Why I Don’t Recommend the Chicago Marathon to Most of My Clients (And What I’d Do Instead)
Why I Don’t Recommend the Chicago Marathon to Most of My Clients (And What I’d Do Instead)
Every fall I get the same question from 3–5 different clients: “Should I train for the Chicago Marathon?”
I love that they ask. It means they trust me to give them the honest answer instead of the answer they think they’re supposed to hear. And the honest answer, for most of them, is no.
Not because marathons are bad. Marathons are extraordinary if running is genuinely your goal. But for most people (the ones asking me because they want to “get in shape” or “have a big fitness goal” or “prove something to themselves”) a marathon is one of the worst training investments they can make.
Here’s the full framework, including who it IS the right call for.
The quick version
Marathons are great IF running IS the goal. Community, mental challenge, specific accomplishment.
Marathons are a poor investment IF your goal is fitness, body composition, or longevity. Muscle loss, joint wear, chronic cortisol elevation, immune suppression, 15+ hours a week of training time.
The kicker: if you’re doing it “to get in shape,” you’ll almost certainly be less “in shape” 6 months from now than when you started.
Better alternative for general fitness / longevity: 3x/week strength training + 2–3 easy walks or Zone 2 cardio. 5–7 hours a week. Better outcomes on every metric except “can I run 26.2 miles.”
Who marathons ARE a great call for
Let me start with respect for what marathon training actually is. If any of these describe you, run it:
Your specific goal is “run a marathon.” Not “get in shape” — the actual specific goal of completing 26.2 miles. Then marathon training is exactly right, because it’s training for the thing you want to do.
You genuinely enjoy running for its own sake. Not as a means to weight loss — as a thing you look forward to on Saturday mornings.
You’re an ex-endurance athlete wanting a specific challenge. You have the aerobic base and joint history to handle it.
You want a social/community experience and running groups are your people.
You have real recovery infrastructure — good sleep, adequate nutrition, low life stress, no small kids at home.
If you’re in that group, ignore everything below. Train, race, enjoy.
Who marathons are NOT a good call for
This is where I push back. If any of these describe you, I’d steer you away from the marathon:
You want body composition changes (fat loss, muscle definition). Endurance training is one of the most inefficient tools for this. Long slow distance produces cortisol elevation and muscle catabolism.
You want general strength and fitness. Marathon training will demolish your strength gains. The physiological adaptations for endurance and strength are literally opposite. One signals your body to shed muscle mass to be lighter; the other signals it to build muscle to be stronger.
You’re over 45 without a running history. The impact tax on knees, hips, and lower back accumulates fast when you’re building mileage from scratch.
You’re postpartum within the first 2 years. Recovery capacity is already elevated; adding marathon training on top is inflammation stacked on inflammation.
You have any knee, hip, or back history. Marathons don’t cause these problems from scratch, but they aggressively surface latent ones.
You “hate running but want the accomplishment.” If you don’t enjoy the training, you’ll be miserable for 5 months for a 4-hour high, and you’ll drop the training habit entirely after race day.
Most of the people asking me about marathons fall into groups 1, 2, or 6. Which is why I usually say no.
The real physiological cost (why I’m this direct)
I’m not being contrarian for its own sake. The research on marathon training is clear on several fronts:
Chronic cortisol elevation. Weeks of high-mileage training keep your cortisol elevated for 3–6 months. Elevated cortisol = poor sleep, harder fat loss, worse recovery, mood issues.
Muscle mass loss. Long-distance runners consistently show lower muscle mass than sedentary controls, let alone strength-training peers. Your body actively catabolizes muscle to become lighter (great for running, terrible for longevity).
Joint wear. The joint impact math is unforgiving: at ~1,500 steps per mile, a peak week of 40 miles is 60,000 loaded joint impacts on knees, hips, and ankles.
Immune suppression. Peak marathon training reliably suppresses immune function; upper-respiratory infections spike dramatically in the 3 weeks before and after a marathon.
Iron and ferritin deficiency. Common in endurance athletes, particularly women. Requires monitoring and often supplementation.
None of these are hypothetical. They’re documented across dozens of studies.
Want a program that’s actually built for longevity?
Grab the free 8-week strength program: the same 5 fundamental patterns I run with my in-home clients. Sustainable, sane, long-term. Everything a marathon program is not.
What I recommend instead (for the general fitness / longevity audience)
For the person who wants to be strong, fit, and healthy for the next 20 years — not run 26.2 miles once — here’s the actual playbook:
3 strength training sessions per week. 45–60 minutes each. Focus on the 5 fundamental patterns (squat, hinge, push, pull, carry). This is the single most important intervention for longevity.
2–3 Zone 2 cardio sessions per week. Walking, easy biking, elliptical — 30–45 minutes, at a pace where you can hold a conversation. Zone 2 builds cardiovascular capacity without the recovery cost of intense running.
1 long walk or hike per week. 60–90 minutes at conversational pace. Doubles as mental health and recovery.
Total weekly time investment: 5–7 hours.
Compare that to a peak-mileage marathon training week: 12–18 hours of running plus strength/mobility. And produces better outcomes on every metric except “can I run a marathon.”
The person following this program at 55 has more muscle, less fat, better bone density, better balance, better mobility, better sleep, and lower injury risk than the person who’s done a marathon a year for the last decade. That’s the trade you’re making.
If you’re going to run the Chicago Marathon anyway
For the people who read all of the above and still want to do it — good. That means the goal is really yours, not something you’re doing because it seemed like a good idea. In that case, five things I’d insist on:
Don’t skip strength work. 2x/week minimum, focused on hip and knee stability. Reduces injury risk dramatically.
Protect your sleep like it’s your job. 8 hours minimum, non-negotiable during peak weeks.
Fuel aggressively. Undereating during marathon training is the #1 cause of dropped-out training cycles. Eat like you mean it.
Get a real running coach. I don’t program marathon training and neither should any general personal trainer. Find someone who’s done multiple marathon-training cycles as a professional.
Have a plan for AFTER the marathon. The most common pattern I see: people spiral into total inactivity for 3–6 months post-race. Have a maintenance program ready to start the week after.
The bigger reframe
Just because a training goal is popular doesn’t mean it’s good for you.
The marathon is the most public, most celebrated, most ‘Instagrammable’ fitness goal in the country. That doesn’t make it the right one for most people. The Chicago Marathon, specifically, is going to have 45,000 runners this year. Some of them should be there. Many shouldn’t.
If you fall into the “shouldn’t” bucket, giving yourself permission to skip it and instead build strength that will still be there in 20 years is one of the sanest fitness decisions you can make.
Want a program built around longevity, not race day?
Book a free 30-minute consult. Phone or Zoom. We’ll talk through your history, your goals, and whether the marathon (or something else entirely) is the right fit for you.
Or call/text: 219-484-1992
Serving South Loop, West Loop, Streeterville, River North, and Gold Coast.
Comments