Top 5 Tips On How To Pick The Right Marathon

In 2013, it was estimated that 0.2 percent of the American population would finish a marathon. The trend of competing in a marathon is spreading more each year and more people want to participate it in a race. One of the greatest motivators for taking part in a race is signing up for it.

If you want to participate in a marathon, just register for it and give your payment information. This way you won’t be able to make excuses to not to train as you don’t want your money to be wasted. As the popularity of sports grows, more options of marathons are available with different types of courses, distance, price, and timing, so it makes it easy for you to choose the one which is most suitable for you.

Choosing right marathon depends on how much you can train for it, what is your purpose for participating in it and how much can you spend on it. The tips which are mentioned below will help you in selecting the right marathon for you.

Find Your Personal Goal

Firstly, look for a reason why are you participating in a marathon. Are you running for having a real time or are you serious about it? Are you running for a charity or are you competing in a race to train for a longer distance race? You would choose the right race by focusing on the reason for your participation. As everything is available on the internet, you would easily find a race which is perfect for your goal.

Finding the Right Timing

Try to find a race which will give you enough time to train for it. You would need eight to twelve weeks to prepare to participate in a race. A marathon not only needs you to be strong physically but also mentally, so you need time to make yourself ready for a race. There will be options for half-marathons or other small local running events which would help you to prepare for the big game. Choose a race with a day which would not clash with your personal or professional life. When looking for a marathon also keep the weather in mind as it is also an important factor as race in summer would have different barriers than the contest in winter. Do you want to run under a blazing sun which would melt your skin or do you choose cold winds which will make your bones rattle? Another thing you need to keep in mind that n some areas weather changes as the day progress for example in Florida, a race in January sounds great, but most people ignore the fact that temperature rises later in the day. You should keep yourself updated on the weather of the city where race is taking place. Even if you choose the race which takes place during moderate weather, you should keep in mind that your training sessions would take place in summer or winter.  This will make it easy for you to choose challenges which you will quickly overcome.

Geographical Location

Knowing the terrain of the area which had been selected for the competition would make it easy for you to choose an ideal race which you want to compete in. If you are participating in a race for the first time, try to pick a race which is taking place in a flat landscape such London and Chicago so you would not feel any difficulty while running. If you choose a race which involves hill climbing, then you might find it difficult to complete it even. If you want to be king of the hills and love to be punished by oxygen deprived air, then you should choose a race which will provide you with these options and will make you face the challenges which will make your body put up its maximum effort such as marathon of Los Angeles. Even if two marathons distance might be the same but they might have different terrains. For example, both Blue Ridge Marathon and Steamtown Marathon distance are approximately twenty-six miles in length, but Blue Ridge Marathon contains seven thousand feet of elevation. Another thing you have to keep in mind whether race is local or requires you to travel abroad. If you are looking for adventure and love-sightseeing, then you should apply to the marathon which takes place in the different country. If you want to spend less money on the race, then you should choose local race as would be required to spend money on passports, tickets, hotel rooms, etc.

Size and Popularity of the Marathon

A runner should also keep in mind how much distance a marathon covers. You have to choose whether you want to compete in a marathon which covers a longer distance or shorter one. If you do not want to run long distance, you should choose to participate in half-marathon. Another thing you need to keep in mind that how much attention a race gets from crowd and media. For example, thousands of runners participate in Rock N Roll Marathon series, New York, Chicago, Boston, or Marine Corps Marathon, and so they have to start the race in waves based on estimated finish time. Thousands of people come to cheer runners, and these races get a lot of media attention. You would have to compete in an environment where everyone wants to do their best. If you want to participate in the marathon which does not require you to be in the spotlight, then you should choose grassroots marathon. There is a friendly environment in these races are no one is trying to competitive.

The Budget

You should keep in mind how much budget you could spend on a marathon. You not only have to pay the entrance fee but you have to spend money on training material such as a treadmill and traveling costs if you are going to another destination. To avoid money problems, you have to make a plan before you enter a marathon. To train yourself for a big marathon you could join smaller marathon to save money.

Set realistic goals for yourself. Don’t enter races which will be expensive for you or you might not be able to complete them. You should focus on every factor that is mentioned above so you could make the right choice.