Marathon Runner
Who Is A Marathon Runner?
Have you heard of the story of Pheidippides, the Greek messenger who ran from a place called Marathon to Athens to deliver the news of victory in a war? That story is the origin of the popular running event, Marathon. Marathon runners are participants of the longest of all track events which spans 42.195 kilometres. Marathon is a very popular athletic event that requires incredible stamina and endurance.
As a marathon runner you will invest months of intense training to build your stamina, power, speed, running technique and strategy to participate in the various marathon, and half marathon, events held regularly in various parts of the world. As you start participating in global events, you will face major competition from Kenyan and Ethiopian runners who heavily dominate the sport, holding 17 and 25 out of the top 25 women and men’s world records!
Roles & Responsibilities
Training regularly. As a marathon runner, you will have to train yourself to endure a great distance of continuous running. Once you are comfortable with the distance, you will also have to improve your time. For example, during your run, you will have to improve detailed aspects like your running pose which will improve your speed and also conserve your energy. Similarly, you have to plan a walk/run strategy where you can conserve energy even during the race.
Planning out with the trainer. As a beginner, you would be running 15-25 miles a week whereas a competition level runner covers over 50 miles of running practice in a week. To scale up your level and intensity of practice you have to plan out a thorough training schedule decided by an experienced trainer.
Tracking your performance. As a marathon runner, you will be constantly training and running on a daily basis. It is very important to monitor your performance as much as possible.
Avoiding banned substances. Kenya is one of the two dominating forces in the world of the marathon, yet they had a lot of disrepute due to the constant doping accusations. As a professional marathon runner, you should be very conscious not to consume any food that contains a banned substances.
Maintaining health and fitness. To be at the top of your game, you have to maintain good health and physique, particularly during competitions. To do so you will have to maintain a strict diet and exercise schedule.
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What Skills Will I Need To Have To Do This Job Well?
As exciting as this sounds, there are some things you’ll need to learn to do the job right:
PHYSICAL AND MENTAL STRENGTH
Marathon Running requires not only physical but also mental strength. Apart from demanding an enormous amount of power and stamina from your body, you will have to remain balanced and calm. It is only when you have a strong body and mind that you can continue to be competitive. As a mentally tough marathon runner, you will be able to remain strong and be flexible to respond to any kind of situation.
ORGANISATIONAL SKILLS
Planning for a marathon is nothing less than event management. You should plan in advance and be prepared for any crisis. You should know your strengths and weaknesses as well as that of your opponents. You should think about your run in advance and plan how to tackle your opponents. You should also prepare yourself to stay calm and maintain your pace, even when you are trailing in the race.
DECISION MAKING
Your presence of mind and your decision making can become the difference between winning and losing. You may suffer from a muscle pull in the middle of a race and may need to decide whether to continue or stop. Your decision will affect not only the present race but also your ability to race in the near future. Similarly, if your opponent suddenly overtakes you during the race, you have to decide whether to overtake him/her back or just stay close to the opponent and conserve your energy. These are examples of small decisions that can greatly affect your success in the marathon.
TECHNIQUE
Technique in case of marathon running is the skill of your movement. It can be the pace of your run, the body posture and the breathing and related aspects. Anyone can run but the success in running is largely down to and your technique. You cannot ignore the need to learn the correct technique in order to be a professional runner. Similarly, you also have to correct the mistakes in your technique before you reach the higher competitive levels.
SINCERITY
Whether you are a beginner or the marathon champion of the world, it is your sincerity towards the game that will make sure that you reach the top of the game and maintain your hold on it. Eliud Kipchoge, a marathon world champion runs for 130 miles a week and does 13 three minute runs with a minute break in between. He also does 20 miles in a little more than 5 minutes per mile, at an altitude of 8000 feet. You can imagine the sincerity of this multiple world champion towards his profession.
What Will My Workplace Look Like?
The daily life of a marathon runner revolves around practice, exercise and meet trainers, physios etc. on a regular basis. Marathon becomes an integral part of a runner’s life, and you will be training with a lot of sincerity and intensity on a regular basis. Your daily activities, social commitments, food habit etc. will be adjusted as per the requirements of the sport. In your daily life, you will be waking up early to exercise and run as well as eat healthy food that helps you to stay in good physical shape. On the days leading up to the race-day, you will be travelling and staying in the location and getting used to the local climate and environment.
Thinking of a career as an Athlete Sports Person Marathon Runner? Take the Mentoria assessment test & talk to our career counsellors to get personalized step-by-step guidance for your future career path.
What Is My Scope For Career Growth As An Athlete Sports Person Marathon Runner?
The career scope in the marathon is very good globally. Even in India, the frequency and prize money for marathon events are improving. There are more and more quality races to match the enthusiasm of the people. There are considerable media and corporate interest in the marathon, as evident from “Airtel” Delhi Half Marathon or “Tata” Mumbai Marathon. However, there is a long waiting period between events and it doesn’t have league type weekly matches. Therefore it is useful to have sufficient financial support and sponsors to sustain the requirements of marathon running. If you perform well and manage to attract sponsors and financial backings, you can target marathon races worldwide and participate in them. Being an Olympic event, you can also motivate yourself to bring Olympic glory to your country.
How Much Will I Get Paid?
The exact number will depend on your skills and on the success you had as a Marathon Runner. But we can give you a general idea.
Winners of Tata Mumbai half marathon win INR 1,50,000 as does PNB MetLife Satara Hill Half Marathon. It gets better in the professional winner’s purse in events like the Airtel Delhi Half marathon where the winner gets INR 18,51,000 for finishing first.
Okay, I'm sold. This is amazing
STEP 1: Training and Academic Education
If you are looking to be a professional marathon runner, you should focus on full-time training, exercise and diet maintenance. Education is also an important part of a person’s life so you should try to complete as much of it as possible, but without hampering the daily practice schedule. Look for a course that doesn’t interfere with your practice and marathon events and try to complete it without neglecting much of your practice.
As you perform better and better in training and running, you will continue to grow as a professional Marathon Runner.
Congratulations, you are now officially a Marathon Runner!
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