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Sports & Fitness vocabulary · Sports & Disciplines

Marathon

Meaning in sports & fitness, with examples

/ˈmærəθɑn/nounCore term

In sports & fitness, marathon means: A long-distance running race of 42.195 kilometres (26.2 miles), usually held on roads; the word is also used for any very long event.

In Turkish: maraton

How it is used

Used by runners, coaches and organisers. People run, train for, finish or complete a marathon; a half marathon is 21.1 km. Runners talk about their finishing time, their splits and hitting the wall.

Example sentences

  1. She's training for her first marathon in November.

  2. He finished the Istanbul Marathon in under three hours.

Common collocations

  • run a marathon
  • half marathon
  • marathon runner
  • marathon training
  • finish a marathon
  • enduranceThe ability to keep up physical effort for a long time without tiring, important in sports like running, cycling, swimming and rowing.
  • taperTo reduce training volume in the days or weeks before a major competition so that the athlete arrives rested and at peak performance.
  • personal bestThe best time, distance, weight or score an athlete has ever achieved in a particular event or exercise; often shortened to PB or PR.
  • track and fieldThe group of sports that includes running races, jumping and throwing events, held on a running track and the field inside it.
  • carbohydrateA nutrient found in foods such as bread, rice, pasta, fruit and potatoes that is the body's main source of energy during intense exercise.

More terms: Sports & Disciplines

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