Marathoners love going the distance
Holly Bauer's ankle looks like an ordinary ankle, except for the winged sneaker tattoo with the number "26.2" below.
The number tallies the miles Bauer ran last year when completing her first marathon. Although Bauer admits the undertaking was daunting, she is among the growing ranks happy to take on the challenge.
"There is definitely a trend on increased participation," said S. Mark Courtney, 54, who operates the Runner's High timing service out of Grove City.
Having run 30 Boston Marathons and about 150 total, Courtney's perspective spans decades.
"There was hardly anybody running in the '60s and '70s because nobody knew they could do it," said Courtney.
According to MarathonGuide.com's 2009 statistics, people are learning they can: The site lists 40 marathons that emerged last year, including the Pittsburgh Marathon — now called the Dick's Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon — which returned after a five-year lapse. This year's event is set for May 2.
Karen Fredette, public relations consultant for the event, said high turnouts necessitated capping enrollment both years.
"Last year we had 10,500 finishers, which was our all-time highest field of runners. This year, we've topped 16,000 registrants," Fredette said.
"We're seeing people of all ages and skill levels."
As well as larger turnouts, demographics also have changed. Courtney said in decades past, only 20 percent of runners were women. Now, the ratio is closer to 50/50.
Although runners in their 20s and 30s comprise a large percentage of races, that hasn't always been so.
"For a long time the average age seemed to increase every year, because it was the same people running," Courtney said.
Now, more younger people are taking up the sport, balanced by a showing of senior citizens.
One example of the latter is Margretta Lutz, 81, of Saxonburg.
"I did the Clarion Half- Marathon two weeks ago," Lutz said Wednesday. "I finished and I didn't die. The weather was excellent."
But Lutz does more than stay alive. As of last year, she was ranked No. 1 in her age group by USA Track & Field, the sport's national governing body.
Although Lutz ran her first marathon at age 55, she took up the sport just five years earlier out of concern for her daughter, Pat Neubert. A typical mother, Lutz describes fretting over Neubert's safety and lecturing her against running alone.
"She said 'Why don't you join me?' So I joined her," Lutz recalled. "I walked, then I jogged — and then I started to run."
Bauer began running in 2008, after watching a girlfriend thrive on the pastime."Before I started running I never thought I could do it," said Bauer, 34, of Jefferson Township, a stay-at-home mother of two."I would see her running all the time. I kind of had an interest in it," she said. "I needed to do something else in my life that would make me feel better."Bauer's initial attempts consisted of alternating running with walking. She improved through regular practice, gaining speed as she tried to keep pace with faster runners."It's a slow process," she admitted. But consistency paid off.Although Bauer was 9 seconds shy of a Boston Marathon qualifying time during her first marathon, her pace in more recent races indicates she now can finish before the three-hour, 40-second cutoff."My last half (marathon) I did a 1:42 — and I just did a 1:30 a couple weeks ago," Bauer said. "So I broke my PR (personal record). I was very happy about that."Bauer and Lutz have increased their speed without injury, but some runners aren't so lucky. Tendinitis, shin splints and plantar fasciitis are among a handful of common ailments.According to Dr. Robert Waltrip, an orthopedic surgeon with Tri-Rivers Surgical Associates in Mars, Butler and other locations, many injuries are avoidable regardless of an athlete's age."The majority of these are overuse injuries," said Waltrip, who ran his first marathon last year. "They can improve with rest, anti-inflammatories, ice and stretching."Waltrip began his list with "rest" for a reason."The problem with runners is that runners never want to stop running — particularly if they're preparing for a big race," he said."Most people who train for a marathon train for a minimum of three to fours months. The injuries typically occur when mileage is increasing about a month before the race," he added.To diminish risk, Waltrip cites the common rule of adding no more than 10 percent of distance each week. Except in the case of very experienced runners, he advises taking a day off, especially after the longer workouts.Runners should drink sports drinks "after any substantial run" to replace electrolytes like sodium and potassium. And carbohydrates should be replenished via snacks or specialized products after about 45 minutes of work."Your muscles don't have enough fuel to continue working," Waltrip said. "You need to replace the glycogen."
Waltrip said although running can be safe for all ages, he advises against marathon running for youths, since experts still question how that type of repetitive stress affects open growth plates.To prevent injury in all ages, Waltrip reminds runners to stretch before and after running, to replace shoes every 200 to 300 miles and to wear footwear to match their anatomy.With proper gear, Waltrip said running does not deteriorate otherwise healthy knees — an often-repeated claim in decades past.Some speculate the idea stems from a time when shoe technology was in its infancy."When I first started running, there was no such thing as shoes specific for different feet," said Ed Doyle, 56, owner of the Up N Running store in Valencia. "It was one shoe, and that was it."Over time, shoes have evolved to fit various arch types and compensate for characteristics that can otherwise lead to discomfort or injury."There are people who roll (their feet) in, there are people who roll out," Doyle said. "The science has gotten really good at determining (how to address) that."Along with shoe technology came performance fabrics and running clothes that appeal to the new age of hobbyists."When I started running you grabbed a T-shirt and put a pair of shoes on. Now, you go out the door, you've got $700 worth of (gear) on," Courtney said, listing GPS devices and mp3 players among the nouveau necessities."At the races, people are spending a lot of money and the people who are buying it don't look like runners.""They're fit, but they're not gaunt — emaciated," Courtney said, describing a body style typical of elite racers who now share the course with average folks.As a result, Courtney said average race times have slowed by an hour for men and more than that for women.
But regardless of speed, participants are high achievers: According to a survey taken at last year's Pittsburgh Marathon, 42 percent of runners had a four-year college degree and 44.6 had postgraduate degrees."Our highest demographic in terms of household income was $120,000-plus," Fredette noted.Additionally, 82 percent had never run a marathon, but most planned to repeat the endeavor."This is a new decade," said Courtney, planning a repeat of his own. According to a story in the May issue of Running Times Magazine, Courtney is in the line to become the first athlete to complete a sub-3-hour marathon for a fifth consecutive decade."I'd like to do it at Boston," he said, listing that race as a cherished favorite. "But if I don't, it's not the end of the world."Herself a Boston Marathon veteran, Lutz speaks of running with equal ease."I used to be concerned about my time, but now I'm just happy I'm out there," she said."It's just a good feeling that I'm able to do something of that magnitude at my age — and I feel good."
