Hello readers. You all know that we love to highlight our winners with prizes and awards, and offer all kinds of elite incentives at many of our events. Today, however, we want to take some time to commend a group which sometimes doesn’t get the respect they deserve: all of those 4 ½ to 6-hour marathoners. They may train just as hard and be just as passionate about running as those front runners who can click off mile after mile at a very strong pace, but the stars just didn’t align quite right when their running lots were cast. And while we must impose course time limits for safety and logistic purposes (there is a course limit of 6 1/2 hrs for the 2014 Asheville Marathon), we want all of you runners who may not be so fleet of foot to know that sometimes being a slower marathoner can have its advantages.
- Lower Taxes: Gift taxes are expensive! Winning races, like winning the lottery, will just be another hassle during tax season. Your extra time on the course is worth it once you consider the time you’ll not have to haggle with the IRS and H&R Block.
- More photos opps.!: The longer you are out there, the better your chances of finding more capturable moments for your album, and the more chances to become a permanent part of someone else’s visual media collection.
- The Beer!: NC law prohibits serving alcohol on Sundays until 12 pm. A slower time means the chance to celebrate immediately following the race with a nice cold brewskie, courtesy of Sierra Nevada!
Bragging Rights… Yeah Really!: Which sounds better: “I ran for two and a half hours straight on Sunday”, or “I ran for 5 hours straight on Sunday!”?- Getting your money’s worth. Races can be expensive sometimes. Shouldn’t you take your darn good time and savor the experience?
- More room for improvement: It’s a heck of a lot easier to go from a 4:45 to 4:30 marathon than from a 2:45 to 2:30.
- People love the underdog! Yes indeed. After four or five grueling hours clicking along at your own best pace, the well-deserved cheers at the finish line will be all the louder, and sound all the more sweet to your ears!
So there you have it. While you may not be setting any world records, even those of you more akin to the tortoise than the hare can still have a good (and maybe even better) race race-day experience.
If you have any more advantages to share about being a more pedestrian runner (humorous or otherwise), please let us know in the comments section below.
