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Getting out a calculator, a pen, some paper, a sixteen week marathon training plan, and a calorie guide, I worked out the following.

• 5,600 minutes of running at 9 minutes a mile will burn about 88,000 calories. I
• Running 600 miles is the equivalent of doing about 23 marathons.
• If you do a 16 week marathon training plan, you can expect to run about 600 miles over those 16 weeks.
• Burning 88,000 calories is the equivalent of losing 25lbs in weight.
• Training and running a marathon will help you lose between 1 ½ to 2 stone in weight!
• If you run at a four hour marathon pace (about 9 minutes a mile), 23 marathons will take you 93 hours
• That is about 5,600 minutes.

The benefits to me of losing this sort of weight, is that it would take me down to my ideal weight. How would losing 1 ½ to 2 stone benefit you? Are there any other benefits to running a marathon?

Yes there are. Here are just a few of them:

• Increased self esteem.
• More social contacts.
• A lasting sense of achievement.
• Running is fun.
• Increased fitness.

I really like the last benefit. I find running great fun, especially as I vary my running routes as much as possible. Varying your routes always gives you something new to see as you run.