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The World Marathon Major medal
Photo:
Sven Christian / private
The great thing about running is that you can compete with the best. I've run against marathon superstar Eliud Kipchoge three times. Spoiler: Unfortunately I never saw it. Not even from behind.
I also ran behind the field in Kelvin Kiptum's fable run in Chicago. The news of his sudden death in a car accident affected me like many runners.
Playing against Real Madrid as an amateur footballer is reserved for professionals. Race against Max Verstappen? Unthinkable.
At running events, everyone who arrives also receives a medal. That is nice.
And since the advent of social media, people have proudly posted Sunday's achievements on Mondays. It's called #medalmonday and currently has 748,083 hits on Instagram.
I now have a whole drawer full of medals. There are nice medals. There are runners that hang them sorted on the wall. There are even medal racks where certificates of effort are hung like ties on hangers.
Maybe one day I'll own one too. Medals are valuable, especially because of their commemorative value, but sometimes it costs a lot of money to get one. Keyword: entry fee.
My most valuable medal is in the dresser. It looks like the doublet of a Lower Saxony shooting king. Large child's face - consisting of six small medals. Anyone who has run all six majors will receive this medal: London, Chicago, Berlin, Boston, New York City and Tokyo. It is the Grand Slam of marathon sports.
Since the majors have existed, these marathon races in particular have been overbooked. Everyone wants to run all six majors. The runners are more collectors than hunters. This makes the events expensive.
The six majors
In the end, it's a brilliant marketing idea. It's not so easy to find out who exactly came up with it. The organization of the World Marathon Majors, which is financed by the pharmaceutical company Abbott, did not answer this question even when asked several times.
Why these six marathons? Why three in the US and none in Africa, South America or Oceania? Why the original marathon in Athens is not there? It is said laconically that the organizers in Chicago, New York City, Boston, London and Berlin launched the series in January 2006. Tokyo was the first Asian organizer to join in 2012.
Running 42.195 kilometers six times alone is difficult. It is even more difficult to get these very coveted starting places. There are four options:
The
raffle
. Anyone can apply. Since so many do this, the chances are slim. In London, some disappointed applicants report on the organizer's Instagram page that they have been trying to get a starting place this way for decades. Vain.
The second method is
qualifying through best times
. In Tokyo, London and Berlin, these qualification times are actually hardly achievable for amateur athletes. At the marathons in the USA, things are not entirely hopeless for very ambitious runners.
Here you can see whether and how far away your best time in your age group is from taking part in the legendary Boston Marathon. Or, how close. The nasty thing is that there are more fast runners (also a result of the hype about super shoes with carbon plates) than starting places. This means that a qualifying time does not automatically mean that you are qualified.
The thing about Boston is that there is no draw. You can only secure a starting place using the best time or the following two very expensive methods. These are:
Book a trip with a
tour operator
. This third method is probably the least sporty. You simply kill the problem with money. Tour operators buy starting places from the organizers and resell them as a package with accommodation, travel and some special offers. Marathon Major all inclusive with tour group. I imagine it like this.
The fourth method is the most social:
charity.
Here, applicants are asked to collect money for a social institution selected by the organizer. This seems to be a very popular way to get one of the coveted starting places, especially in London. There were many cheer points from aid organizations where the collectors, identified by their jerseys, were particularly enthusiastically cheered on for their organization.
The cost of a charity starting place in Boston, for example: at least $5,000.
I was very lucky and also had quick legs. I won the starting place in London by drawing lots. I got Tokyo by taking part in a virtual marathon followed by a raffle. Thanks to my advanced age, I was able to qualify for Boston with the fastest time. I managed to do the same for Chicago. I ran the marathons in Berlin and New York City as a young man, long before the majors were invented.
Despite luck and quick legs, it still costs a small fortune with all the travel costs and also significant entry fees. New York City: 295 US dollars, Berlin: 205 euros. The moment itself, when you have finished the sixth and final marathon, is less spectacular than expected. The route is the goal.
And what's next? My colleague Ole suggests ultras.
Now I have the thing - it's in the chest of drawers with the others. My ugliest one is probably this:
Which is your most beautiful or least beautiful medal? Which one gave you a lot of joy or sorrow? I would be very happy to receive pictures and your stories. Send them to me!
I wish you many good runs with or without medals.
Kind regards
, Sven Christian