Kid's Zone

• History
• Questions
• Believe it or not!
• Pace Car
• Super Hero's
• Books

History

The marathon is a long-distance foot race with an official distance of 42.195 kilometers (26 miles 385 yards, or exactly 26⁷⁄₃₂ miles) that is usually run as a road race. The event is named after the fabled run of the Greek soldier Pheidippides, a messenger from the Battle of Marathon to Athens. The historical accuracy of this legend is in doubt, contradicted by accounts given by Herodotus, in particular.

The marathon was one of the original modern Olympic events in 1896, though the distance did not become standardized until 1921. More than 800 marathons are contested throughout the world each year, with the vast majority of competitors being recreational athletes. Larger marathons can have tens of thousands of participants.

Read more about the marathon at Wikipedia.

Questions

The following questions we asked by a grade 6 class at Mount View School in Calgary, Alberta:

• Why are you doing this?
• Because I want people to know about the work done by the charity Right To Play. They use sport and other physical activities to help children    improve their health, develop life skills and foster peace. I also hope to raise money for the charity.

• Do you want to do this?
• Yes, its a huge challenge and I'm not sure if I can do it but I want to try.

• When did you first start running?
• 7 years ago, at the age of 47, I ran 1 km out and 1km back to my house

• Why are you bald?
• I blame my Dad

• Are you pushing yourself too hard?
• When I do marathons I run for 9 mins and walk for 1 min. That's when I drink and get my calories. Also, I am having two days of rest each week and my doctor is monitoring my health as I go.

• What shoes are best for running?
• I use Asics running and Salomon trail shoes, but it depends on what you need from a shoe. You have to choose one which suits you.

• Where is your favourite place to run? Why?
• I love the Cochrane Foothills Marathon course, which is good because I have to run it about 190 times next year!. The course is in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and on a clear day the view of the mountains is fantastic

• How much do you eat each day?
• The key meal is breakfast: cereal, banana, yogurt, berries, milk. The rest of the day I eat healthily, lots of fruit and vegetables.I have to think about the amount of calories I've used each day and try to replace them. But I like a treat sometimes like a bar of chocolate or fish and chips.

• Are you in good enough health to do this run?
• I think so and so does my doctor. I plan to be monitored through out the year.

• How much sleep do you need?
• I try and get between 8 and 9hrs a night

• How can we help you succeed?
• I want to run at 60 schools during the year. I'd like the students to follow the Daily blog on the website and carry out class activities based on the information. Also I'd love you to send me comments.Just knowing that people are taking an interest in what I'm doing will really make a difference.

• Do you get sore muscles? What do you do for pain?
• Yes I get sore muscles but right after a marathon I drink 1 litre of chocolate milk and this helps. Also, I make sure I take enough nutrition on the run, so that I don't get cramp and I stretch after my runs.

• What about chaffing and blister?
• I make sure my feet are dry and my runners are not too tight.

• What special clothing, shoes, undergarments do you use for running in the cold?
• I wear long johns and a long -sleeved woollen shirt.I wear snow shoes or grips if the weather turns icy.

• What about the bathroom?
• If you've gotta go, you've gotta go.

• Do you play any other sports?
• Yes, tennis, old timer hockey and table tennis. I also like to do triathalon ( swim, bike, run )

• What if you can't do it
• You have to try things that you may not be able to do, if you've tried your best and it doesn't work out so be it. The key thing is to give it a go. It's always best to try things you want to do, rather than look back and think" I wish I had................."

 

Believe it or not!

Fact #1

By the time Martin has run all the 250 marathons he will have climbed an elevation greater than a vertical marathon (42.2km) or equal to 5 Mount Everests!!! How many CN Towers is that?

 

Pace Car

Every race needs a pace car. Keep you eyes open at a school near you for the Pace Car's arrival. This Mazda RX8 is the same model they used in the first "X-Men" movie. Wolverine, where are you?

 

Super Hero's

You have hero's: Parents, Spiderman, Sponge Bob and generally they're older than you. Well I have hero's in the sporting world and most of them are older than me and I'm 54!!!

Check out the Fantastic Five plus 1:

• Terry Fox (Runner)

• Sister Maddona Buder (Triathlon)

• Cliff Young (Ultra Runner)

• Ed Whitlock (Runner)

• Team Hoyt: Dick and Ricky (Endurence Events)

• Alf Tupper (Sprinter)

Books

Martin has illustrated a childrens book "Riverbank Friends". The book was written by Terranne Roberts, Martin's mother in law. Terryanne is an accomplished poet and lives in Mudeford, Dorset, England.

This is the charming poem of five animal friends who live along the riverbank. We follow Wilma Water-Rat, Victor Vole, Mistress Mabel Mouse, Thomas T Toad and Ferdinand Frog as they have many adventures through the Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn.

The book can be purchased at www.lulu.com and 20% of all proceeds will go to Right To Play.