This week’s running terms come with a lesson in math! What, that’s not exciting enough to deserve an exclamation point at the end? Everything running deserves and exclamation point at the end, in my opinion at least. Now back to today’s math lesson…
The United States is actually the only country that doesn’t use the metric system in its commercial and standard activities. So it’s no big surprise that when people take on running, it’s a lesson in math because most races are measured in kilometers. 1 mile = 1.609344 kilometers and the reverse, 1 kilometer = 0.621371192 miles. Now with that information, you can figure out your distances… only kidding! Here’s the list of our terms for this week to keep your math headaches at bay.
5k – Usually the shortest, long distance race which is 3.1 miles long. In Louisiana, this is the race distance you never have a problem finding at any given time of the year, especially in the summer. Check out our Calendar and you’ll see what we’re talking about.
10k – This race distance equals 6.2 miles and seems to not be as popular as the 5k. Maybe it’s the heat of Louisiana?
Half Marathon – Growing in popularity all across the United States, this distance is 13.1 miles and is usually only found in the fall and winter seasons throughout Louisiana.
Marathon – The mother of all races, the marathon is a whopping 26.2 miles long and is also found mostly during the fall and winter. However, there is an informal marathon in New Orleans called Hotter Than Hell that takes place at Audubon Park at night.
Ultra Marathon - This is any distance above 26.2 miles and we know there are ultras out there ranging from 50 to 200 miles and anywhere in between. These ultra marathons can also be done in relays and we actually have one right in our own backyard! The Rouge Orleans Ultra Marathon is 126.2 miles from Baton Rouge to New Orleans along the Mississippi River levee.
There are many other distances, as race directors do what fits best with what they are given, but these are the distances that are standard for the longer distance races. Stay tuned for the next Runner’s Dictionary set of terms in two weeks where we define short distance terms. More math… yay!
In case you missed it, here’s our past Runner’s Dictionary post – Runner’s Dictionary – Defining Speed Work
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