jboy

Something completely different: I haven't participated in it but heard good things about the Spijkenisse Marathon, a little sibling of the Amsterdam and Rotterdam marathons. It's flat but it can be quite windy I think. https://www.spijkenissemarathon.nl/

Most importantly: it hasn't sold out yet.

Valencia

They're great, but pricey considering the limited mileage you get out of them. That's a reason I decided to add a budget shoe to my rotation.

The Western States trail in the California Sierras used to be where a 100-mile horse race took place that horse and rider had to complete in 24 hours. At some point in the 1970s one of the riders decided not to take a horse, and he finished in 23 hours on foot. Now it's an annual footrace that the winner finishes in about 14 hours.

Agree thay Goodr is a good option. My only complaint about them is that their lenses scratch too easily, but presumably prescription lenses would be sturdier so that should be fine.

I agree, but sadly certain anglophone publications like to assume that everyone thinks of a marathon as a 26.2-mile event 🙄

The article seems to be based on a report from December of last year. Unfortunately I can't find a way to explore the underlying data in greater detail.

Appears to be a conversion issue. Assuming the reported min/mile pace is correct, the UK average pace is 05:34, not 5:50.

(I'm guessing these numbers are means, not medians.)

Haha you mean where I do most my running 😶

It does make sense, but I've also read elite runners talk about cutting back on "junk miles" (example).

So why - just why - would any normal person put themselves through all this?

“Imagine being described as normal,” says Britton. “That would be rubbish, wouldn’t it?”

🤣

Congrats!