Possible Marathon at 60 – Should I Do It?

I'm 60 next year and have not done any running for a few years but have completed two half marathons, one in the 1980s and one about 8-10 years ago.

I only walk 3-5 kms a day with my dogs and swim 1 km 5 times a week and practice yoga daily for 10-15 minutes. I work full-time as a teacher in a remote indigenous community and will be retiring to owner build a house in a couple of years.

I still have a wish to complete a marathon and would like your advice on whether I can do it.

I am 167cm tall and weigh 67 kg.

I am fit and healthy with no health issues except asthma for which I use a preventative steroid inhaler daily. If running a marathon is possible what training would you advise and over what period prior to a race?

I do not want to suffer unduly and am well disciplined but do not want to embark on something that may have negative effects on my current good health. What would you advise?

– Kerry, Tennant Creek, NT, Australia

Answer by Dom:

Hi Kerry,
Thanks for your question about possibly running a marathon.

Running a marathon is possible for any healthy individual. I know people older than 60 who have done marathons. And beyond. Two running mates have run 100 miles and they do other shorter, but still crazy, distances very regularly.

I'll break my answer down into a few parts:

1. How risky is running a marathon, realistically
2. A sensible pathway to get you there
3. Training around your asthma

How Risky is Running a Marathon, Realistically

Let's be clear. Marathon training is demanding, and there is something unnatural about running a distance that long, which is why so many people struggle towards the end. It takes a while to properly condition your body to run one.

From a base of zero running, it's my opinion that it takes a couple of years of consistent training to get properly ready for a marathon.

However, if the goal is to finish, and you're happy for it to take longer with a run/walk approach both in training and on the day, you could be ready significantly faster.

The hardest part about running a marathon is getting to the starting line. The training is time-consuming, and quite a few people get injured along the way because they don't take enough time to build up.

A recent conversation with a 58-year-old colleague went along similar lines: training was really tough, and he wished he'd done it when he was a bit younger.

So, it's not a completely risk-free undertaking. You could have setbacks along the way. But that's true of any challenge worth setting yourself. Isn't that part of the fun, too?

If it were easy, everybody would be doing it. And it would be brilliant for you to be the example to your family, and to the kids you teach, of what's possible when you set a goal and work steadily towards it.

A Sensible Pathway to Get You There

What I'd advise is to first build back up through the shorter distances. Get used to a running routine again with 3-4 runs a week. Do a 5k, then a 10k, then a half marathon. 8-10 years have passed since your last one.

Build your confidence gradually with each distance.

Maybe take 3 months for a 5k.
Another 3 months for a 10k.
Then 3-6 months for a half marathon.

See how easy or hard it is to get yourself trained up for each one. Up to the half marathon, your training is considerably lower risk.

Once you've completed the half marathon, you'll be in a much better position to decide whether you want to take on the rigour of marathon training.

Pay attention to how your body handles 90-120 minute long runs. How much harder will it be to extend that to 150-180 minutes? You'll know a lot more once you've done the half.

Don't think "that's going to take too long, I don't want to do that." Think instead of what you gain along the way. You're already active, and the added running will make you fitter and stronger. Keep up your other activities too. I like that you're doing yoga and swimming already. Adding some strength training to your routine would be a good addition as well.

Of course, when taking on a strenuous new exercise programme, check with your doctor first.

Training Around Your Asthma

You mentioned you're on a preventative steroid inhaler daily and that your main concern is not undoing your current good health. A few things worth building into your plan specifically because of the asthma:

Keep your reliever inhaler on you for every run, long or short, race day included. Long runs are exactly when you don't want to discover you've left it at home.

Heat and humidity are common asthma triggers, so on hot, humid days it's worth easing off the pace or moving your run to a cooler part of the day, rather than pushing through and hoping it settles.

During the harder efforts, i.e. anything above easy pace, be a bit more attentive to your breathing than a non-asthmatic runner would need to be. If you notice tightness or wheezing creeping in, that's your body telling you to back off, not a niggle to push through.

None of this should stop you from training for a marathon. It just means your build-up needs a bit more listening to your body than someone without asthma, and a bit more planning around when and where you run the harder sessions.

A few pages that I encourage you to read:

• Increasing mileage safely
• Cross Training for Runners

Hope this helps.

Kind regards,
Dom

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