By EVA DUNN-FROEBIG
Marathon running gets more and more popular each year.
In 2010, an estimated 500,000 runners completed a marathon in the United States compared to 143,000 in 1980, according to Wikipedia. But most people who run marathons are not participating in them to win; they are doing it to finish or to better a personal finish time. In 2005, the average marathon time in the U.S. was 4 hours 32 minutes 8 seconds for men, 5 hours 6 minutes 8 seconds for women. That is considerably lower than most of the Boston Marathon qualifying times.
So who are these marathoners and how are they finishing marathons?
Here in Missoula, we know that many of them take a Run Wild Missoula training class to prepare for the Missoula Marathon or Half-Marathon. One of those classes is the Galloway Training Class, which starts up on Sunday, January 22 at 8 a.m. at the Runner’s Edge, 325 N. Higgins Ave.
The Galloway Training Class, led by dedicated Run Wild Missoula volunteers Pam Gardiner and John Pitcairn, uses Olympian Jeff Galloway’s run-walk-run method to complete a marathon injury-free.
A group of Run Wild Missoula members that trained with the Galloway method.
Thousands of people have used this method with walking breaks to train for and complete a marathon with less fatigue and training time commitments. Galloway says even accomplished marathoners have bettered their times using his training method.
For added inspiration, Jeff Galloway himself will be in Missoula to launch the run-walk-run training group for the 2012 Missoula Marathon. Galloway will speak about his run-walk-run method at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 18, at the DoubleTree Hotel in Missoula. The event is free and open to the public. Runners and walkers of all abilities will be inspired by Galloway’s knowledge of marathon training.
Galloway was once considered the “bad boy of running” for introducing the concept of alternating running with scheduled walk breaks to cover long distances. His approach allows athletes to build speed and endurance with relatively low weekly mileage and low risk of injury. For more than 30 years, he has helped thousands of runners reach their goals.
Galloway will also teach a running workshop from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 19, at the DoubleTree Hotel. The workshop costs $99 and registration is available online. Participants of the Galloway Training Class will save 50% off the running workshop.
During his visit, Galloway will visit local schools to promote nutrition and fitness. He will also lead a group run at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 18, from the Runner’s Edge. The group run is free and open to runners of all abilities.
For more information on the Missoula Marathon and the Galloway training class, visit the Run Wild Missoula website. Good luck with your marathon training!
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Stay in the loop with Missoula’s running community! Check out the Run/Walk It archives for more posts from Eva and other Missoula runners and walkers.
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Eva Dunn-Froebig is the executive director of Run Wild Missoula and has been running since the seventh grade. She moved to Missoula 12 years ago from upstate New York to attend the University of Montana’s Journalism School graduate program. Eva never dreamed that she would have a running-related job and feels lucky to be a participant in Missoula’s vibrant running community.