Athletic Training

THE MARATHON RUN 79 Another point a Marathon runner should bear in mind is this: any race or competi– tion that results in such physical exhaustion as must follow a Marathon contest demands that the athlete have plenty of time to rest. The number of men wh~ are fitted by nature or by their occupations to run the Marathon distance is very few. Clerks who sit down most of the time can stand more work than a man who is constantly on his feet. But unless a man is so situated that he can get all the sleep and rest he needs he should not take up Marathon running. In order to get in condition for so hard a race a man should be able to run frequently for more than an hour. Often he needs to run two hours or more. Few young men who are students or who work in shops or offices have the time to devote to this sort of training. But even if they had the time they would be unable to devote a correspond– ing amount of time to the rest which such training makes absolutely necessary. This is the feature of training for Marathons which most ambitious youngsters overlook. It is also a principle of good health. Long~periods