How hard can it be to run a half-marathon without any training? Andrew Younghusband, host of the Discovery Channel's popular show "How Hard Can It Be?", finds out at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 2015.
As a runner, I have noticed that there is a common tread with all runners. They are always encouraging people to run, and they never say any runner is slow or sucks. It is because of this that I call BS on everyone in the comment section that is claiming to be a runner and making fun of the slow time. Runners would just never behave like that.
Nate L not in person but online yes. Go to the forums on letsrun.com and you’ll see how some of us really feel in our heads. It’s a competitive mindset. It feels good knowing you’ve been training and your times are going down and your ego goes up when you look at others and they can’t keep up with you.
yeah thats so right i noticed at the race i ran today... even if your time was slow no ones gonna make fun of you(maybe your friends who ran a faster time than you but thats a different story). Cause People who make fun of others are just not going to be find anywhere near such events its cause you are doing something where you have to put effort in and people who talk bad about others dont put effort in anything
I just did my first half marathon. Trained for it as well. Took me 2 hours and 30 minutes. Officially slower than a 72 year old a woman and a man who has never ran before. I really wish I didn't watch this.
Honestly, he probably does some other form of cardio outside from running. There's absolutely no way he ran a half marathon cold. When I started cold, I could barely run a mile.
jsut watched the whole video, he says he was having doubts he was gonna make it at 19.5km, pretty damn near teh 20km i said you can run. He was probably actually running low on sugar and noticing that
@Kevin Kevin : So you're saying that if you don't have a lot of fat, you can still run the 20km _even if you're highly sedentary_ and don't do any real strenuous exercise all that frequently if at all? (Note those two claims are not necessarily incompatible: if you don't eat very much, you won't get very fat.) Also, what's the prevalence of "shitty genetics" in the population? 0.1%? 1%? 5%?
i ran my first yesterday!!! the most i had ever run was 5 miles until about 2.5 weeks ago when i did a 12k/7.4mi & then an 8k/5mi!! It was challenging and i got 1hr and 56mins for the half marathon!!! i was really proud and it's a great accomplishment! Im gonna do another half next month!
Eh its not impressive cause its first time, its more impressive cause of his age and the fact that he didnt train for it. I myself for example ran 1:56:00 and i only did 5km runs for cardio alongside weightlifting. I would argue that it is a lot more of a mental game than people tend to think.
Leominos I realize that 2 hours is an average time, I don't run half marathons anymore, I'm doing ironman now, and my running has improved since that story. :)
+helveeta Nice to hear that, keep it up! :) I ran my first half marathon at 14 and every year since then (Im 19 now) but ironman is definitely something I plan to get into at say mid twenties depending on how my first marathon goes.
+Leominos Start with a sprint or olympic distance triathlon and see if you like it. I got hooked after my first sprint. Triathlon is an everyday part of my life now. :)
Agreed. Nothing like tight calves, muscles screaming at you.......Soreness......I just did 5 stationary lunges ......and my left knee kicked up swollen...for 3 days....next time, one week!
A guy with that body size finishes HM without training at his first attampt... He must has a very strong heart and a pair of huge lungs. Those cannot be given as talent. One need to do routin exercise to maintain that. So even he didnt do any HM training, he must did some other training. This video could be dangerousely misleading. Sofa-Potatos should NOT attampt to finish a HM without training.
I would next to die than let my 70 year old mother beat me. But ye no doubt this guy is active on some level, most likely a cyclist. They tend to have 'bigger' upper bodies and skinny muscular legs like this guy.
You are right I found his race results from earlier that year, dude is a misleading fraud www.athlinks.com/event/37575/results/Event/438154/Course/657152/Entry/283554508
My first half-marathon I did was back in 2013. I was 245lbs and had ABSOLUTELY NO TRAINING WHATSOEVER. All I had was a iPod with full charge, my inhaler and God. I completed it in 2 hours and 45 minutes.
That's great! ... I wouldn't advise doing that (without training) if you're not in at least in decent shape. Some people have died from heart attacks while running.
Running an event in little or no training is something one of us is quite familiar with.. it’s tough. But recovery is tougher. Really enjoyed this vid!
Colin Tuff He can be running ’correctly’ and still get shin splints. I think form is important but footwear is equally important. Not everyone is a forefoot striker and that’s okay. Finding the correct shoe makes all the difference in the world.
To be fair, that's what I thought a year ago but after about 12 park run's (5k) and a couple of 10kms, I managed a half marathon a few weeks ago (a very hilly Winchester, UK one) and I'm off to do a 10 mile (16km) run entitled "the great south run" in the UK) tomorrow.
ive been wearing champion brand shoes, theyre comfortable and i feel no shin splints whatsoeverm also when i first run, my legs were wide when i run like shoulder length, now my strides are at hip level, i make sure the inside of my thighs almost touch together, i literally eliminated shin splints since i started running that way, the champion shoes soles wear out pretty easily but that's the only shoes ive found where i will not get any injuries or feel any shin splints whatsoever.
Thank you for byutiful video. It motivated me for my first half marathon. i remembered the energy thats on the marathons. Now i cant wait to run my first half marathons :)
I do a 10-13km run every 2nd week or so, so not that intensively, and last Saturday I wanted to check if I could run the full 21km. After 13-14km my body told me that this distance is not what it was used to - pain calves, thighs etc etc. From kilometre 15, it became really painful but I forced myself to pull through and I was very glad to finish in about 1h47min. So I guess it is possible to run half a marathon without intensive training, but my legs hurt a lot during the run, and they hurt for a few days after it as well
Seeing him cross the Finish line brought tears of joy to my eyes. Also, I need to step my game up. I actually trained for a Half-Marathon last year and my time was 2:31:38. It was cold, and after drinking fluids, I had to stop and pee like twice. So yeah, this year I'm beating that time!
It's definitely possible. Very difficult for most people, but as someone else commented before, if you have good genes and are not carrying around extra weight, it can be done. Granted, you may not actually enjoy the experience and you risk injury, but if your goal is just to prove that it can be done, then it's definitely possible. My fiancé did exactly that last year. I don't think the experience made him fall in love with running, but he proved to himself that he could do it.
at one of my first ever running events i did the (for a newbie oh so common) mistake to take off too fast, and about a km in there was a spectator standing on the sideline shouting "run at your own pace.. run at your own pace" to the crowd of runners. that's when it clicked and i stopped caring whether i'd be passing someone or being passed by anyone. I started focusing on my planned pace and had to drastically slow down.. i guess that he was the reason why i was able to finish the event (even with a personal best). While this video has been a few years old, congrats on finishing.. so, now how hard can a full marathon be? ;)
pheidippides first ran from athens to sparta (75 miles) to ask for help against the persians. when they told him no, he ran back the next day (75 miles) to athens. there, they told him to run to the battle where the persians invaded at marathon (26+miles). after watching the persians defeated, he ran back to athens (26+miles) to announce the victory. that's well over 200 miles in about 3 days. probably did it in sandals.
I think I found someone as fun to watch as Andrew, his mom! I'd love to invite them to run the Around the Bay in Hamilton ON this year.....(Andrew can do the 5K)
Good video. Any person that regularly runs, does endurance events, knows that there's huge difference between running to your full ability or jogging, which he was doing. And of course between doing a half or full marathon event, absolutely no comparison, whatsoever.
He accomplished something he had never though or even his Mother though he could do. Crossing the finish line is the first step! and at 2 hours and 26 minutes, that's not bad at all. Not bad at all!
I’m running my first half marathon in April and I’m so excited but so nervous. I am training for 16 weeks. I used to be a runner as a teen and I’m 26 years old now and 30 pounds heavier. Not overweight but I could lose some weight. We’ll see what happens. I’ve always wanted to run a marathon and this is motivating me to start exercising and eating healthy. I love doing both of those but I never really did it for anything but for myself and I always failed after five weeks but now I have a goal to go for(running the half marathon)
i'm doing my first half in January and I just started training again after 3 years of not running (last time I ran was xc/track in high school). if you and your mom can do it in 2+ hours, I really hope that I can too.
and it was actually quite a good time, I am impressed for no training at all, he must be doing some other form of exercises, his overall fitness is pretty good
There are just very different people. Some folks need to train to finish a 5k run in under an hour, others can run a sub-2 half marathon without any training. What are we talking about here?
"Good for you, that's way beyond my expectations for you..." I love this XD. I'm running a half in two months but I'm doing a moderate amount of training.
I always recommend, doing an electrocardiogram before starting long distance races. Just to make sure you have no cardiovascular problems. Once you're doctor says it's good. You shouldn't have to worry about dying in the marathon. :)
i was a total coach potato and i ran my first half marathon without any training in 2014. it was the first time i used my muscles in my whole life. i finished the race in 135 mins and it cost me 5 toenails, painful cramps and shin splints. i couldnt even jog for a month after race. it was a stupid decision. luckily i met a running coach after race and he taught me many things about running, breathing, training, nutrition etc. he even allowed me to train with his elite group when i reach a point that i was strong enough to keep up with their warming up. a year later i ran same course in 87 mins. it's possible to run a half marathon without any training, but it's not a wise choice. i was lucky i didnt die there. you may not lucky enough to survive.
nah, he died after the sparthatlon...that's about 246km...Pheidippides died after running THAT distance (from Athens to Sparta) and the marathon (from the town Marathon to Athens) after that.
@Jerod Rumney : That is called ultra running. It has been done by a fair number of people, it just takes even MORE training. This messenger though, he would have had running be his job, so he would be "Trained" continuously (no doubt, he would probably have started as a kid, running messages between people in the town, then it got longer and further. No child labor laws back then.). Now that we have cars and the Internet such is no longer needed, leaving such feats to be duplicated only by truly dedicated aficionados.
I was supposed to run a marathon in October, but sadly I tore my ACL and had to get surgery. :( Now I am just waiting for the doctor to clear me for running, so I can start training again.
I JUST ran a half marathon YESTERDAY! I missed the full marathon start time by 15 minutes! 13.1 is VERY challenging! However, a deconditioned person CAN wog (combined jog and walk) their way through it!
Running a half marathon in two days time and even though I've done some training I haven't done near enough. Thank you for this video is has helped ease the nerves a little. If I complete it in 2 hours 30 I'll be happy!
+Inquisition running a marathon is plain stupid if you don't have several years of base running. First try dominating the 5k and 10k for several years then move on from there to the half and then the marathon.
+Henry Stevenson Well I did. I ran probably 15 10k ,a bunch of 5k and 6 full marathons and 1 ultra 30 miles. This particular year I kinda slacked off but I was trying to impress my exwife by registering for my local marathon while drunk
I just did my first half marathon a few months back and I trained only twice, one 15km run and one 20km run but I played soccer a year before in the state league. My time was 1hr 42mins and I think it was out of pure adrenaline Edit: while “training” my time in those two runs were completely different to this... 15km was 1hr 30mins and 20km was 1hr 55mins.
Well I did about six 10k runs across about 4 weeks as my training for my first half marathon. There is a massive difference between a half and a full though. You need 12 weeks minimum of consistent running to prepare for a full marathon
I finished December 2014 my first half marathon 2:32:11 I haven't trained at all. I ran before but only up to 7 miles that was it. I finished I cried I was in pain lol a lots of pain. I ran in 2015 4 more half marathons with Training my best time so far 2:12:43. I am 35 Years . And I hope I will be as strong as this lady when I am in my 70's. My respect to her. And respect to him he did really awesome.
+forky fork I'm probably late, but my answer would be 50/50. Playing soccer practices reflexes, not stamina or speed. And 3 weeks of training isn't a lot for a half marathon. Took me 6 months to go from 1:52:17 to 1:28:31
Found this out the hard way last summer. Did the Niagara Falls Women's Half, made it to the 15km mark before almost passing out, I partially blame the heat though it was bloody HOT!! But if I trained more I'd have gotten maybe to the end.
This is motivating. My friend just told me today that she sign me up for the Rock and roll marathon starting a week from now.... Sigh I don't know how I'm gonna do it. T.T
I managed to run 13.1 miles in 3 hours and 5 mins. My skill level before the half-marathon was jogging 2 miles on the treadmill before quitting. During the marathon, I ended up getting runner's high and jogged all the way to the 8 miles before walking a couple of miles O_O. The crowd was entertaining with music, funny signs, passing out alcohol, donuts and candy in the residential area which I didn't take or i wont finish. Also there was an official walkers group that you can tag along with so your never last. It was so fun and glad I did it =D. oh yeah, I couldn't walk for the next 4 days.
I did a half marathon yesterday without ever running a mile before. I did it in 2:39. My pace was slow but I didn’t take a walking brake. My feet and knees are hurting me today, maybe because I did it on my sneakers. I don’t think I would do it again
If anyone wants to run a half marathon make sure you have training before hand! Also during the half marathon if you have water don't gulp it down, take it in very slowly so that when you run it doesn't bounce around in your stomach;)
I did the half without training. I literally woke up and was like, let me get my ass down to the marathon. I signed up because my friend kept bugging and telling me I was off from work so I might as well do it. I made it through with a good run time for a first time but afterwards.......for months.....I was getting an ass kicking by my knee joints and thigh muscles and feet. In all.....I look forward to doing it again but with training of course. I'm aiming for the full marathon.
