By EVA DUNN-FROEBIG
Is completing a marathon on your bucket list?
More people are participating in marathons than ever before as we discover that the distance is attainable to a larger population of people. More than half of a million people in the United States finished a marathon in 2010, an 8.6 percent increase from 2009.
Run Wild Missoula is gearing up for its biggest training class of the year: The class that prepares you for the Missoula Marathon on July 8. The class is coached by runner extraordinaire Anders Brooker, who is also the Missoula Marathon Race Director, the owner of the Runners Edge, and distance running coach at Hellgate High School.
Run Wild Missoula’s Missoula Marathon and Half-Marathon Training Class has grown from about 50 people in 2007 to 350 training class participants last year.
You don’t have to be a semi-professional athlete, former track star, individual with 5 percent body fat, or logging 30 miles a week to finish a marathon. Cross “marathon” off your bucket list this year, prove these misconceptions wrong, and train to complete the Missoula Marathon or Half-Marathon.
You might even find that you love running so much that you want to continue after the marathon is over. You will definitely make life changes and lifelong friends through the training class.
Class starts on Sunday, March 4 at 8 a.m. at Runner’s Edge, 325 N. Higgins Avenue. The 18-week program costs $75 for Run Wild Missoula members and $100 for non-members. Participants should come dressed and ready to run on the first day of class. Register on Run Wild Missoula or find out more on Facebook.
The class starts with distances as low as two miles. Beginners may run/walk. Those who have not run a step as of the first day of class will be encouraged to set a goal of the Missoula Half-Marathon.
The program begins conservatively but you’ll find the miles start adding up quickly, even if you’re a more advanced runner. By the end of this training class, you will be ready for race day.
Running and training for an event for the first time can be intimidating, but keep in mind that Run Wild Missoula “is truly open to everyone, regardless of age, speed, or running experience,” according to Run Wild Missoula member Dana Fitz Gale. “The only prerequisite is the desire to run.”
Those interested can register online.
With the Training Program, participants receive:
- Coaching by Anders Brooker, Missoula Marathon Race Director, owner of the Runner’s Edge, and Hellgate High School Cross Country coach
- Comprehensive Training Program for Full and Half-Marathon Trainees
- Group Runs on Wednesdays at 6 p.m. and Sundays at 8 a..m.
- Pacers for All Levels
- Guest Speakers on Nutrition, Injury Prevention, Running Form, and More!
- Racing Singlet
- Handheld Water Bottle
- Aid Stations
- Gels on the five longest runs
- Post-Training Class Party
We hope to see you on March 4 for the first day of class. Train for the best marathon in the United States (named by Runner’s World Magazine in 2010) in your own backyard!
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Stay in the loop with Missoula’s running community! Check out the Run/Walk It archives for more posts from Eva and other Missoula runners and walkers.
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Eva Dunn-Froebig is the executive director of Run Wild Missoula and has been running since the seventh grade. She moved to Missoula 12 years ago from upstate New York to attend the University of Montana’s Journalism School graduate program. Eva never dreamed that she would have a running-related job and feels lucky to be a participant in Missoula’s vibrant running community.