While many Richmond area runners have already begun training for the SunTrust Richmond Marathon on November 14, this year offers a new challenge: the McDonald’s Half Marathon, which will take place the same day. Ro Gammon--a history teacher at Powhatan High School, personal trainer at the Midlothian YMCA, and veteran marathon coach and runner--has accepted the challenge of coordinating the training group for this event.
“I love coaching marathon training groups, but when they approached me it was like, this is a new opportunity, and you had not heard of half marathon training teams,” says Gammon. “Sports Backers does a great job with all the other programs…it was like, okay, I will give it a try.”
The SunTrust Marathon added the half marathon to its schedule because of the rising popularity and increasing demand for the 12.1 mile race. “[In the past] you had the 5K, 8K, and the marathon, and those were your only options,” says Gammon. “Now more and more races have added the half marathon because it’s doable for people. They are really drawing a lot of people.”
Not only that, but they are attracting people of all fitness levels. Half marathons appeal to new racers because while it’s more challenging than a 5K or 10K, it is not as intimidating as a full marathon. Runners who have not competed in a marathon before also use half marathons as a stepping stone for participation in future marathons. Regular marathoners are drawn to half marathons because the recovery process has a lot less time involved than a full marathon, allowing them to begin training for their next marathon sooner.
But just because a half marathon is half the distance of a full marathon doesn’t make the race any less challenging. “It’s always a big deal,” says Gammon. “You get the same satisfaction when you cross the finish line, whether you do a half or a whole.”
The half marathon training group will meet every Saturday for long group runs as part of a prepared training schedule given to group members. Members will follow the schedule day by day, beginning with three miles on select days during the first week and increasing the distance the following week, working up to the 12.1 mile race.
In Gammon’s past experience as a marathon coach, she saw how training group members rarely ever ran by themselves outside of weekly group runs. “A lot of times people will get together during the week and they’ll find out, ‘Hey, you live in Midlothian, let’s get together for a run,’” she says. “And what happens [is] some people never run by themselves, they always have a group.”
Gammon is looking forward to getting her training group pumped up this August not only for the half marathon, but for the relationships that result from training together as a team. “It is so much fun, the camaraderie of the group, and you make friends that last forever,” she says. “I hear from people that I coached years ago. They’ll still call me or email me and let me know how they’re doing. It’s like a big family.”
Gammon has always been passionate about helping others through physical fitness, and coaching the half marathon training group is no exception. “Our goal is the half marathon. My goal is to get them across the finish line and enjoy it and keep them healthy.”
Sports Backers Quarterly, Voume 2, Issue 5, July/August
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