As I write this 34,000 people are competing in the London Marathon – many running 26.2 miles for the first time. Whatever their reasons for entering (millions of $/£’s are raised for charities) completing the race is a tremendous achievement.
I was part of the crowd last year supporting my daughter who did her first marathon, aged 18. An extreme method of building self confidence? There is little doubt that stepping outside our comfort zone and achieving a goal that needs a lot of hard work and commitment is a great boost to anyone’s self confidence.
I did the race in 1998 and one big factor is that you are competing in the same race as the “elite” runners. The 2007 Women’s winner has just finished in 2hours 20 minutes – she’ll be having lunch back at her hotel when most of the other women are finishing, but that won’t worry them! You are all part of the same event.
Running may not press your buttons, but there are equivalent endeavors we can all achieve – it just takes commitment and hard work.