A Seven Continent Journey

This is an article published in New York Times today
By Liz Robbins
Choosing a fall marathon often comes down to a question of identity. Do you want to be a rock star or a folk singer?
The mega-marathon parade experience of popular urban races like New York, Chicago, Washington and to a lesser degree Philadelphia offer quite a different culture than suburban or country races with medium to intimate fields, like in Scranton, Pa., or Rehoboth Beach, Del.
The choice is highly personal, if not perplexing, and involves other variables, too, like proximity, price and prestige. Then there are incentives like swag and speed — as in, what course will best enable that elusive Boston qualifying time?
I’ve written that New York City’s marathon is “A Race Like No Other,” with its field of nearly 38,000 runners, two million spectators, soaring scenic views, distinct neighborhoods and characters and a challenging five-borough course. But New York is not for everyone.
For starters, most can’t get into the New York marathon. Only 18 percent of American and international applicants, or 10,300 runners, were accepted via the lottery this year. Others gained entry by running for a charity qualifying through races.
For those who did not get in, or did not even apply, other marathons in the fall and beyond beckon for a variety of reasons. Last year there were a total of 361 marathons in the United States, according to MaratonGuide.com, offers readers’ comments on virtually every race.
Craig Beden, a financial planner in Fairfax, Va., choose to run the Oct.10 Baltimore marathon, and it was for the money. Or make that small change. The marathon is offering first-time marathoners who run under a certain time — 3:25 for men and 3:55 for women — a combined pot of $2,000 for each gender, regardless of age.
“I’ll probably end up with $2,” Mr. Beden said with a laugh. The 47-year-old competitive triathlete is a bit wary of the hilly Baltimore course and had considered the much flatter, and larger, Marine Corps Marathon in nearby Washington but was swayed by his entry gift — a shirt from UnderArmour, the title sponsor — and the potential prize winnings, even if he does have to split it with his training partner.
Lara Kail, 32, of Manhattan, has run two New York City marathons but narrowed her choices down to the three remaining Big Four marathons this fall — the Marine Corps, Philadelphia and Chicago — because she is chasing her “B.Q.”: she needs to shave just three minutes and 15 seconds off her time to qualify for the highly competitive Boston marathon next spring. “Since I am still relatively new to marathoning, I thrive on crowd support,” she wrote in an e-mail message.
Although Chicago is popular for its flat course, easily accessible start and big-city fervor, Ms. Kail eliminated it because it was too expensive and “too much of a wild card with the weather.” (Temperatures soared dangerously into the 80s the last two years, causing one death and early suspension of the race in 2007.) And she thought Philadelphia, the weekend of Thanksgiving, was too late in the season. “During the taper I usually have a ‘I don’t want to run anymore, let it be race day already’ feeling,” she wrote.
That left the Marine Corps. It’s timing was perfect: it will allow her to cheer for her friends who are running a week later in New York.
Jessica Zeldin, 39, from Philadelphia, qualified for Boston last year in a most unusual way. After missing out on qualifying in the Berlin marathon by just 54 seconds (she was able to “tack the race on” to her honeymoon last September) and finding out the Philadelphia race was closed, she chose the inaugural Rehoboth Beach Running Co. Seashore Marathon in Delaware in November. She was not prepared to be running along the Atlantic Ocean as it snowed, nor in the woods with duck hunters. “I was thinking, ‘Ooh, I should have worn my orange vest,’” she said.
But even when the route narrowed to no more than five feet across, Ms. Zeldin enjoyed the small field — 334 finishers, many of whom were trying to qualify for Boston, compared to the 35,746 in Berlin. “It was just so collegial — everyone was so excited about everyone else,” she said. She qualified for Boston with two minutes to spare, savored the post-race pancake breakfast on the boardwalk and the technical shirt she won — sized especially for women — is now the only race shirt she ever wears.
This fall’s marathon season is all about incentives for Ed Altman, 51, a longtime member of the New York Flyers, a charity-oriented running club. He chose to run the Oct. 10 Hartford marathon to notch his 20th state in his 50-state quest. Three weeks later he will return to New York to run for fun, he says, as well as another prestigious incentive — it will be his 15th New York City marathon, which guarantees him lifetime entry to the race.

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