Totes bro, marathons are the way to go!

“Must…outrun…encroaching…middle…age….”

Ok has anyone else noticed the trend of guys in their mid-30′s taking up long-distance running….? Cue quizzical look from our caped crusader and a few female employees.

With the City2Surf (14km) just around the corner (or should that be up the hill? – groan eds), at Delivery Hero HQ we thought we’d find out why people partake in an activity that bears a striking resemblance to senseless punishment. Think about it, you have to drag your sorry arse out of bed and run for hours and hours, and hours! And there are other things you should know before you start:

* you’ll be running on concrete.

* FYI: you’re not getting any younger.

* despite running alongside thousands of other runners, you are running alone and most likely training alone.

* it hurts. A lot.

* you have to train. A lot.

* oh and just to clarify: you’re definitely not getting any younger.

So why are we seeing a bit of a surge of men in their mid-30′s lacing up their sneakers and donning short shorts? Surely it’s not for the fashion. After conducting a brief poll, it seems there are a few main reasons for this post-20′s-pre-mid-life-crisis inclination.

1) running a marathon is a quantifiable achievement. You can proudly say “I ran the City2Surf”, rattle off your time and drop in impressive elements of your training regime. (Bonus side effect: it’s a lot cheaper than gym membership).

2) you’ve suddenly realised your 20′s are completely over. Looking down one morning you realise you’re developing a beer belly. Uh oh. “What do you mean I can’t just keep eating and drinking everything in sight?!” If BMI means nothing to you, put those sneakers on.

3) marathons are about personal goals. Sure you can set your sights on beating a particular person’s time, but it’s actually about beating your own time.

4) it’s about physical and mental determination. When your body is screaming at you to quit, you have to press override and charge on through. You’ll discover willpower (and a tolerance for pain) you never knew you had.

5) marathon runners get better with age. Listen up, there’s no point deciding at age 35 that you really want to be a professional skateboarder, boxer or ballet dancer – it’s just never going to happen. But marathon running is something that you can work on as you age, and in fact it takes between 5 to 10 years to really develop your running skills. Take your time. Enjoy the process.

6) ok fess up: are you a post-raver chasing the runner’s high? For the record, that is a legitimate high. German researchers at the University of Bonn found conclusively that running floods the brain with endorphins. If you’re feeling low, that’s a natural feel-good remedy right there. (N.B. if you ever wanted to know what it feels to be a rockstar, you can get a taste with that crowd cheering you on!)

7) AFTER the marathon, you can eat whatever you like to celebrate

(on that note why not order a tasty pizza - we know, shameless self promotion! – eds)

So here at Delivery Hero we want to know if you’ve signed up for the City to Surf and why you would or wouldn’t run a marathon. Let us know in the comments, we’d love to hear from you!

- City2Surf takes place 12 August 2012