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Marathon
Rating
A marathon is a running distance of 42.195 km. The standard length was fixed at the 1908 London Olympics (a historical accident of the route to the royal box at the stadium).
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Race time predictor
In detail
The marathon is the most popular "iconic" distance in amateur running: preparation for it usually takes 16-20 weeks, and during the race itself, success depends not only on speed but also on proper nutrition, hydration, and pacing — glycogen depletion (the "marathon wall") typically occurs around 30-35 km for unprepared runners.
How to use it
It's better to run your first marathon at a deliberately conservative pace (or an even split) — far more people lose time from starting too fast than from starting too slow.