As I was hobbling around after our 21 mile benchmark, I heard an ad on a local radio station (K103, I believe) with the DJ saying something like "A marathon is actually easier than it sounds, so if you'd like to sign up for the Portland Marathon next month, contact so-and-so.com for a great fundraising opportunity to support local youth." I was both outraged and laughing as I heard it. Someone needs to clue them in to how hard the training is, and how ludicrous it is to think someone can train for it in three weeks.

I heard a similar ad on another station. Hopefully people will realize that walking or running a marathon isn't something you decide to do last minute.

Sharon

I have been hearing the same promotion on K103. Those of us who have trained for and run/walked marathons know its not true. If it takes PortlandFit 6 months to train a person to run or walk a marathon it won't work to sign up and train for a month. Unless the goal is to meet a paramedic on race day.

In 1981 I trained on my own for 3 months and then started out running the Honolulu Marathon. My maximum training run distance was 12 miles. I made it to mile 17 and passed out at an aid station. After that I didn't consider running another marathon, until my friend Monica told my about Portland Fit in 2001. So 20 years after not completing a marathon I was able to run (with some walking) a complete marathon. Without the training (runs and seminars) provided by Portland Fit I wouldn't have been able to do it.

The greatest danger is people not hydrating properly.

Michael

I took a look at the K103 website and the program is the St Jude Heros program, which is a fundraiser for St. Jude's children's hospital. I haven't heard the radio ads but the website (http://www.stjudeheroes.org) doesn't appear to have any information on training programs -- it's just a way to register individually or as a team. There's nothing on the website that promotes untrained people to do a marathon. It looks like they offer this program at a large number of marathons across the country. So it seems pretty benign to me unless they are tacitly encouraging untrained people to walk or run marathons.

Jimbo and others ... if you heard a DJ say that remark, I'd recommend that you call or email K103. It would be totally irresponsible and potentially dangerous to encourage someone unprepared to do a marathon in a month or less. My guess is that the DJ was taking some creative license but they should be alerted not to be so cavalier about marathon training.