16 year old and running a full marathon

[JustMe]

Update: Made the decision to say no. More details in post #12. Thank you!

Ds is 16 and a runner. He recently did a half-marathon and has done about 3 of those over the last handful of years. He does long-distance track at school and will do cross country in the fall. He mentioned to his coach that he wants to do a full marathon. The coach originally told him that this could not happen within the next couple of years as the local marathons we have conflict with state meets (and training for state meets) for cross country and track and they didn't want him training/participating in a marathon during those times. (Same for our half-marathon, but the one he just did was actually booked 2 years ago and had been postponed due to the pandemic, so they let him do it as it had already been paid for, etc). Yesterday, he came home saying that the coach volunteered to support him in doing a full marathon run that is just him on a specific day on the last week of school in June. To clarify, there is no official marathon, but the coach would have him run that distance.

I know I can ask questions of ds' ped (who is overwhelmingly busy and tends to be careful about advice type questions) and the coach, but I am asking you all. Any concerns about a 16 year old running that distance less than a month from now? I don't think he has run more than the half marathon distance at one time, but he does have good endurance and does not struggle with the half. Any kind of aftercare he would need? Honestly, I have some reservations that I am not sure are valid or fair.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I would be less inclined to do this without a full understanding of what support the coach is offering. At a real marathon you'll have access to a medical tent, bathrooms, drinks, post race support...there is a lot of value to that.
But, from a physical exertion standpoint, I would be ok with it if he has trained well and really wants to do it.

[MSWR0319]

I would be less inclined to do this without a full understanding of what support the coach is offering. At a real marathon you'll have access to a medical tent, bathrooms, drinks, post race support...there is a lot of value to that.

I agree with this. I'd want the full support that a real marathon offers. My friend started running marathons a few years ago and has run the last two Boston Marathons. I am pretty sure he never trained by running a full marathon length, so I don't think that part would be an issue. I would just make sure his training is appropriate to run a marathon. I am not a runner so I don't know what that is, but I know my friend really focuses on specific training the last two months and has an ap he uses to make sure he's doing what he needs to.

What does your son want to get out of running a marathon? Just to say he can run that far? The experience? I would make sure that your son is interested in "just running" a marathon with his coach. Like I said, I'm not a runner, but if I was I would want the full experience of the marathon. Not just to go for a really long run on my own.

[nfceagles]

I would have the same concerns as you. I would look at a few marathon training plan. Google it and you’ll find plenty. Boston Athletic Association has a few on their website that I’m aware of. Look at where in the plan they hit a 13 mile long run and then how many more weeks they take after to work up to the longest distances. They will typically start tapering (dialing back the distance) two weeks before the race so you have less time than you might think. I would make sure he has time to do the long runs in between 13 and the plan’s taper. A typical plan doesn’t go all the way to 26. 20 is common for the longest run pre-race. But that’s partly because, thanks to the taper, you will be racing on fresher rested legs.

The other thing that I would agree with prior posters about is wanting the full experience. Races are fun!!! Or at least they can be. If I’m going to run 26.2 miles, I would want all that goes along with a marathon. The support and the festivities. And the medal!!!


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[lizzywednesday]

I would have the same concerns as you. I would look at a few marathon training plan. ...

I honestly don't think there's nearly enough time to get the long-runs in for June 2022.

I've used marathon training plans to walk longer distances and they work out pretty well, but most of them are 8-12 week plans (sometimes longer if you're out of shape/experience an injury/have other medical concerns) with a max length of 20 miles in the longest training run and the tapering is SO key - you stay active, but you're not continuing to train hard, which can result in injury.

Even people who train for marathons don't always finish - many people hit a "wall" around mile 20 or so. Some can push through for those last few miles and some can't. It's OK.

The other thing that I would agree with prior posters about is wanting the full experience. Races are fun!!! Or at least they can be. If I’m going to run 26.2 miles, I would want all that goes along with a marathon. The support and the festivities. And the medal!!!

I agree - it's way more fun running as part of a large event. My mom's DH has finished the NYC Marathon twice; he waxes poetic about the feeling of Marathon Sunday, the camaraderie of the other participants, and the feeling of accomplishment when you cross the finish line.

Not only that, but the access to water stations, cheering crowds, places to pee, and the occasional snack really help support runners across the finish line.

Since OP asked about recovery, I'm going to add my $0.02:

Recovery is different for everyone, but they all include gentle stretches and hydration over the next couple of days following the event.

I used to walk in the Avon39, which I willingly admit is not the same as running, but things that helped me were a short yoga session at home, protein snacks, a warm bath with Epsom salts, ibuprofen, and LOTS of hydration (Gatorade and water) from the time I got home until the Tuesday after.

(I walked 4 and the worst recovery was after my 2nd event - I had been skipping Gatorade, my calf seized at mile 20, and I hobbled through the next day - where I ended up crawling around on the Monday after. Don't be like me.)

[JustMe]

Thank you (I would have written this in caps, but dont want anyone to think I am yelling at them)!!! Once again, you all are so helpful! I totally thought I was over-reacting/coming from an uninformed place (I am uniformed, but not ridiculously off), and feel very validated to hear that some of my concerns make sense. As far as doing an actual marathon vs this for the experience, ds seems just as happy to do this with his coach. He was disappointed in the half-marathon race (the food and hoop-la at the end were not as great as he expected) and I think the coach is pretty serious about not wanting him to do our official marathons due to the timing. I think part of why he wants to do it is b/c he found the half-marathon very doable and feels he can the distance of a marathon and wants to challenge himself. The sad/frustrating part is the coach had already told ds that he did not want him to do the official marathons (due the timing) and he seemed to accept it, but a few days later the coach offered him this option. So, I did read all of your responses about what you would want in place, but if you were me, what questions would you ask the coach? Are these good?
-What training plan will you use to get him from 13 miles to 26 (approx)? ( I really dont want to be responsible for finding a training plan as its just so not my area of knowledge, and if he says none or next to none, that would be a no).
-Will you be able to give him food and water along the route? (We have some rural areas around and it may be that the coach drives and meets him at intervals. Also, I tried to keep things simple in my OP, but there are actually 2 coaches volunteering to do this; so maybe one would be with ds and the other would meet them places? Would this be sufficient for you?

Or would you just say no. I am leaning toward that as this is not needed...Ds does want to do it, but he is doing other good things including the camp with these coaches this summer. Not to make this story longer, but I do feel like one of the coaches has overstepped in the past; when ds was in 8th grade (read not in HS and this is the HS coach) and it was the first year of Covid so people were not doing things, the coach texted ds directly and was trying to get him to participate in practices that were not really even official practices due to Covid. I gave the coach the benefit of the doubt,and know I dont really get why coaches do things, but I dont think he's necessarily a rule follower or that I can assume he would take necessary precautions. OTOH, I feel like I have been saying no to ds a lot. His response to me being unsure about this is to ask me why I think he isnt capable of doing things, so that is a bummer. Ds has very different skills and interests than I do, so I don't want to stop him from doing things just b/c I have the wrong understanding about them.

[DietCokeLover]

DS is a distance runner as well. He is younger than yours (14), but his running coach strongly advises him against marathons because of the effect on growing bones, etc. I am no expert on any of this. I only mention it as something else to consider.

My DS would hate every minute of what you are describing. He definitely wants to cross the finish line, get a medal and the shirt, get the goody bags and be cheered on.

[SnuggleBuggles]

My aunt runs ultra marathons (50+ miles). Her support team runs parts with her and then there are support stations along the way. She runs in some really remote parts of the world though so I don;t think a constant runner alongside your kiddo is necessary.
If he wants to do this just to prove to himself that he can run that distance- and you get the ok from your ped- let him. Then take the time to research better races so next time he can do an official race that he does a good one.

PP gave you a source for a schedule above.

[jacksmomtobe]

I think there isn't enough time to train appropriately for a Marathon since it seems that the date they are talking about is probably only a month away. Other posters are correct where the long run is usually 20 but he wants to make sure that he is not rushing the training and it he has to up his mileage and then taper it seems like there isn't enough time for that. I also feel being younger means the training approach has to be more careful. Recently a friend's son got a stress fracture from overtraining with his high school team. Though your son was not wowed by the half marathon hoopla, I think the experience that surrounds a marathon is much more than your typical half marathon (but maybe that is due to the fact that I live near the route of a big marathon). Overall I would be concerned with there not being enough time to train appropriately. If his intent is just to run the distance then Maybe if they wanted to run with him at a later date I would be more supportive of the idea but in June it just seems ripe for a problem to occur.

[KpbS]

I would say no for all of the reasons mentioned above by previous posters. The support systems are not there, not enough time to train, it would be unofficial, and importantly if he injures himself in the process he will jeopardize his upcoming season which would totally not be worth it. It’s something he can do as a young adult in my opinion, but not while he is still growing and maturing.