Posted on 08/23/2019 3:02:53 PM PDT by simpson96
Jennifer Smith always said if she was the last person to finish a race, she’d quit. For most of the ones she’s run in her life, she’s always been in the back—though never actually last— but on July 11, she was finally bringing up the rear.
This was her first marathon, something Smith long wanted to tackle, but never expected to do so soon. She had only raced 5Ks at that point, and the farthest she’d ever run before that was eight miles. Yet, before she knew it, the gun had gone off, and she quickly found herself behind everyone else.
At 346 pounds when she weighed in before the race, she didn’t expect to finish with a good time—she just wanted to finish.(snip)
Planning began a year ahead. Smith didn’t want to just run for herself. She wanted to run for anyone who thought they couldn’t do it—especially those who felt constrained by their weight. So, at 380 pounds at the time, she signed up and immediately reached out to Guinness World Records to see if she would qualify for the heaviest woman to complete a marathon record, which is currently held by Ragen Chastain, who completed the Mainly Marathons at 288 pounds in May 2017. (snip)
Smith’s final time was 11:50:36. With her increase in physical activity during her training, Smith dropped almost 40 pounds, weighing in at 346. When she crossed the line, not only did she complete her first marathon, but she also unofficially became the heaviest woman ever to finish 26.2.
Though the record is not official until it is verified by Guinness, Smith gathered all of the required evidence—videos, witness statements, start and end weights, and race director’s contact info—and is preparing to send it in for verification.
(Excerpt) Read more at runnersworld.com ...
The first man to run the 26 miles from Marathon to Athens died.
I am pretty sure nobody was stopping her
My friend is a food junkie.
It’s sad really. But real.
When she gets the urge, nothing can stop her. I think it may be worse than heroin. Simply because it is cheaper and easier to get.
She just cannot stay away from the junk food.
I’m fighting my own demon. Tobacco.
Okay well, good for her. Now that she’s done it, her next goal should be GETTING THAT WEIGHT OFF (and being around for her kids), not so much improving her time for the next marathon. Else she’s flirting with disaster. Getting the weight off will vastly improve her time all by itself. But, wow get that tonnage off and get some competent medical supervision before trying that craziness again!
“The first man to run the 26 miles from Marathon to Athens died.”
That is only because he had an olive complexion, thus the cops of the time had reason to suspect he was fleeing something
You shouldn’t do more than 30 minutes of high intensity Cardio per day, more than that is counter-productive.
Either that or just doing brisk walks.
490 B.C.? See, it’s not as healthy as they claim!
Then he had it coming...
There’s a saying in the running community... “You can’t outrun your mouth!”
My reaction too, good for her, but I hope she is not attempting too much.
Marathons generate a ton of Cortisol, big-time inflammation problems.
There are much more healthier activities you can do.
I vary my exercise from lifting, sprinting, sports, swimming, and yoga.
I do breathing/meditation as well.
I’m naturally hyper, so yoga and meditation help a lot.
Yeah. One hopes she doesn’t become overconfident.
There’s a lot of kids there that need to be taken care of.
“She should walk, not jog, “
Check her average speed.
For lifters, “...abs are created in the kitchen.”
Lots of casual marathon runners don’t actually put in that many miles training for a race. E.g., the only time they ever run close to that distance is the race itself. And they often only run “long” one day a week, just ramping up to get to, say, 18 miles as their longest training run before the race.
Way slower than my natural walking pace. Maybe she’s expending more energy vertically than horizontally...
She was walking. 11 hours is about 2.4 miles per hour. But I would not take anything from her, it was a huge deal!
Not worthy of a record, aside from a personal great thing. I believe the actual marathon timers leave at 5 hours. It is one of those records that may have been done many times before, and it was note worthy enough before and really isn’t now, but good for her.
DK
Military “quick time”, is faster than her “run”.
A good friend of my wife recently lost her 50-year old husband. Dropped dead from a heart attack during a bike race.
He had stents put in a few years ago, doctor told him he should be doing bike races.
Listen to your doctor, folks!
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