One of my favorite blogs (http://iwannagetphysical.blogspot.com/) posted the above infographic the other day, and I found it really interesting. Specifically the time comparison between stand-alone marathons and Ironman marathons. Boston Marathoners only run their marathon 24 minutes faster than Kona triathletes? Wow.
There are a few takeaways from this information. First, that cross-training is valuable. Sure the best way to improve your running is to go out there and run, but there are other things you can do to supplement that.
Second, that triathletes are better athletes than runners. The best triathletes in the world run their marathon at a pace 55 seconds slower than the best runners in the world, and that's after swimming 2.4 miles and biking 112. And that's before considering the conditions: Kona is hot, humid, and windy. The Boston marathon is in April, and is a downhill race: it's a point-to-point run, starting at a 490 feet above sea level and ending at 10 feet. (Disclaimer: yes I know there's a medium-sized hill around mile 20, but still.) Given all of these conditions, Boston runners should be at least an HOUR faster.
Regardless, both are pretty awesome accomplishments. The average marathon time for all Ironman triathlons is 4:55. Anything under 5 hours and I'll be happy in November!
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