There are many types of runner, just as there are many types of people. And we each have different reasons to run, or to not run. So I'm happy to read what the Guardian writer said, and am interested in his perspective, but I'll resist the temptation to let it dilute my own experiences.
I've spoken to, or read, many, many long-term runners who've never run a marathon, have no intention to run one, and feel no need to apologise for it. It must be exasperating at times: to be a relatively good runner, watching the London marathon industry chugging along.
It's true that there's a lot of hype around marathons but for many of us, the experience -- not just of the race, but the training and the plannng -- is a genuinely valuable and exhilarating journey. Probability tells us that not everyone will respond in the same way though. As the writer is a lifelong runner, it may well be that he's more likely to be cynical about the marathon hype, which draws in so many non-athletes to become ephemeral marathon heroes -- before they resume their place on the couch.
Beware cheap supermarket lager. From what I read, you'll become a binge drinker, and start hanging round on street corners with your mates, shouting at joggers and suffering low self-esteem. Don't shoot the messenger though....
April Bloody April, Nothing Rhymes With April.
