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The marathon gets no respect - Joe Wills Athletic stunts undermining classic endurance test
Baton Rouge, Louisiana - Joe Wills says the marathon is being diminished as a test of endurance by
stunt artists passing off training runs as the real thing. The Baton Rouge attorney, marathoner,
ultramarathoner and triathlete says the only real marathons are those run in real races, like the
New York City and Houston.
"I haven't written you since very early in the Robert Garside 'affair' but I feel compelled to
comment on the increasing publicity in all the media to 'marathon distance running' stunts (latest
being the 7 marathons in 7 days on 7 continents)," Wills writes.
"A marathon is a competitive scored event over a specified course at a specified time. A 26.2-mile
(42.2Km) run, outside of such an event, is just that, a long (usually unverifiable) run," he notes.
"If I go out this morning and run 26.2 miles, I have gotten in my long run of the week but I have
not done a marathon."
"If I drive to Houston in January and run the Houston marathon course on Saturday, then run the
marathon on Sunday, I have only done one marathon. If I do a 6 day race and cover 471.6+ miles, I
have done a very respectable six-day race but I certainly have not done 18 marathons," Wills says.
"I've been an ultrarunner of very modest talent since 1988 and have known many, more talented,
ultra-runners who have achieved runs exceeding the marathon distance for many consecutive days
without seeking the publicity by claiming to have done dozens of marathons in several weeks.
"Seven marathon-distance runs on seven continents in seven days is certainly a world-class
achievement for the travel industry but hardly an exceptional athletic accomplishment. While I
strongly support encouraging long-distance running, I feel the marathon - the race not the distance
- deserves more respect. Thanks for letting me vent my opinion."