Marathons of the World, Updated Edition E-Book

Hugh Jones

• Herausgeber: IMM Lifestyle Books
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2016

Seitenzahl: 173

Beschreibung

Here is the ultimate guide to 50 of the world's best marathons. If you're a long-distance runner looking for a new challenge, or a marathon novice with a spirit of adventure, this informative guide will help you choose the perfect course. The marathons included here embrace far flung corners of the globe and every continent. They include fast and flat city runs, endurance events in hot and humid climates, scenic mountain challenges, the chance to run through historic sites and even in the polar regions. Whether you're chasing a personal best time, hoping to compete with the elite, taking on a personal challenge and raising money for charity, or are a back-of-the pack runner taking in the sights and sounds of a life-affirming event, this informative guide will provide you with all you need to make an informed decision about each event. Each marathon is rated for difficulty, and includes an expert analysis of the course. Included too, are practical details such as the organizing body to contact for each event, when to enter, and when the run takes place, so that you can plan ahead. Stunning photography provides an overview of each marathon experience.

Leseprobe

Here is the ultimate guide to 50 of the world’s best marathons. If you’re a long-distance runner looking for a new challenge, or a marathon novice with a spirit of adventure, this informative guide will help you choose the perfect course. The marathons included here embrace far flung corners of the globe and every continent. They include fast and flat city runs, endurance events in hot and humid climates, scenic mountain challenges, the chance to run through historic sites and even in the polar regions. Whether you’re chasing a personal best time, hoping to compete with the elite, taking on a personal challenge and raising money for charity, or are a back-of-the pack runner taking in the sights and sounds of a life-affirming event, this informative guide will provide you with all you need to make an informed decision about each event.

Each marathon is rated for difficulty, and includes an expert analysis of the course. Included too, are practical details such as the organizing body to contact for each event, when to enter and when the run takes place, so that you can plan ahead. Stunning photography provides an overview of each marathon experience.

MARATHONSOF THE WORLD

MARATHONSOF THE WORLD

Hugh Jones andAlexander James

First published in 2012 by New Holland Publishers-London • Cape Town • Sydney • Auckland

www.newhollandpublishers.com

Garfield House

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Australia

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Copyright © 2012 in text Hugh Jones and Alexander James

Copyright © 2012 New Holland Publishers

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers and copyright holders.

eISBN 978 1 60765 227 4

Publishing Director Lliane Clarke

Publisher Guy Hobbs

Designer Paul Wright

Production Manager Marion Storz

Cartographer Bill Smuts

Printed and bound in China by Toppan Leefung Printing Ltd

PICTURE CREDITS

Alamy: page 146, 147

Corbis: page 46–47

Getty Images: page 25

Shutterstock: page 17, 76–77, 93, 105, 106, 107, 111, 112, 113, 114, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 135

The publishers would like to thank all of the marathon organisers for generously supplying images for use in this publication, specifically the organisers of Stockholm, Chicago and the Reggae Reggae marathons. Thanks to Mike King for the Antarctic images, and Wild Frontiers for the Kilimanjaro pictures.

DISCLAIMER

Although the marathon details provide here are thought to be accurate at the time of going to press, the information regarding marathon events and their organisers is liable to change. If you are planning to run a marathon check the organiser’s website regularly to ensure you comply with their entry requirements.

Contents | From East to West

Introduction

1.    NEW ZEALAND: Auckland Marathon

2.    AUSTRALIA: Sydney Marathon

3.    AUSTRALIA: Australian Outback Marathon

4.    JAPAN: Tokyo Marathon

5.    CHINA: Beijing Marathon

6.    CHINA: The Great Wall Marathon

7.    RUSSIA: Siberian International Marathon

8.    INDIA: Mumbai Marathon

9.    TANZANIA: Kilimanjaro Marathon

10.  KENYA: Safaricom Marathon

11.  EGYPT: Egyptian Marathon

12.  RUSSIA: ‘White Nights’ Marathon

13.  TURKEY: Istanbul Marathon

14.  ESTONIA: Tallinn Marathon

15.  GREECE: Athens Classic Marathon

16.  NORWAY: Midnight Sun Marathon

17.  HUNGARY: Budapest Marathon

18.  SOUTH AFRICA: Cape Town and Two Oceans Marathon

19.  SWEDEN: Stockholm Marathon

20.  AUSTRIA: Vienna City Marathon

21.  CZECH REPUBLIC: Prague Marathon

22.  GERMANY: Berlin Marathon

23.  DENMARK: Copenhagen Marathon

24.  ITALY: Venice Marathon

25.  ITALY: Rome Marathon

26.  GERMANY: Hamburg Marathon

27.  GERMANY: Frankfurt

28.  SWITZERLAND: Jungfrau Marathon

29.  HOLLAND: Amsterdam Marathon

30.  SPAIN: Rock ’n’ Roll Madrid Marathon

31.  FRANCE: Paris Marathon

32.  SPAIN: Barcelona Marathon

33.  UK: London Marathon

34.  SCOTLAND: Loch Ness Marathon

35.  ALGERIA: Sahara Marathon

36.  ICELAND: Reykjavik Marathon

37.  BRAZIL: Rio de Janeiro Marathon

38.  BARBADOS: Run Barbados Marathon

39.  USA: Boston Marathon

40.  USA: New York City Marathon

41.  USA: Marine Corps Marathon

42.  JAMAICA: Reggae Marathon

43.  CANADA: Toronto Waterfront Marathon

44.  USA & CANADA: Niagara Falls International Marathon

45.  CUBA: Havana Marathon

46.  USA: Chicago Marathon

47.  MEXICO: Gran Maratón Pacifico

48.  USA: Big Sur International Marathon

49.  ANTARCTICA: Antarctic Ice Marathon

50.  ARCTIC: North Pole Marathon

Introduction

Selecting only 50 races to be included in this book was a harder task than it might seem. There are now so many marathons in almost every country and territory of the world – from the North Pole and Antarctica to the Sahara Desert, as well as on islands so small that the organisers struggle to set out a 42.2km (26 miles 385yds) route. The sheer variety on offer dazzles the imagination.

It is hard to believe that the first marathon race (aside from that of the ancient legend) was held little more than a century ago; and the sort of popular running event that we take for granted today only started to emerge in the late 1970s. The Greek legend recounts the story of Pheidippides, a messenger who was sent from the battlefield of Marathon to Athens to deliver news of victory over the Persian army. Exhausted, he expired on arrival, having run a distance now thought to be farther than the modern marathon. The story’s romantic appeal inspired Michel Breal, a renowned philologist, to prevail upon his friend Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the Modern Olympic Games, to include a long-distance race from Marathon to Athens in the inaugural Olympic Games in Greece in the summer of 1896.

The Rome Marathon is a world-class event with competitors from around the world running through the city.

Bridges feature in many marathons and offer a spectacular sight from above.

The first marathon was actually a trial race held a few months before in April 1896, and over the same course. The defining Olympic race played out dramatically and promoters immediately sought to emulate it, primarily in Europe and North America.

The Boston Marathon was born the following year. It has proven the most resilient, maintaining continuity through both world wars and the Great Depression and, after a few shaky years in the 1980s, reinventing itself to follow a more popular formula. In England The Polytechnic Marathon, (the ‘Poly’), from Windsor to Chiswick, started in 1909, following the 1908 London Olympic Marathon, and was held over a similar course. Many world records were set on this course in the 1950s and 1960s, but the race petered out in the 1990s as the new generation of big city marathons took over.

The ‘popular formula’ of marathon running was conceived by Fred Lebow, a New Yorker and avid runner, in a fortuitous confluence of circumstances – the running world’s ‘Eureka’ moment. Prior to this date marathons were typically run by a band of elite, usually male, runners who had to complete the course in fast times or were asked to withdraw from the race. Lebow, who had established the New York Marathon in 1970 as a four-lap race within the confines of Central Park, followed up on a suggestion from local distance-runner Ted Corbett to make the race ‘citywide’ in its appeal. City Hall seized upon the idea, but misinterpreted it as a proposal to run the race through all five boroughs of the city to celebrate the American bicentennial in 1976. Consequently the field had grown 534 starters in 1975 to total 2,090 participants in just one year. The spectacle it presented enthused enough people to fuel rapid growth, and in 1980 14,000 runners entered the race.

Clean air and spectacular scenery are just two of the attractions for the Jungfrau Marathon in Switzerland.

Several of the races included in this book were a direct outgrowth of the New York experience. Even those already in existence, like Berlin, cashed in on the move to city-wide marathon courses. Others, like Stockholm, Barcelona, and London, were set up by those who had been impressed by New York and realized that it was an event waiting to happen in other cities of the world.

The ‘running boom’ as it became known, which started with New York in the late 1970s caught on in Europe in the early 1980s.

In Japan, marathons were already firmly embedded in the public’s awareness: the elite Japanese Fukuoka Marathon had taken over from England’s ‘Poly’ as the place to set world records in the late 1960s. For most Japanese, however, it remained a spectator sport as the field remained closed to all but elite runners. Many Japanese runners travelled abroad to find big-city marathons in which they could take part. Pressure built upon Japanese race organisers to open up their events to mass participation. Finally, after long hard scrutiny of races elsewhere and careful planning, they did just this in 2007 and met with instant success.

By contrast, marathon running was almost unknown in India when the Mumbai Marathon was launched in 2003. By that date marathons had already become far more than just running events, and featured carnival aspects including outlandish costumes and huge charity fundraising. Mumbai capitalised on this, with supporting events that attracted corporate advertising, cricketing heroes and Bollywood stars. Running, and the Mumbai Marathon with it, became an aspirational pursuit for tens of thousands of people.

Marathons have conquered the world’s big cities, and they are increasingly reaching far more remote locations, specifically aimed at attracting tourist runners. While many of the big-city marathons entice significant numbers of foreigners and contribute heavily to the local economy as a result, others, like the Great Wall Marathon in China, attract an almost exclusively tourist clientele. The Australian Outback Marathon, near Uluru, does the same, even though the overwhelming majority of runners are Australians. The attraction is obvious – if you are adventurous enough to run a marathon, the idea of doing it in an appealing location gives an extra incentive.

I came to marathon running when it was an elite performance sport. People taking up running since the 1980s have done so mainly to participate rather than compete. The two are hardly exclusive of each other, but bring different perspectives. As a jobbing marathon runner, I ran where I could perform best and where the performance would count for most. That was why I ran in New York, Tokyo, London, Chicago and Beijing, not in the race that offered the most challenging or beautiful course or the most exotic location, but on a fast course in which I could excel. All world records have been set in big-budget races – since these are the events that attract the professional runners. New York was the first such event, paying out large prize money.

The appeal of many marathons for tourists is the opportunity to visit exotic towns and cities.

Most runners with an eye on the clock will target a ‘fast’ course at some point, in order to obtain the much discussed ‘personal best’ time, but they may also be attracted to races that hold out the promise of a memorably different experience. For me, the one that offered a completely different experience was the Sahara Marathon. In common with some of the other adventure races in this book, like the Great Wall Marathon or the North Pole Marathon, runners meet up even before arriving at the race. Typically a rapport develops that is only strengthened as the race approaches, with participants sharing accommodation within the homes of the Sahrawi refugees and experiencing the place in a profound way.

Wherever you run, running a marathon allows a deeper sense of participation within a city or country than is open to a visitor with a more casual itinerary, whether at home or abroad. For the social runner, the challenge of running such a long distance will always hold special memories whatever the location. The chance to participate in a race at the same time as the world’s elite is appealing: the marathon is the only event where the masses can be on the same course, at the same time, as the best in the world.

Marathons bring a sense of purpose too, as you set out on a journey and see it through to the finish. My victory in the second London Marathon, back in 1982, brought an overwhelming sense of relief. I thought I could do it, other people also seemed to think so, but it was only crossing the finish line that made it reality. Most marathon experiences will be less stark than that, and perhaps may be better appreciated and more enjoyable if the runner’s concentration is focused on the taking part rather than the end result. For many first-time runners, marathon day may be the end of the journey, preceded by months of mental and physical preparation, training schedules and self-discipline so that the day might be better enjoyed and injury-free. For seasoned runners, who know what their bodies are capable of, achieving a faster marathon time, might be the catalyst for entering a race. Whether your finish time is 2½ or 6 hours, the sense of achievement at completing a personal challenge, or knocking minutes or seconds off your time, can be immense.

Millennium Park, a landmark of the Chicago Marathon.

The runners in the Sahara Marathon stay as guests in the refugee camps focusing attention on the plight of the Sahrawi and promoting better understanding.

The races described in this book offer a huge variety of different experiences. The world is out there waiting for you, and as a marathon runner you are well placed to conquer it. Marathon running involves commitment and a sense of purpose, and will be rewarding in whatever circumstances it is realised. Look through these pages for a glimpse of the magical places to which it can transport you.

Hugh Jones

Auckland Marathon | New Zealand

For most foreign runners the Auckland Marathon is a very long way away, but the event offers something for everyone – with a family run, a 5km (3 mile) race, a quarter, half and full marathons all being staged at the same time. Only the marathon and half marathon cross the Auckland Harbour Bridge, which is the big feature of the course.

The marathon was founded by the YMCA Marathon Club in 1994 as two laps along the Tamaki Drive Waterfront to the east of the city centre. Only when the course was changed to include the Harbour Bridge and the city centre did it generate the international profile the organisers sought. Numbers grew, and now stand at 14,000 with just over half of them women. Of those, 3,000 entries are for the marathon, making it a fairly low-key event when compared to some of the larger marathons. There is an intimate feel to the race that is only partly to do with the limited numbers.

In the pre-dawn, runners board a flotilla of chartered ferries to take them from the city centre across Waitemata Harbour to the start line in Devonport on the north shore. They early start is a sensible solution to the logistical problem of how to get runners from one side of the bridge to the other in the limited time available; the bridge has to be re-opened to general traffic at 9.45am, come what may. Marathon runners set off at 6.10am and the half marathoners follow at 7.00am, giving them a generous cut-off time to reach the crucial 13km (8 mile) point at which they ascend onto the bridge – if they are not there in time they are turned away.

From the start at Torpedo Bay, runners go north on the peninsular turning on to the mainland proper at Takapuna, 8km (5 miles) into the race. They then head south toward the bridge. Descending through Point Erin Park, runners go eastbound along the waterfront to approach the city centre. Before getting there, half marathon runners turn into Victoria Park to finish, but marathon runners bypass the centre by hugging the wharf to emerge on a causeway heading out to a turning point at 30km (18½ miles).

WHILE YOU’RE THERE

Mount Eden is a dormant volcanic crater outside Auckland – once surmounted, it rewards the climber with fabulous views of the city skyline.

For a similar experience, the Sky Tower, the country’s tallest manmade structure overlooks downtown.

Queen Street and downtown are the best spots for fine dining.

Be sure to check out the city beaches like Takapuna.

For an enchanting wildlife experience, take a dolphin and whale watching tour. See: www.tourismnewzealand.com

Runners press on to the causeway, which the quarter marathon runners, who began outside Victoria Park and turned here for their return to the finish, have cleared by the time the marathon runners arrive. The wealthy waterfront suburbs start from here, and marathon runners can enjoy the spectacular harbour views as they press on for another 5km (3 miles) to the turning point at St Helier Bay.

Retracing the third quarter of the route in reverse to the Victoria Park finish, the ‘Party in the Park’ welcomes weary finishers with bands, entertainment and a plethora of hospitality tents provided for the estimated 38,000 people attending the celebrations. It is an experience far removed from the peaceful early morning ferry ride across the harbour, but a suitably ebullient end to a hard race. The average time for the course is an impressive 4½ hours, with most runners home while the day is still young.

The bridge marks the end of the hilly section of the race, though the incline onto it is the steepest of all.

The Sky Tower looms in the background, an iconic landmark visible throughout the race.

RACE DETAILS

WHEN? October

WHEN TO APPLY: July

HOW MANY TAKE PART? 15,000

DIFFICULTY RATING: 6/10

SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS: Hilly at the start but largely flat afterwards. The course can be windy, so keep hydrated.

CONTACT: Adidas Auckland Marathon M129, Private Bag 300987AlbanyAuckland, New Zealand +64 (0)9 415 [e-mail]

Sydney Marathon | Australia

The Olympic Games hosted by Sydney in 2000 allowed Australia to project its sport-friendly environment to a watching world. One Olympic legacy that resulted is the Blackmore’s Festival of Running Sydney Marathon.

The Sydney Marathon – for short – is the only event arising from the 2000 Olympics that is open to the public. From the first staging it attracted 7,500 runners. The numbers have been growing ever since and it is now one of the most popular sporting events in Australia. The appeal is obvious – you get to run across the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge and gaze down on the Harbour, the Opera House and the Botanical Gardens as you go.

The finish is at the World Heritage Site of Sydney Opera House, and the great thing about this inclusive running festival is that you get all these impressive sights no matter which running option you choose out of the marathon, the half marathon, the 9km (5½ mile) bridge run and the 4km (2½ miles) family fun run, all of which are staged at the same event. The organisers go to great and varied lengths to live up to their slogan ‘The run that’s fun for everyone’. The family fun-run route follows a direct track to the Opera House, the bridge run makes a lap out of it, and the marathon and half marathon routes twist around the city centre in intricate webs that feature many hairpin turns. The marathon makes up the required distance by leading runners on a continuously sinuous route to the southeast of the city centre, in and around Centennial Park. The course is undulating but includes several long, flat sections. The weather is generally 19–21°C (66–70°F), with the occasional welcome breeze to help you cool off.