BMW Malta Marathon - March 5, 2006

In recent weeks I have discussed the dramatic rise in obesity in the western world. Last week, I sadly pointed out that Malta topped a recent WHO study on overweight and obese school-children in 34 nations.

The answer to this problem appears to be two-pronged: a more carefully-controlled diet (including school meals) coupled with an increase in regular exercise. It is to be hoped that the diet of school-meals, and some form of monitoring of soft-drinks available on school grounds, is being undertaken either by the relevant school authorities or by the government.

Too, we need more education in the home so that parents provide balanced diets, rather than fast foods, for their children. Such things are beyond the scope of these articles. Our role lies in promoting a healthy increase in regular exercise.

A few weeks ago I mentioned that each year 80,000 ordinary people across the UK apply for entry to the London Marathon. Approximately 30,000 are accepted. Fewer than 10 runners believe they have a chance to actually win the race. So what's going on? Why do 30,000 runners take part in an event that only a rare few have the chance to win?

The truth is that large-city mara-thons, among them London, New York, Berlin and Chicago, have moved beyond mere athletic events, and become mass celebrations of health and fitness.

Along the way they also do much sterling work for charities too, with runners in London annually collecting over one million pounds each year. People of all ages, from teenage to adults in their 70s and 80s, take part in marathons with no more aim than to finish in one piece and savour the satisfaction and experience along the way.

For many, marathon running today fulfils what we might term an "Everest syndrome"; the human need to strive for and achieve a monumental physical challenge.

For perhaps the only time of their lives an ordinary person can set out to do an extraordinary thing.

Think of what chance you have to play in the World Cup finals with Ronaldinho. What chance you have of playing in Wimbledon alongside Federer.

Marathon running allows the ordinary runner the chance to stand on the startline alongside elite athletes like Paula Radcliffe, Haile Gebreselassie and Paul Tergat.

Of course, none of us can compete against such athletes. But neither do we need to, for the competition in a marathon is internal - between the runner and him/herself.

The task is to slowly build up enough fitness over months to achieve one goal: and that goal is simply to finish the marathon and still be standing.

Each year, some runners, overcome by emotion and intense satisfaction, weep as they cross the finish line at the Ferries. How do we achieve this level of fitness?

It's actually very easy, because it is natural for humans to run. It's just that our everyday chores are so full of labour-saving devices (cars, buses, escalators, elevators) that we have spent a major part of our lives un-training ourselves.

This is a double-edged sword, for if we are untrained, we are most likely also unhealthy.

So, marathon training serves to improve the length and quality of your life. And that is why each year 80,000 ordinary, average, everyday, ho-hum people, just like you and me, apply to run the London Marathon.

How do we return to good health?

With as little as three bouts of light exercise per week, each lasting no more than 30 minutes.

One and a half hours per week doesn't seem like too much of an investment in time especially if it can add years to your life. We'll look at how to go about it in more detail next week.