We have almost all been asked the question when someone finds out you are a runner, the next thing they typically ask is if you have done a marathon. Everyone knows that marathons are hard work. They know this is the very long race that seems to be viewed as the pinnacle of running success, but is it? Why have the 100 or 50 miler ultra marathons not taken on the same allure in the running community? We are going to do a deep dive in this episode about marathons and some of our theories around why we think the marathon is so popular! We are also going to give some advice to those who really want to run to their potential in the marathon. The answers may surprise you because we actually recommend some athletes take time off of the marathon to get faster at the marathon How long people run before doing a full marathon Why is an elite training going to look different from a beginner in terms of workouts/long runs Why it becomes important to work with a coach who really understands your background and the distance What is the advantages to working on speed before going to the marathon Why does running a fast 5k not translate directly to the marathon distance