Some perspective...

My post today is not about my running or how I am progressing towards the London Marathon 2018. It is a defence of the marathon distance against an article by Adharanand Finn about how running 26.2 miles just isn't enough and my view on the upcoming strike that will more than likely disrupt the London Marathon 2018.

My view about RMT's strike relating to the pay and conditions provided by KeolisAmey is that employees should have rights to reasonable redress when their employer treats them unfairly, and in extreme cases protest against this matter if necessary. However in the case of the London Marathon 2018 I think it is hijacking a high profile event to show that they are being treated badly, which I find ironic; i.e. we are being treated unfairly, therefore we are going to make life incredibly difficult for people who are trying to raise millions of pounds for charity. 

Yes, if I am honest, I am personally affected. My wife usually travels to along the DLR to see me; it will make her journey more difficult and might mean I do not see her for the race. That is an inconvenience for me, but I have done the training and I will still go out there to do my best, in spite of the disruption by this planned strike. What I am more annoyed about is that there are people who are going to be running their first marathon, and quite possibly the only one in their lives. It will be a special day for them, their family and friends. This will be made more difficult by the strike and potentially mean that they do not get to see the people who mean the most to them on the course. One of the things that makes the London Marathon so special, is that people who would not normally label themselves as runners, or long distance runners for that matter, decide to run 26.2 miles for a cause that is close to their heart or show themselves that they can push beyond what they thought was possible.

I did my first marathon dressed as banana man at the Brighton Marathon in 2014. I received amazing support from the crowd, but what really kept me going was seeing my wife and family around the course. It really does help you go the extra mile (pun intended). I have ran a few more marathons since then. I have also watched the London Marathon twice and raced it once, so am aware of the logistics of the course and getting there. In fact it was seeing my brother-in-law in 2013 at the London Marathon that got me into running; the highly charged and respectful silence to the victims of the Boston bombing before the start of the race, the carnival like atmosphere around London and the camaraderie of cheering people on made me vow that I would run that race some day.

The best example I can think of which shows what the atmosphere is like at the London Marathon, is when someone does something nice on the tube during the rush-hour. Think of someone helping an elderly person or carrying a pram up the stairs for a mother with her child. The marathon has that same affect of getting people to do something that is greater than themselves, which in turn brings a greater sense of happiness for everyone present. If the strikes prove to be as disruptive as the papers say they will be than those people running the marathon for the first time will miss out on key support from family/ friends and the crowds at London.

What the RMT and Keolis have to ask themselves is how many of their members/staff have suffered from mental health issues, dementia, cancer or at least know someone who has? That is what a lot of people running the London Marathon will be raising money for, which will be in the total of the millions of pounds. On Sunday 22 April there will be around 35,000 people finishing the marathon with personal stories of highs- people achieving amazing personal bests- and lows- slogging it out when they have 'hit the wall'. This marathon could also be a culmination of something much more than running;  a memory of a loved one, enduring a small amount of pain for that brilliant  cause you are fundraising for or just to show yourself that you can achieve much more than you believe. Surely such an amazing event should be off limits between the RMT and Keolis?

You may have realised from this post that I am a passionate fan of the marathon and running it. That's why I  take such an issue with Adharanand Finn's article, particularly with this paragraph:

"In terms of impressing work colleagues, family and friends, it seems marathons no longer cut it. We are in the post-marathon age, when everybody knows somebody who has run a marathon. Now, it seems, a genuinely impressive feat has to be something longer and more extreme. Fifty miles is OK, but it’s better if you can reel off numbers in the hundreds, and preferably over an insanely steep mountain range, a desert or some perilous jungle. With more and more stories of ultra races circulating, you have to feel sorry for the person looking for sponsorship for a little marathon jaunt."

There a number of reasons I do not agree with this article, but I won’t list them all for the sake of brevity. Are we really in a ‘post-marathon’ age? I don’t know if we are judging by the numbers of people still applying for big city marathons. It bemuses me that Mr Finn has written this. Yes there is no doubt that there is a rise and enthusiasm in the ultra-running event, but running is such a rich and diverse sport. When did Finn decide that distance was the key to all success or even having to impress people? Forget those sub-17 minute 5k or 33 minute 10k times, people only care about distance not time.

It’s a shame, and a statement I would expect from someone who didn’t know or care about running; however Finn is a good runner. He is also the author of Running with Kenyans. These two factors alone would have meant that Finn is aware of the training that a dedicated runner undertakes for a marathon; the increasing fatigue, the tough tempo workouts, the mentally challenging long-runs and the potential threat of injury. Surely Finn appreciates that half the battle with running the marathon is training for it?

Going back to distance being the only thing that impresses people- according to Finn anyway- it’s strange, because he then goes onto quote an ultra-runner saying why he runs ultras:

“When I go up a mountain travelling light and moving quickly, it’s different. I feel free, like flying, like a condor.”

It seems that speed also plays a part in ultras too. Indeed ultra legends Scott Jurek -  a sub-2:40 marathon runner- (Eat and Run) and Bruce Fordyce (speaking on Marathon Talk) both recommend that people who want to do well in their ultras should do speed work. This means that for someone to be good at running an ultra, they will have to speed up their times at say the half-marathon or marathon; not something that everyone can do easily. Finn has a large following and I think it is inaccurate that he portrays running events as disconnected from each other. Running is not the sport where by just running the same event again and again you will get better, it involves working at shorter distances and experimenting with new approaches to improve in the particular event that you love. That’s why running is such an amazing sport; it’s nuanced and you can take different approaches to achieve the same result.

Does this mean we have to submit ourselves to running ever increasing distances? I don’think so, especially not so that we can chat about it at the watercooler. Yes a 50-miler is impressive as compared to someone running a long-slow marathon, but what if you asked someone to do a sub-2:45hr marathon?  It’s not something a lot of people can do. The training, as well as the mileage, that a serious 5k/10k/ marathon runner undertakes can be just as arduous as preparing for an ultra.  

Just look at how the UK was enthralled by Mo Farah and Jessica Ennis-Hill’s performances on the track. People were inspired by those races, even though none of them went beyond running 6.1 miles. Speed and racing at shorter distances is something that the public can love to do as well as watch. Indeed at the serious end of the amateur running scene there are a number of high profile running events for the shorter distances, which have proved to be incredibly popular; such as the Sri Chinmoy events  and the Night of the PBs event. These events show that people do care about seeing how fast they can go at shorter distances. 

Why I think the marathon is so speacial, is the training is primarily about being able to run 20 miles to then be able to race/ hang on for the final six miles. It sounds straightforward in theory, but in practice so many things needs to come together for that one race to become a personal best for the individual undertaking it. The weather, nutrition, sleep, stress, etc. the list goes on; that's what can make running a marathon so glorious or so painful, in rare cases both! You only have to look at Callum Hawkins during the Commonwealth Games to see how high the stakes are for running such a tough endurance event as the marathon, and  to realise that it is a true test of anyone's fortitude.

Ultimately running is also a very personal and relative journey; everyone has their own unique limits and potential. For Finn to state that distance is the only way to show how impressive your running is, seems to be a very narrow measure of success. To me Finn’s article is more about runners wanting to find something unique and challenging for how they push themselves; but this can be done on the track or in a cross country race, as well as the jungle or an extreme distance race. There already appears to be a trend to going back to basics for races , and on a personal note I hope this continues.

I think that the question that Finn could have tried to pose, but I think is incredibly difficult to answer. Is what do runners find harder: the short, suffering of a 5-10k or the painful grind of a long distance event? That I think all comes down to the individual and not a conversation about trying to impress work colleagues. I just hope that RMT/ Keolis, as well as Finn, can spare a little love for the Marathon in the future. Is that too much to ask?