose, turns fat into fuel, and tries not to overheat like a budget laptop on Zoom.
You can lose up to 4 litres of sweat — that’s 8 water bottles gone. If you mismanage hydration, your organs get confused and your legs forget they belong to you.
And weather? Oh boy.
A Boston Marathon study found that for every 1°C rise in temperature, finish times slowed by nearly 2 minutes. Best performance? Around 10°C—classic hoodie weather.
Love these kinds of facts? Have a read of Born to Run by Christopher McDougall.
Shoes and superpowers
In 2017, marathon times began dropping faster than a discarded energy gel. Enter: the super shoe.
Carbon-fibre plates and ultra-light foam have turned feet into spring-loaded levers. Studies show they improve running efficiency by 4%. That can cut 2–3 minutes off elite times — the gap between a win and a Wikipedia entry.
Add timing chips, smart fabrics, and AI training plans, and today’s runners are 40% bionic and 60% stubborn.
No girls allowed?!?
Until the 1960s, marathons were men only.
Then Kathrine Switzer entered the Boston Marathon in 1967 using just her initials ("K.V. Switzer"). Race officials tried to tackle her off the course mid-run. She finished anyway.
It took until 1984 for the women’s marathon to make it to the Olympics. That’s more recent than Back to the Future.
Want to know more about Switzer’s battle against gender barriers in sport? Read Marathon Woman.
Your turn...
Design the next great marathon. What city would it be in? What would the weather be? Would you let people wear jetpacks (please say yes)? Bonus points if you can sketch the route and calculate water stops.
Because sometimes, the most unexpected places hide the best learning curves — and yes, they might come with blisters.
The marathon isn’t just an excuse to wear tutus in public.
No one said you have to run it.
You can map it, study it, podcast about it, or turn it into your next personal statement. Lycra optional.
And now, if you’ll excuse me, I shall retire to my hydration station (also known as the kettle) for another cup of tea.
Nici
