Friday, August 31, 2012

Running A Marathon - The Last 6.2 Miles

Last year I ran the St. George Marathon with my wife. She wasn't having a good day, and each step she made became a challenge. Ever since then, I often think about how amazing those last six miles of a marathon are. I felt honored to be around fellow runners as we each fought our way to the finish line.

I guarantee that you will learn some of the most powerful lessons of your life by watching people who are in the last 6.2 miles of a marathon. I see it particularly with the runners who are slower taking more time to enjoy the scenery. In the last six miles of a marathon you will see something profound:

You will see tears.
You will see intense pain.
You will see a struggle to put one foot in front of the other.
You will see suffering.
You will see an internal battle of will.
You will see challenge.
You will see limping.
You will see exhaustion.

But when you look past the suffering....

You will see dedication.
You will see courage.
You will see strength.
You will see power.
You will see determination.
You will see bravery.
You will see pride.

When you see someone cross the finish line of a marathon, you are witnessing a miraculous transformation. Because the moment that person crosses the finish line, they realize that ANYTHING is possible.
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18 comments:

  1. Yo Momma RunsAugust 31, 2012 at 7:59 AM

    Great post! Kind of makes me want to spectate a marathon one time instead of running.

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  2. Amy @ Run Mom RunAugust 31, 2012 at 8:56 AM

    That last portion is where the magic happens. Where your will to succeed overcomes your weakness. It's incredible.

    I actually just signed up for the St. George Marathon yesterday! I'm pacing my cousin through it who is worried about the cutoff time. It will be a very different experience for me to help someone through those last six miles instead of being completely self absorbed during a race!

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  3. RainaAugust 31, 2012 at 8:58 AM

    Very true! You find out what you are really made of in the last 6.2.

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  4. AmyleeAugust 31, 2012 at 9:05 AM

    This is my favorite blog post I've seen anywhere in a really long time. This is why I love the marathon.

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  5. Matthew SmithAugust 31, 2012 at 9:14 AM

    Cory, I needed that! I'm training for my first marathon in October, and I'm struggling out there, mentally! It's hard for me to keep going! I did 15 on Tuesday, and I've got 16 for this Sunday. Thanks for the encouragement!

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  6. susetteAugust 31, 2012 at 9:30 AM

    This is so perfect! I love it and need to hear it. It makes me a little bit nervous to read how challenging the ending is and now I question if a 20 miler is a long enough long run? I sure hope so. My marathon is just 3 weeks away!!!

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  7. KovasPAugust 31, 2012 at 9:45 AM

    Expect to see all those and maybe more in a couple of weeks when I finish my first ultra!

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  8. BridgetAugust 31, 2012 at 10:10 AM

    It is so true. After you finish a marathon you realize just how much of what we can and can't do is in our own minds and not our physical strength. Great post.

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  9. Kate GeisenAugust 31, 2012 at 11:04 AM

    Absolutely. The last 6.2 miles were a totally different "race" than the first 20 for me.

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  10. ChristieAugust 31, 2012 at 11:26 AM

    Loved this post. Simple and sweet:)

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  11. RansickAugust 31, 2012 at 8:24 PM

    I haven't done a marathon yet so I can only imagine how tough the last 10k is going to be.

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  12. StephanieAugust 31, 2012 at 8:41 PM

    Great post! You nailed it :)

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  13. CharSeptember 1, 2012 at 1:17 AM

    For me it was the last 7k. It hurt bad. But I struggled through like every other marathoner. It takes a different sort of courage to keep going when you're hurting that much.

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  14. Christy @ My Dirt Road Anthem: A Runner's BlogSeptember 1, 2012 at 11:21 AM

    Love this! So true and really captures what happens!

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  15. GiorgioSeptember 2, 2012 at 6:51 AM

    What a great post! I really enjoy reading it!

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  16. Jamie WSeptember 6, 2012 at 8:05 AM

    great motivation. I needed that! :)

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  17. Michelle PetersonSeptember 20, 2012 at 7:10 AM

    Awesome post Cory! I saw all those things as I watched near the finish line of the St. George Marathon in 2008. I was so inspired, it made me decide that I wanted to run the marathon in 2009. Training and running that marathon changed my life!!

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