Matt Miller
Why? It's a fair question. I have run/walked/ hobbled four marathons before, so why do another one? To be honest, I'm not sure. You would be better off asking people who have run hundreds of marathons or who run non-stop for a week in deserts or up mountains or in rivers. They might have worked it all out yet - but I haven't. So why?
There are obviously lots of reasons not to run a marathon - the training, the aches and pains, the early mornings, the weather (its usually too hot, too wet, too cold or all three), the anxiety you feel before a really long training run, the chafing etc. Then there are all the nice things you give up for months - lager, Kit-Kats, pork pies, fried egg and bacon sandwiches. You get the message. Plus I am not really made for running - wrong shape, too old, too slow and too busy doing other things. So why?
Well the training is not all bad. You lose weight and get fit - in fact, the day before a marathon you are probably fitter than you have ever been before. But then you go and knacker yourself running 26 miles, have a skinful to celebrate and you find yourself back to square one. It might all have been easier if I had stayed fit between my marathons but I didn't and so the training, at least to start with, doesn't get any easier. I know this because, right now, my knees hurt when I go down the stairs. So why?
It's difficult to explain, but I will have a bash. First and foremost, you raise a load of cash for charity, and by doing something that takes a bit more than filling out a direct debit form or putting a fiver in a collection box. I think that counts for a lot. Secondly, I went to New York for the first time last year and I thought it was an amazing place. What better way to see a bit more of the city than run around it? (Er...take the bus, maybe...)
Seriously though - for me, each marathon I have done in the past has been memorable for different reasons - the whole experience is easily worth all the training, the chafing and the lack of pork pies. Easily. I don't really remember how much it did or didn't hurt - what I remember are the crowds, the views and seeing your supporters going berserk when they spot you. And for the last mile the hairs in the back of you neck stand up and you just get a massive buzz out of the whole thing. So that's why.
Sorry if you are none the wiser, but run a marathon and you will see what I mean.