The sub 3:00 marathon and what it means to me.

From thought process to action.

In 1977 the Boston Marathon committee changed the qualifying times for male entrants aged 19-39 to three hours (3:00) and women (all divisions) to 3:05 marathon to qualify. Prior to 1977 qualifying times had been 3:30 and even 4:00 in the earlier years of the race. The change came in 1977 due to the dramatic increase in participants with the rising popularity of the sport. The number of women looking to compete at the Boston marathon actually doubled over that short time period. Controlled growth of the event was now an objective of the committee and this gave birth to the distinguished sub 3 marathon benchmark amongst the running community. But why did they choose 3:00? It has changed since, several times actually, both up and down, but the benchmark of a sub 3 marathon remains prestigious amongst the running community since then.

Why is ‘sub 3’ such a benchmark for me and many other non-elite, age grouper athletes? Obviously it’s difficult to achieve, with only 4 percent of runners across all age groups managing to break that distance in under 3 hours (marastats.com). One would assume that the percentage is even higher these days with the advent of high-tech running shoes and better training protocols. According to runrepeat.com , the percentage is actually smaller but that is presumably down to the fact that the number of runners has risen dramatically over the past 10 years also. The average finishing time for a marathon is about 4:20. So whatever way you slice it, a sub 3:00 hour marathon is no easy feat and done by very few.

But besides potentially qualifying to do another marathon, there are no awards for running a sub 3 marathon, it’s the same medal as everyone else's. So is it just a personal vendetta against the clock, or is there something more to it?

The goal of a sub 3 marathon had been on my radar since I completed my first marathon in Toronto back in 2013. I got sidetracked in the middle by Ironmans and more recently by ultramarathons but I go where the wind takes me with endurance sports so that was my journey.

Toronto 2013 - 3:21 (my first marathon)
2013-2019 any marathons were part of an Ironman race so a different cup of tea.
Clonakilty 2019 - 3:21
Cork (virtual) 2021 - 3:07 (goal was sub 3:10)

[Side note: There is almost an HOUR between those who crave a sub 3 and the top Olympic athletes and never mind all of those in between. Most running clubs will have hardened age groupers that run 2:45 to even 2:30 almost every year, for decades now. These men and women are amazing, but they are in the 1 percentile of runners. Gifted. Special.

I speak mainly to a larger cohort of runners that are not as genetically gifted but love running and improving and look at the sub 3 and say to themselves ‘’I think I could do that’’ or ‘’I want to go sub 3’’.]

I believe one of the reasons it speaks to so many runners is because it IS achievable for a lot more men and women than it seems. There are so many runners out there that have a real shot at a sub 3 with dedicated time and effort. This could take years or it could happen quickly depending on multiple factors. Most of us have those years though, and much like a fine wine, runners tend to get better with age (to a certain point). So there is great scope out there for age groupers like myself that started running later in life (I was 27 when I ran my first race).

In my quest for the sub 3:00, I wanted to know why it felt so important to me and to other avid runners. So I asked some peers and athletes who have been there or have almost died trying, ‘Why was/is the sub 3 marathon important to you’’. Here are some of their responses;

‘’Running a sub 3:00 is generally regarded as the mark for running a fast marathon amongst club runners. It is an achievement that earns respect. It requires a little bit of ability, but mostly commitment, consistency and execution on race day. A lot goes into making it happen and unlike running a fast short race, if it goes wrong or you just miss out on it, you don’t get an opportunity to try it again the following week. For all these reasons, the satisfaction and buzz from running my first sub 3:00 was hard to beat’’ - this is coming from a man who runs with a club and has run sub 3:00 several times.

Other responses were; ‘To qualify for the Boston Marathon’, ‘to earn respect amongst club members’, ‘to truly commit to going all out for a marathon’, ‘to set the bar high’. I could definitely relate to all of these responses.

I particularly enjoyed the sentence ‘’ It requires a little bit of ability, but mostly commitment, consistency and execution on race day’’. This speaks volumes. You don’t need to be genetically gifted. You absolutely need to be dedicated, and have a great strategy for race day.

Going sub 3:00 for the marathon was important to me for a few reasons. Sometimes you just need to know if you are able to do something that seems just out of your grasp.

Reason #1: Can I do it, realistically?

For years I was just stuck on 1:29 for a half marathon, knowing I had no chance of pulling off a sub 3:00 at that level of fitness(theoretically you should be doing a 1:26 half marathon if you want to stand any chance of sub 3:00). For years it didn’t budge beyond 1:29, probably 5 different times over different half marathon events. What also never budged was my lack of commitment to a marathon running program. There was always an Ironman or another triathlon looming in the background and I settled for 3 runs a week so I could keep the bike and swim going also. You simply can’t run a sub 3:00 without putting in the miles that are needed for marathon training (unless you’re an amazing super freak). Good quality miles, I’m not one for overtraining( I see the fallout from injury everyday at work) but you need to be running 5(sometimes 6) times a week for the bulk of the program. Looking back over the years, I just never put in the volume to be able to go sub 3:00 for a marathon. So I felt that with appropriate time and effort, I could do it.

Reason #2: Does running a sub 3:00 marathon matter to me as a coach?

Should it matter that I can run a sub 3:00 marathon as a coach? Hopefully not. Being a good coach does not mean you have to be a good athlete, or an athlete at all for that matter. However, there is something to be said for knowing how to program a good training plan based on personal experience. I think my athletes appreciate that I also train hard, that I strive to be better and that I learn from my own mistakes. So yes, there is definitely an element of this sub 3:00 attempt that I am doing for ‘work experience’ with a tried and battle tested program.

Reason #3: Boston Marathon

I watched the Boston Marathon once with my brother on my way to Toronto, fresh out of my first PT course back in 2011. At the time I had never run more than 21k so watching the marathon in Boston with the crowds that gathered there was amazing. I didn’t even know at the time that you had to qualify, my brother told me and it was so intriguing to see such a special race. At the time I would have had zero notions about gaining entry but was fascinated nonetheless.

I think those reasons are worthy of making a commitment to the cause.

4 weeks out from the marathon, I ran 32k with 30k at sub 3:00 marathon pace. One of two runs I considered the most important of the whole training plan. I put that run 4 weeks out for a reason. It’s just a shade over 20 miles, which is as long as some people will run in the buildup for a marathon and most will run that distance up to 3 times. I wanted to get those miles under my belt, at the pace I needed to go sub 3 hours in the marathon. That way I would know for sure, if I was ready for it in four weeks time. Above all else, it was a confidence booster, if it went well of course. 20 miles is usually around the point during a long run where you ‘hit the wall’ and the wheels start to come off, so it’s important that you ‘go there’ in your training runs. That’s what’s so special about the marathon distance and one of the reasons why running a sub 3:00 hour marathon is so important to me. You can be fast over the 5k, the 10k, the 10 miler, the half marathon but putting it together for distances beyond that becomes increasingly harder. You can’t just double your half marathon time and hope to hang on. There is a strategy that needs planning and everything has to go your way on the day too. So many things could go against you even if you show up in the best shape of your life. Sleep, stomach issues, weather, cramps, poor pacing, mental struggles or even wardrobe malfunctions are all lurking to potentially ruin your day that you’ve spent several months preparing for. Very little margin for error. That’s what makes the marathon the ‘king distance’ for runners. It’s what makes going sub 3:00 such a gruelling task. It’s why I love it.

I wrote this blog post over the last few months of my training for my first sub 3:00 marathon attempt. It’s been a rewarding experience to write down thoughts and gather opinions while pursuing my goal. Even more rewarding is that I sit here less than a week later after achieving my goal with a time of 2:57:06 in the Copenhagen Marathon on May 15th 2022.

I can honestly say I was never more confident showing up to toe the start line of any race before this. Even still, I had to perform on the day, but the training plan provided me with the utmost confidence in my abilities to get under the 3:00 mark.

Here is my training plan in its entirety available on Training Peaks ™ for anyone looking to follow a plan that has given me great success.

My 39 week program which includes a 13 week base building program geared towards building faster 5k and 10k paces before getting stuck into the marathon training. Also available is the 26 week marathon training program for those already at the paces outlined as prerequisites for the sub 3:00 marathon.

https://www.trainingpeaks.com/my-training-plans/fitforlong