Are you looking for running inspiration in the form of 26 exciting reasons to run a marathon? Maybe you’re thinking about running a marathon in college, or while working a full-time job. Maybe you’re starting your family, or embracing time spent single to conquer new challenges.
Whatever you’re facing as you enter adulthood, you’re asking the question: should I run (or walk, or by any other means complete) a marathon? Training for a marathon is a lot of work and a big time commitment, so you want to make sure you’re all-in before going for it!
I recently graduated college and am currently training for my second marathon. I completed my first marathon during my junior year of college, a week after turning 21. Based on this experience, I can share that your 20’s are a fantastic time to run a marathon.
If you’re looking to improve your discipline, inspire and impress people, and expand your capacity to do hard things, there’s no better way to do that than to tackle 26.2 miles. Read on for my most compelling reasons why you should take on the challenge of running a marathon!
1. Improve Your Self-Discipline
Few things force self-discipline like setting the goal to convey your body over 26.2 miles. When I was training, the knowledge that I could only achieve that goal if I put consistent time into training meant that I rarely skipped a run. Even if you don’t maintain that level of discipline throughout every season of life (it’s nearly impossible; times for rest are important!) it’ll be so valuable to know that you can commit to intense discipline when it counts.
2. Empower Yourself
It probably goes without saying, but running a marathon is incredibly empowering. I started running just a year or two before I ran my marathon. Before that, I would’ve told you I hated running. If you’d told me when I started college that by the time I graduated, I’d have run a marathon, I wouldn’t have believed you. Now, having accomplished that goal, it feels as though I can do anything I set my mind to.
The simple act of showing up, run after run, gives you a tangible sense of accomplishment. And pushing through the struggles to complete those runs leaves you with an incredible sense of satisfaction.
What better way to give yourself a boost of confidence as you enter adult life?
3. Identify Your Support Network
Training for a marathon will show you which people in your life are unequivocally supportive of your goals. These are the people who will show up and cheer while you run the race, but also who will encourage and help you through the highs and lows of training.
And if people show up for you while you run a marathon, you can be sure they’ll support you in other areas of your life, too. At a time in life when you’re going through a lot of transitions and challenges, knowing your support system is crucial!
4. Learn That You Can Do Hard Things
Training for (and completing) a marathon requires running through pain, running when you don’t feel like it or the weather is bad, and running when all you want to do is stop. Of course, there are times in life (and running) when quitting is necessary, as I’ll discuss below.
But for the most part, adult life requires sticking with relationships and situations even through the hard times. Running is a fantastic microcosm of life in that reaching your goals means embracing the hard and learning that you can survive it.
5. Get Up When You Fall
When I first attempted an 18-mile training run, the furthest I’d ever run up until that point, I failed. I ran ten miles and couldn’t go any further. That was the lowest point of my training; I wondered if I’d reached a threshold I couldn’t surpass. Maybe the idea of running a marathon was a pipe dream after all.
Luckily, I had my mom to encourage me- and I had enough skin in the game at that point to push through, even though it scared me. I conquered that 18-mile run the next weekend!
6. Reset Your Idea of What’s Possible
When I was a kid, I thought that people who ran marathons were akin to superheroes. I couldn’t even run a mile without struggling.
When I took up running in college as a way to relieve stress, the idea popped into my mind- if I could train for and run a 5K (something else I never thought I could do) why not a marathon?
Running a marathon resets your idea of what’s possible in a way that only very hard things can. Suddenly, ambitious goals feel much more within reach. After all, you’ve done the seemingly impossible- what else can you do?
7. Gain a Better Relationship with Your Body
Learning how to properly feed and fuel your body. Cross training. And, of course, the running itself. You’ll begin to learn what you need to perform at your best, a journey that won’t end with this marathon.
8. Build Mental Toughness
Your stamina and strength aren’t the only factors at play when long-distance running. Boredom, discouragement, and being alone with your thoughts are all part of the mental game.
Often, you’re battling your mind as much as your body while running. Learning to conquer the thoughts of this would be much easier if you quit will serve you in every area of your life!
9. Get Stronger
I think this one goes without saying. You’ll find yourself developing muscles you didn’t even know you had 😂
10. Explore New Places
During training, you’re going to have to run far. You’ll find yourself adding miles onto your normal running route, Googling new trails to visit, and taking all kinds of turns off your beaten path to vary the scenery.
When you actually run the marathon, you’ll get a unique perspective on the location where you run. For example, during the Pittsburgh Marathon and other road races, busy city roads are closed to traffic and become part of the race course. This means that runners get a perspective of the city that would normally be impossible!
11. Inspire Others
When I ran the Pittsburgh marathon, there were lots of people on the sidelines cheering. Some of those were young girls. I like to imagine that some of them were like me at that age, thinking that running a marathon was only for a certain type of person- and I was not that type of person. Maybe seeing a young woman running inspired them.
I don’t know for sure if I’ve managed to inspire anyone with my marathon, but I’m sure it’s had an impact- and yours will too.
12. Set Boundaries with Your Time
Setting boundaries goes hand-in-hand with the discipline you’ll develop while training. You’ll learn to say “Sorry, I can’t stay out late… I’ve got a long run tomorrow.” And, of course, learning to draw boundaries early in your adult life will pay dividends in the years to come!
13. Process Things
Nothing gives you time to think like spending hours on your feet. I find that when I run, I often end up using the time to reflect on things that have been bothering me. Further, I find that running burns off the stress I’m physically carrying in my body, improving my physical and mental health, and making me a better student and employee.
Needless to say, life gives you a lot to process on the daily, especially as a young adult. Maybe running will become part of your toolkit for dealing with those emotions?
14. Support a Good Cause
Lots of races raise money for charity, and sometimes you can choose to fundraise your registration fee to support an organization you love!
15. Learn a New Skill
Yes, training for a marathon is a skill. I followed a training plan (from P3R) since I’d only trained for a 5K at that point. I used a beginner plan for that marathon, but as I train for my second, I’m using an intermediate plan.
However, I trained for a half-marathon in the fall and didn’t follow a training plan generated by an organization; I came up with my own. Months and years of long-distance running had given me the confidence and know-how to write my own training plan!
16. Listen to Books + Podcasts
If the thing holding you back from running a marathon is the feeling that you’ll “waste” hours and hours training, let me reassure you that the time is anything but wasted. For all the reasons in this article, yes, but also because those long hours on your feet give you plenty of time to listen to the podcasts and audiobooks you’ve always wanted to check out. So if you need to feel productive while you run, you can be learning or laughing while you rack up miles.
17. Listen to Your Body
As I’ve touched on above, an improved relationship with your body is a major benefit of marathon training. Running can be grueling, and there will be times when you’re pushing through pain to finish a run. However, you’ll have to determine if it’s pain that requires stopping your run to rest, or if it’s pain you can push through. By paying attention to your body, you’ll learn your limits and when you can safely challenge them.
18. Learn When to Quit and When to Stick it Out
The example I just gave of pushing through pain is a common situation in which you’ll have to decide whether to quit or keep going. You’ll encounter plenty of these moments throughout training. You might sustain an injury or experience unexpected life circumstances that will force you to decide whether or not to continue training at all.
Learning to listen to your body and the events around you and make a decision on whether to quit or keep going is a skill that will serve you in all areas of life. That being said, in a lot of circumstances, the answer is to keep going! Persevering through low points is one of the best feelings you’ll ever experience.
19. Run Your Race, at Your Pace
It took me almost five and a half hours to run my marathon. If that number doesn’t mean much to you yet, it’s… kind of slow. To qualify for the Boston Marathon in 2025, women ages 18-34 had to be able to run a sub-3 hour 30-minute marathon (though the actual cut-off is even faster than that!).
Here’s the thing, though- my goal wasn’t speed. Even after diligent training, I was barely sure I could finish the marathon at all, much less hit a specific time goal. I took my time, and I walked whenever I stopped at a water station (I wasn’t hardcore enough yet to try drinking out a cup while running 😂). Though the race took me a long time, I FINISHED IT. I achieved my goal.
And that’s the beauty of running- you can choose what you want to focus on. Maybe that’s trying to smash a time goal and set a new PR (personal record), maybe that’s just finishing the race, and maybe that’s keeping half an eye on the clock but not at the expense of enjoying yourself.
20. Make Memories
Running a marathon will give you memories you’ll never forget. Every time I think about the guys on the sidelines around mile 24 handing out free beer (I did not partake lol), it makes me smile. The song playing when I crossed the finish line (Blinding Lights by The Weeknd), my family and friends supporting me, and even those long training runs will always be treasured memories.
21. Stop Asking “What If”
If the reasons I’ve already given for running a marathon haven’t convinced you that it’ll change your life, how about this: you won’t have to spend your life thinking I wonder if I could run a marathon. You’ll know you can, and that confidence will translate into everything you do.
22. Become a Resource
Once you’ve run a marathon, you have a wealth of knowledge about training, logistics, and the race itself. Case in point: this blog! When your friends have questions about how to run in cold weather or if they’re ready to train for a half-marathon, you’ll be able to help them out.
23. Feel Accomplished
Yes, feeling proud of yourself is an acceptable reason to run a marathon. And you will feel proud of yourself. You’ve accomplished something that few people ever do, and you’ve massively strengthened your self-discipline.
24. Learn to Persevere
If I haven’t already said it enough: marathon training is hard. Running a marathon is hard. But it’s 100% worth it. Perseverance is a quality that will serve you in anything you attempt, and there’s no way to strengthen it like taking on a huge challenge.
25. Become Okay With Boredom
As I mentioned in #8, boredom on long runs is part and parcel with training. It’s hard to pull out your phone and distract yourself while running- and that’s a great thing. If becoming more disconnected (or at least not constantly checking your phone) is a goal for you, long-distance running will help you get used to spending time with your own thoughts, with nothing to distract you.
26. Embrace Joy
My favorite reason to run a marathon: it allows you to embrace joy. Running on a beautiful day, accomplishing a run even when it’s brutally difficult, and hitting the goals you set for yourself infuse joy into your training.
During the marathon, the excitement of the crowd, the music, and the energy make this most challenging run an experience to remember. If you find yourself smiling even while pushing yourself to your limits, you’ve gotten a taste of the joy of running.
And let’s not forget that the endorphins from running and cross training just make you feel good!
26.2. Free Shirt
Okay, yes, I wanted to think of a funny “.2” tip, but this can actually be a great motivator. I love my finisher’s medal and feel so cool wearing my Pittsburgh Marathon gear. When I was struggling through a long run in training, I would think about the end of the race, when I would get one of those snazzy foil blankets. I don’t know why this specific thought kept me going, but the idea of wrapping myself up like a burrito after a grueling race was super motivating to me.
Are you inspired yet?
Good! Running a marathon will change your life, and doing it in your 20’s will give you a massive boost as you enter adulthood. If you decide to start training, head over to my Contact page and send me an email! I’ll cheer you on every step of the way (and help you out if you have any questions)!
What are you favorite reasons to run a marathon?
Have you run a marathon, half marathon, or other long-distance race before? What would you add to this list?