![](\"https:\/\/image-cdn.hypb.st\/https%3A%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage%2F2023%2F11%2Fslow-runners-new-york-city-maraton-2023-interview-2.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/span>Mario Tama\/Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n Running culture has grown exponentially since the pandemic, and that extends to marathon participants. It\u2019s not as if individual runners are getting slower, but as a group, there\u2019s a more diverse mix of speeds among their ranks. Long gone is the notion of a \u201ctypical\u201d marathon runner, who is thin and most likely ran in college. Nowadays, back-of-the-pack runners \u2013 those with a pace above a 10-minute mile and also those with a 15 or 20-minute mile \u2013 are no longer shying away from the daunting nature of a 26.2-mile race. In fact, they\u2019re embracing the challenge of taking on a marathon, even when they know it may take them literally all day to complete it.<\/p>\n Isabel DiGiovanni, the founder of Slow Girl Run Club, says that the \u201ctides are definitely changing when it comes to the perception of slow runners.\u201d DiGiovanni ran the NYC Marathon for the first time in 2022 \u2014 a feat she calls a \u201cbucket list item\u201d \u2014 after securing a spot via the event\u2019s general entry lottery program. (Other runners gain entry by meeting time-based qualifications or through representing a charity). She started Slow Girl Run Club, which meets weekly for a two-mile run at around an 11:30 pace, while training for the marathon after noticing that there weren\u2019t many run clubs for runners of her speed.<\/p>\n In the year and a half since, she says there\u2019s been a noticeable uptick in run clubs in the city that specifically cater to a slower pace. She attributes the aforementioned shift to the pandemic, when many took up running to simply get moving, developed an affinity for the sport and now want to reintroduce the social aspect of it.<\/p>\n View this post on Instagram<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A post shared by Slow Girl Run Club (@slowgirlrunclub)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n As for the place of slower runners in the marathon, DiGiovanni emphasizes that \u201ceveryone is running the same distance and that is the true challenge\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s also a challenge in itself to run a marathon at a slower pace,\u201d she says, \u201cBecause the time on your feet increases \u2014 running for 5 or 6 hours is a long time<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n The sheer well-earned pride of simply completing a marathon is a sentiment echoed by Kelly Roberts, the founder of run club Badass Lady Gang that brings together 9-minute and 22-minute milers alike. Roberts believes that anyone can run a marathon if they feel compelled to \u2013 it\u2019s simply a matter of building up mileage, regardless of speed. \u201cSlow\u201d runners, however, may have to take a different approach than those who come from a running background or are naturally speedy.<\/p>\n \u201cToo many running plans overtrain slower runners because they’re created with 8-10 minute milers in mind,\u201d Roberts says. \u201cFor slow runners specifically, my advice to you is to find a plan or a coach who understands what it means to run a 12-plus-minute mile.\u201d<\/p>\n Runners will have to get used to the labor of being on their feet for five, six or even seven hours at a time. For those who take longer than that, race organizers may have technically shut down the race before they can complete it. In the case of the NYC Marathon, the event wraps 9 hours and 30 minutes after the last wave of runners begins at 11:30. By 9:00 p.m., the remaining runners are expected to finish but will likely be followed by street sweepers during the last hour or two of their endeavor.<\/p>\n As streets reopen and traffic resumes, determined runners may have to revert to running on the sidewalk, often adding a layer of physical obstacles to completing the race. While runners who complete the race after the cutoff won\u2019t be able to have their times documented and signage and barriers may have been taken down, marathon staff will still wait at the finish line to award them with a medal.<\/p>\n\n
Anyone can run a marathon if they feel compelled to \u2013 it\u2019s simply a matter of building up mileage, regardless of speed.<\/q><\/p>\n