ABSTRACT
As the 1970s gave way to the 1980s, marathon running changed from a minority sport engaged in by a small number of individuals to a mass-participation event attracting many thousands of runners to the major races. Training for and participating in endurance events suddenly became socially acceptable, for women as well as for men. These changes resulted in part from an increased awareness of the potential of exercise for improving health and fitness, but perhaps owed more to media exposure and advertising pressure from commercial interests. Although the marathon running boom lasted only a few years, the interest in endurance exercise which it stimulated seems set to last, and successful completion of a marathon remains a major goal for most joggers and runners. Indeed, most city marathons really contain more than one event: the front runners are highly trained and experienced athletes seeking to complete the distance in the fastest possible time; for the majority of the participants, however, the distance itself is sufficient challenge and the aim is simply to complete the race. Many of the latter group are poorly prepared in addition to being constitutionally unsuited to the event.
