The marathon is a seductive distance, with its promise of glory, challenge, and a finisher’s medal. But training for the full 26.2 requires a time commitment many runners find tough to make. The half marathon provides a happy medium between the fun of a 5K and the intensity of a marathon. It is long enough to demand respect, with some serious training requirements, but not so long it consumes entire days of a runner’s life leading up to race day. It is intense enough to require a runner to take serious care of his or her body, but not so intense that a runner regularly feels like he or she has been run over by a truck after training runs.
