Running a Marathon
Our minds have been on “all things Marathon” since we have
just finished up our 5th year working on the Philadelphia Marathon
which has 30,000 participants!
We recently read on Runningusa.org that a record 541,000
people completed a marathon in 2013 and there were 1,100 marathons to choose
from across the country and it begs the question…
Why Run a Marathon?
We looked on Active.com and found some very good reasons to
run the 26.2 miles that include; getting fit, meeting new people, raising money
and awareness for a good cause, a sense of accomplishment, getting out of your
comfort zone and to inspire others.
Where you might be in your life may also be a factor.
Running as Therapy?
Noel Knecht is a friend of ours. When she was diagnosed
twelve years ago with breast cancer she joined a formal support group and found
that discussion really did help.
Then she found out about the Young Survival Coalition. They were promoting a bike ride from Boston
to New York to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer. Noel did the ride and discovered that this challenging
physical activity was the right kind of therapy for her. Noel said this was a life changing experience
and for her was best captured with a quote from the recent film 12 Years a Slave, “ I don’t want to
survive, I want to live.”
This gave her the courage and confidence to start traveling
to new destinations on her own and to set a goal for her self each year. For this year she decided that she would
celebrate her 12th anniversary being cancer free by running a marathon each
month. She has already completed eleven
with the last one scheduled in San Antonio, Texas in December.
Training for and running in a marathon is often a solitary
activity and gives you lots of time for thinking and introspection that is
therapeutic according to Noel.
A recent article titled “Less Talk, More Therapy” in the New
York Times seems to say it all, or say less
than all.
What Could Be More
Exciting?
This is the 5th year that g4 productions has been
part of the Philadelphia marathon event team and we would like to suggest our
own reason that you might consider running a marathon in a large city.
They draw large crowds and
often have big name runners and celebrities in addition to large numbers of
participants, 30,000 in the case of Philadelphia. Running a marathon course provides a unique
way to see a city with all of the streets closed for you and large crowds
cheering you on as you pass through the scenic neighborhoods.
The Philadelphia course is a showcase for the Benjamin
Franklin Parkway, the Kelly and Martin Luther King Drives on either side of the
Schuylkill River and of course, the Rocky statue at the art Museum. Yo, Adrian,
take my pitcher!
All this combines to create a level of excitement that you
just don’t experience everyday and can explain why so many people keep coming
back.
So, get out your running shoes!
Until next time!
Alice and Robin, the gs
