Runners in training for the Las Vegas marathon are reaching the half-way point, with just over two months to go until race-day. In this week's Marathon Monday report, Eyewitness News sports anchor, Chris Maathuis checks in with a trainer to see out it's going.
"This will be my third Las Vegas Marathon, and I have done the San Diego Rock-n-Roll marathon, and I've done quite a few half-marathons," says Teri Radke, a runner in the 2007 Las Vegas Marathon. Radke is one of 340 Las Vegas Roadrunners -- a marathon training group that hits the pavement before the sun comes up every Sunday morning.
Their first run, in June was three miles. Now, their workouts average 13 to 14 miles. Marathon coach, Tim Kelly, says it will soon be obvious who's staying, and who's bailing out.
"Fourteen miles is where we see people starting to fall out of the program," shared Kelly. "And it's not because of the physical aspect; it's mental. They haven't made the commitment to do the training day in, day out throughout the week. And you can bluff it up to about 12, 13 miles -- to come out with us and run that far. When you get to 14 miles, though, it becomes all too much of a bother and it begins to way very heavily on the mind and you begin to rebel mentally."
But for those who decide to stick it out, Mother Nature will eventually provide some relief as hot summer turns to fall. "These last two weeks have been brutal. The combination of the heat and humidity and the distance we're going now make it very difficult on athletes at any level," Kelly said.
The training distance will spike to 20 miles in a couple of weeks. Medical director for the marathon, Dr. Jim Lenhart, said more aches and pains are likely to surface as training intensifies. But, he added, a long rest is not the answer.
"If you need to see a physician, you ought to see a physician. That said, if you stop your training, it's so easy to get away from it. So maybe what you need to do for a week is just walk at a really brisk pace for an hour," said Dr. Lenhart.
Normally, the longest distance the Roadrunners will go in training is about 22 miles. The marathon itself is 26.2 miles.
The big day is Dec. 2.
E-mail Sports Director Chris Maathuis.
