You’re a runner, then?” acknowledges the non-runner, to which the obligatory follow-up question is, “How many marathons have you done?” Such is the iconic status granted to the distance.
During the 1970s, running a marathon became a coveted goal for keep-fit enthusiasts. Over the decades after that, the distance almost became the raison d’être for runners.
However, thanks in part to tens of thousands of people of all levels of fitness completing events like the Virgin Money London Marathon each year, 26 miles and 385 yards is now simply not far enough for some folk.
Ultras – in other words, races of more than marathon distance – have thus taken off. Indeed, according to statistics from runrepeat.com, the number of people globally taking part has risen 16-fold in the past…