Possible for normal athlete to run a marathon without "proper" training?

Question

This question is based on something I read in Men's Health recently, where the athletic person (an actor or something) on the cover said that he was very fit and had run a marathon without the usual training that runners go through. Naturally, I wonder how a person would do in the marathon, if they are very fit but did not do long-distance running training.

To use myself as an example, I play ice hockey 2x per week, interval training 2x per week, weight training 3x per week and 60 min. endurance training 2x per week (for example, eliptical machine at gym). Fitness testing revealed that I am in "elite" physical condition, using the V02-max standard.

I don't want to sound egotistical, I'm sure it would be difficult, especially the feet being unused to the constant pounding, but nonetheless I am intrigued (and crazy) enough to ponder the possibilities.

Have any readers out there in a similar position tried a marathon? How did it turn out? Thanks for any help you can give! :o)

Just to add:
- I would like to run/jog the whole way, no walking, but the time is not a big deal, I would not expect anything near 3 hours for example.
- Once every few months I do go for a run (or gym treadmill) and complete 10km, with relative ease but not very fast, for what that's worth.

Thank you to those who've already answered! :o)

Answer 1

Actually training for an event like this also gets you used to many of the possibly unforseen problems that people who don't run these distances don't tend to think about.

1) A serious amount of chaffing, which doesn't sound too bad, but I know it has stopped some people from completing races before.
2) Terrible blisters on the feet, again, which have stopped people from completing the race before
3) Hitting the wall and or seeing little green men about 20 miles into the race. If you don't practice, you're probably not going to know well enough and practice prevention for these things during the race. You can practice in the way of research, but everyone's different.
4) Should you drink a sports drink or water? Will either affect your stomach. How much do you need to drink to avoid dehydration or overhydration, which has killed people in the past.
5) What can your stomach handle the morning of and the night before a race like this to avoid, ummm.... discomfort.
6) Do you actually know what it's like to be out, on your feet for 2,3,4,5 hours?
7) Are you prepared for the inevitable stiffness and physical hurt during the race? This is sometimes severe. And if you're planning on running straight through, it's probably doing to get pretty bad.
8) Energy gels to prevent the wall, do you know which ones work for you and which ones might turn your stomach during a run? I don't know too many people that don't rely on "goos" or something equivalent.
9) What speed is realistic for you to actually run the race in? Your hour long run is probably not long enough to guage what your marathon pace should be. If you start out too too fast, you will most likely not finish. Or you will be creeping to the end.
10) Shoes. Do you have a proper pair of running shoes that you were fitted in by someone at a running store? Will they be broken in between 50-100 miles of actual running by the time you start the race. If not, this spells disaster. Lots of foot pain, blisters and what not. If you don't have the right running shoes, this could cause injuries galore.
11) In general, going from some running, to a full out marathon could cause any of the full gambit of overuse injuries. Take a look at runnersworld.com to look them up.

On another note, even for people that train, this race is HARD on the body. It is said that you should expect a day for every mile raced for full recovery from the race. This is for people who HAVE trained properly. Not to mention, for awhile after the race that distance your immunity is lowered.

You most likely CAN complete the race without the training. It is HIGHLY unrecommended.

You're fit. We get it. The people around you probably do too. However, the glory of completing a marathon without any training, in my opinion is not worth all of the potential risks.

All of the above spell out PAIN. Un-needed pain. There's no real glory in pain for something that if you had done it right, would be much, much easier.

My recommendation, train. Train well. Get a kick butt time. Impress yourself and everyone else more than with a bad for you or mediocre time because you didn't train.

Answer 2

Okay, you can "run" a marathon. It depends on your definition of run. What time are you looking to finish? Without the proper training you are going to be walking the last third of the race. If you want to finish you can start out at about 10 minute miles and walk a mile recovery after the first 5 miles and then after each additional 2 or 3 mile runs. You are looking at around 4 to 5 hours for your finish time. You can not run a 3 or 3 1/2 hour marathon without months of serious training, and no matter what sports you are in now can condition you for a marathon.

Answer 3

cool little book on Amazon called "marathons for non runners" or something like that, I saw it at half-price books and referred a friend to it because he wants to run a half-marathon this year. And no, of course you have to run if you plan to run a marathon, at least a few days a week, but not every day, you can pull off swimming or weight lifting for exercise as cross training. So unless you own a treadmill and an indoor pool, you're probably going to have to walk out of your house. Just FYI, the first guy to run a marathon died! It killed him and yet everyone else now thinks it's a great idea. If you're not in shape for it, it could kill you too. He was a Spartan warrior, some of the greatest athletes the world has ever known, and he couldn't pull it off.

Answer 4

Running a marathon is not that same as running 2.6 miles ten times; that would be easy! And they are not easy. I would say that 20 miles feels like half way after having run ten of them.

If you're in great shape, take my advice; run a couple times a week and try a ten-miler or a half marathon first just to get a taste. For training purposes, you really need to do one sixteen mile run at least to see if you want to do a marathon.

Also, if you did do it anyway, you would be sore for about three weeks afterward. It tears you up. A pair of double walled socks will help keep the blisters down, too.

I am sincerely glad I ran the marathons; they were punishing but satisfying in a way I cannot explain in words.

Answer 5

While I understand completely what you're saying, I think that while you could push yourself to finish a marathon, running the whole way- I would be more concerned with the after mass of it all. If you didn't train for it and didn't prepare your body for such an enduring race, who knows what you will injure in the end. If you are considering doing this, (and I bet the runner in Men's Health did this) I would pick a flat course to make sure I wasn't making the situation more difficult than it was already. (Disney is a flat course and during January, although the heat was pretty bad this year) It's as simple as planning for a really big trip- you want to make sure you pack everything you need and have the trip planned or you will end up wishing that you would have prepared for it. You need to pack in as much training as you need for a marathon and prepare for it in order to enjoy it. Heck, Oprah did it. That oughta say something.

Good luck if you go for it!

Answer 6

You would still need to train yourself for running the longer distance, but you're in a better position than most others. The schedule below is what I've used to train for the last few marathons and it's a much lower mileage than what "standard" plans would suggest. I would never suggest doing a marathon "cold turkey". Lance Armstrong even trained for the NYC marathon and it ended up calling the race, "one of the hardest things that he did in his life". Build yourself up to 20-24 miles over 4-6 months and you'll not only finish but you'll have a good time. Best of luck!

- Mike

Answer 7

I have run a marathon with the training up to it. It took three tries because I got over training injuries the first two times. If you try to do Marathon training it takes having a base to start with and then building VERY slowly.

I have seen your question answered in real time multiple times. Yes, you absolutely can. Lots of Marines end up running the Marine Corps Marathon in DC every year with no additional training over their "normal" training. My triathlon training partner had to run our last marathon without the training due to injuries in his train up time. The biggest difference between with the training and without is the amount of pain after the race, and how long it takes you to recover. If you complete a Marathon without training up to it, you are probably looking at numerous days of pain afterwards. I was pretty much back to normal about 24-30 hours after finishing.

Answer 8

The big thing, based on what you are saying, is that you haven't experienced what it's like to push yourself to keep moving forward for 3 or 4 hours. You say that you've run some 10Ks. Remember, in the marathon, when you hit the 20 mile mark, you have almost exactly 10K left to run.

You probably need to get in some runs of at least 15 miles just so you get a rough idea of what you can handle in terms of pace.

Answer 9

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Answer 10

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