the New York City Marathon. It's Race Day

it'll start!!


New York City (NYC) Marathon 2006 Preview

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Attracting more than 90,000 applicants, with a participation limit of 37,000 entrants, the foremost road race event is the New York City Marathon.

Held on the first Sunday of November, the race attracts world-class professional athletes and amateur competitors from all over the world. The event captivates a worldwide audience of 315 million television


42.195 Kilometers to Victory

A marathon is a running event where marathon runners run a distance of 42.195 kilometers, or 26 miles and 285 yards.

The marathon was inspired from the legend of a Greek soldier named Pheidppides. After the Greeks defeated the Persians in the Battle of Marathon (490 BC), Pheidppides ran from Marathon to Athens, a distance of 42 kilometers, to proclaim the victory to the city. After the proclamation, the Greek soldier died of exhaustion.

In honor of the Battle of Marathon and the birth of modern Olympics, organizers made the marathon a long-distance running event of 42 kilometers. The distance has been changed over and over due to the distance differences in the marathon tracks of different cities. Today, the marathon distance is 42.195 kilometers.

It requires a lot of training and discipline to become a marathon runner. Marathoners train their bodies for maximum endurance. For them, the race does not begin with the gunshot in the starting track, but in training months before the race.

Endurance training is primary. Training can last up to six months. Some increase their running distance every two weeks, until the marathoner can run the whole 42 kilometers a few times a week.

However, they should not over-train. Every time they run, they risk their bodies from injury or over exhaustion, which could lead to cardiac arrest or other disorders.

Over-training can cause injuries, loss of endurance, and loss of strength. A few weeks before the race, marathoners decrease their running distance, and increase their carbohydrate intake, in order to have energy to use for the marathon itself. Stretching is very important before and after running.

During the race, marathoners maintain a steady pace throughout the race. Sprinting at the beginning would use up all energy. Steady pacing means running at constant speed without stopping. Stopping would lose a runner's momentum.

It is difficult to regain momentum once you lose it. The body use up the body's energy to power the muscles, and water to cool off the body. Water and sports drinks are available on the race to prevent dehydration among runners.

After the marathon, a runner should not sit down or else, the body could shut down. He or she should give some time to adjust.

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