Showing posts with label Marine Corps Marathon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marine Corps Marathon. Show all posts

How Much Time Does It Take to Finish A Marathon? Average Marathon Finish Times

How long does it take to finish a marathon?

The answer, based on our analysis of 230,251 finishers in 25 races: 4:24, on average.

Here's how the average finish time stacks up against the 25.


Naturally, the time it takes to finish a marathon will depend on your age. Based on our analysis of results by age group at Boston, Chicago and New York marathons, plus our own experience on those courses, we developed an Adjusted Marathon Finish Time by Age Group.


Want to run an above average marathon? Beat these times.

A lot of first-time marathoners define their goal as 'Beat Oprah'. They want to run faster than Oprah Winfrey did in her first and only marathon, the Marine Corps Marathon. What was Oprah's marathon time? She ran a 4:29 in the women's 40-44 age group, beating the adjusted time of 4:35.


New for the 2011-2012 marathon season: we've analyzed 75 of the top marathons in North America -- with 330,000 finishers and 50,000 Boston Qualifiers --  to determine which ones are the biggest, toughest, fastest, and more.

Beyond the numbers, we've got personal experience, having competed in many of the marathons listed here, a total of 85 marathons overall, to add credibility to the rankings.

Toughest: Boston is toughest of our top 25, but with a deceptively fastest overall time, being exclusive to the qualified marathoners. Among marathons open to all runners, Los Angeles, Disney World, Portland (Oregon), RnR San Diego and Marine Corps are most challenging, based on average finish times.

Noteworthy: Chicago's 4:43 in 2010 ranked it 6th toughest overall. For more, see our detailed analysis of Chicago Finish Times by Age Group.  


Easiest: There is no such thing as an easy marathon. 26.2 miles is 26.2 miles, and competing in one is an awesome undertaking and an extraordinary achievement. But when it comes to faster marathon courses, Hamilton, Bay State, Pocono Mountain, Sugarloaf and Hudson River top the list.


And yes, we know very well that there are many, many smaller marathons not on this list that are wicked hard. We limited the analysis to these races, representing hundreds of thousands of finishers. For more see our Complete Marathon Coverage, and more detailed analysis, below.

Top 50 Best Marathons


Top 50 Best Marathons to Qualify for Boston



Marine Corps Marathon Advice, Analysis, Pace Charts, and more

Detailed Race Data Analysis

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Course Description: The course showcases the best of Arlington, VA and the nation’s capital. The USATF certified route starts in Arlington, VA, and winds its way through Rosslyn along Lee Highway before turning on Spout Run and the George Washington Memorial Parkway. Runners will experience a climb on Lee Highway in the first few miles of the course, but are rewarded with a descent along Spout Run and the Parkway.

After crossing Key Bridge into Georgetown, runners turn toward the Palisades Com- munity when the course follows Canal Road, up to the reservoir and down MacArthur Boulevard. The course guides runners down popular M Street in Georgetown.

Runners will turn on Wisconsin Avenue and then K Street. The course passes the Kennedy Center and takes runners into Hains Point at the halfway point of the race.

Outside Potomac Park, runners pass the Jefferson Memorial before entering the National Mall and running by landmarks like the Lincoln, FDR, Korean War and Vietnam Veteran’s memorials, Washington Monument, and the U.S. Capitol. Runners continue along Jefferson Drive and turn onto 14th Street to “Beat the Bridge” at Mile 20 before returning to Virginia.

For the last 10K runners will venture through the color and energy of Crystal City, pass the Pentagon and charge the hill to the finish at the Marine Corps War Memorial. It is truly a beautiful course and aptly nicknamed “The Marathon of the Monuments.”

Marine Corps Marathon: Pace Charts by Age Group

We analyzed results of all 20,000+ finishers in the 2009 Marine Corps Marathon to identify the actual  splits at major checkpoints, and pace per mile of each age group, by section of the course. If you're looking to run at about the average pace for your age group, these are your targets. If not, use these as approximate guides to calibrate your own pace chart. For more, see our Complete Marine Corps Marathon Coverage.






Marine Corps Marathon: Predicting Full Marathon Time Using Half Marathon Split

At the Marine Corps Marathon, when you get to the 13.1 mile point, you are likely to wonder what your finish time might be. At MCM, for the average runner, here's the approximate formula: half marathon time x 2.2 = full marathon time.


Example, if you're M30-34, and you've run a 2:03 half marathon, your finish time is likely to be 4:28. With an R-squared of .83, confidence in this prediction is fairly high. For more MCM stats and FAQ, see our Complete Marine Corps Marathon Coverage.




Major Marathon Search Trends: Boston, Chicago, New York City, Marine Corps, Los Angeles

Web Search Interest: Boston Marathon, Chicago Marathon, New York Marathon, Marine Corps Marathon, Lon Angeles Marathon, US 2004 to present



Web Search Interest: Boston Marathon, Chicago Marathon, New York Marathon, Marine Corps Marathon, Lon Angeles Marathon, US Last 12 Months

Average Marathon Finish Times 2000 to 2013: Boston, New York City, Chicago, MCM

Having completed a deep dive into average finish times by age for the Boston, New York City and Chicago marathons for a single year, it's time to step back and see how overall average finish times for these races compare between 2000 and 2013.


Over the 14-year period, Boston Marathon times have slowed by 10 minutes to the 3:50 range, NYC is steady roughly around 4:27. Chicago seems to be on a slowing trend by as much as 20 minutes; while weather has had an impact in some recent years, conditions in 2011 had a limited impact on the 4:40 average time. And of course, Hurricane Sandy led to the cancellation of NYC Marathon in 2013, and the Boston Bombing suspended the legendary marathon in 2013.



For more, see our complete Boston, New York City, Chicago and Marine Corps Marathon coverage.

Marathon Finish Times by Age: Boston, New York City, Chicago and Marine Corps Marathon

More than 120,000 runners plan to run a marathon in Boston, New York City, Chicago and or the Marine Corps Marathon this year. If you or a friend are running in one or more of these events, here are finish times you might expect, by age for women and men. How do the races compare? New York City marathoners will average 38 minutes slower than Boston runners; Chicago finishers average 50 minutes slower than Boston. Interestingly, Chicago and Marine Corps Marathons result in quite similar times across the board.










For more, see 






Marathon Comparisons: Chicago, New York City, Marine Corps

More than 100,000 runners choose to run the Chicago Marathon, New York City Marathon or the Marine Corps Marathon. Which of the three is fastest? We ran the numbers by age group for each race, and here are the results.



 

Marine Corps Marathon 2010: Average Finish Times by Age Group

The average finish time for the entire field of 21,856 finishers was 4 hours and 44 minutes. This average is nearly the same as in 2009: 4 hours, 41 minutes. Both times put Marine Corps Marathon among the toughest in our ranking of 25 Top Marathons. See complete finishers lists and Average Number of Finishers by Age Group. Also see our Complete Marine Corps Marathon Coverage.

Marine Corps Marathon 2010: Race Results for 21.856 Finishers

Congratulations to all 21,856 finishers of the 2010 Marine Corps Marathon. The breakout of number of finishers by age group is shown below. All finishers and finish times are listed in two posts: Finishers 1 to 10,000 and Finishers 10,001+. Also see Average Finish Times by Age Group, and our Complete Marine Corps Marathon Race Coverage.

Marine Corps Marathon 2009: Number of Finishers by Age Group

In 2009, 20,881 marathoners finished the Marine Corps Marathon in an average time of 4:41. With a running field this size, Marine Corp Marathon ranks among the top of our 50 Best Marathons. Also see our analysis of Average Finish Times by Age Group and our Complete Marine Corps Marathon Coverage.

Marine Corps Marathon 2009: Average Finish Times by Age Group

In 2009, the overall average time for 20,881 finishers was 4:41. This time makes Marine Corps Marathon among the hardest of our Top 25 Toughest marathons. Below, our analysis of average finish time by Age Group. Also see our analysis of number of finishers by age group, and our Complete Marine Corps Marathon Coverage.

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