On a chilly day in April 1924 – the first year the Boston Marathon was 26.2 miles, instead of the original 24.8 – about 140 men lined up in Hopkinton, Mass., to race. Yesterday, a century later in the same town, some 30,000 runners crossed the starting line.
Distance running, once a niche sport, has grown in popularity over the past few decades. Many of today’s marathon runners are middle-aged or older, some in poorer shape and less experienced. As a result, average finishing times in American marathons have slowed significantly, even as top runners get faster. It’s a sign of how popular marathons have become.
Consider the following charts:
The Boston Marathon is a special race. This is the oldest annual marathon in the world. This was the first time women competed. And it requires most athletes to submit a qualifying time to enter, creating an especially fast field.
Even so, the trend toward slower average completion times is clear. The average finishing time in Boston in 1924 was just under three hours. Yesterday, the average was nearly four hours.
Around the turn of the 20th century, when the first marathons were held, the races were thought to be safe only for young, healthy men. Many people even incorrectly believe that jogging will make women infertile or too masculine. But as distance running gained popularity as a way to stay healthy – partly because of American victory at the 1972 Olympics – more people want to compete. The Boston Marathon expanded to meet demand, and new marathons such as those of New York City and Chicago were established.
“It went from being for enthusiasts to Mount Everest being for everyone,” said David Monti, a marathon expert who runs a popular newsletter on distance running.
It’s not just Boston
Average times have increased at many of America’s biggest marathons, most of which do not require runners to post qualifying times like Boston does.
Large marathon organizers want large field sizes. First, organizing marathons is expensive: Cities need to close streets, ensure security, and set up infrastructure along the course. Runner registration fees help cover that cost. The more athletes and spectators, especially those from out of town, the more money flows into local restaurants and hotels. And then there’s the prestige of hosting a major public event.
“The images of 50,000 people on the Verrazano bridge — everyone wanted that,” Monti said. “And you need a lot of people to do that.”
To attract crowds, many races are less strict about participant credentials. That’s what attracted Andy Sloan, 36, to sign up for his first marathon in Honolulu last year. He was the last racer to pass the race, completing the route in 16 hours, 59 minutes and 39 seconds.
When Sloan first started training, he thought running a marathon was about achieving a goal. But in Honolulu, he found more meaning in the people who cheered him on.
“The feeling of support all the way through, even though I was last on the course, felt really good,” he told me. “Knowing that I took the time to set a goal and worked very hard to achieve it, it means a lot to me.”
The winner is still fast
The average may be slowing down, but marathon winners are not. Boston’s course records for both men and women have been set for the past 15 years.
And world records are still being broken on American marathon tracks. Last year, Kelvin Kiptum broke the world marathon record at the Chicago Marathon. His time was 2 hours and 35 seconds.
The last person to finish in Chicago that day had a time of 9 hours, 41 minutes and 14 seconds. Most people will never play soccer with Lionel Messi or tennis with Coco Gauff. But in a marathon, everyone runs the same route, on the same day.
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ART AND IDEAS
The television show “A Different World,” which ran from 1987 to 1993, followed a group of young black students at Hillman College, a fictional historically black college. The show addresses growing pains as well as more serious issues like racism and domestic violence. It’s now streaming on Amazon and Max, where it’s a hit with Gen Z.
Three decades after the series finale, the main cast is here. national tour of HBCUs — including Spellman and Howard — to increase enrollment and launch the “World of a Difference” scholarship fund.
