Being a Half Marathon Walker in a Runner's World

Ten years ago, I completed my first half marathon.  There were about 7 or 8 of us from work who completed the 13.1 mile course that year and I was the only walker.  On the following Monday we all wore our Kentucky Derby Festival Mini Marathon t-shirts to work.  Even though t-shirts weren't a normal part of our dress code, we figured that we had earned that one, small bragging right.

Sometime during the day, a coworker came up to me and congratulated me on finishing "the Mini," as we here in the Louisville Metro area call it.  After I thanked her, she followed up with "I didn't know you were a runner," to which I replied, "I'm not.  I'm a walker."

I kid you not, but I visibly witnessed the enthusiasm and admiration drain from her face as she comprehended my words.  She actually had the nerve to then say to me, "I don't think walkers should be allowed to participate in half marathons because they don't run in them."

I was stunned - stunned - and for a few seconds, I had no words.  Then I got mad, mad because how dare she try to negate my accomplishment.  Walk, run, skip, hop, jog, or roll in a wheelchair, anyone who completes a half marathon has the right to feel accomplished.  

I then said something to this effect - "I trained just like a runner for the Mini.  I put in the same distance week in and week out since January.  On Saturday, I crossed the same starting line, crossed the same finish line, and I covered the same distance as any runner - it just took me longer.  There are no rules against walkers participating, so I'm not sure what your issue is."

She then said, "Well, anyone can walk 13 miles..."  I blinked, put a smirk on my face and replied, "Then where's your Mini Marathon t-shirt?" and walked away.  

I'd love to tell you that incident was an isolated occurrence, but it wasn't.  Granted, it was probably the worst as it was the most confrontational, but it wasn't the last.  In the  decade since that first half marathon, I've completed two more and no one has ever been that rude to my face. But, I've seen that visible drop in enthusiasm on so many faces over the years that I've now come to expect it.  Here's a typical scenario:

Person X: "What are you doing this weekend?
Me: "On Saturday, I'm doing the Mini Marathon."
Person X: "Wow! I didn't know you were a runner!"
Me: "I'm not. I'm a walker; I'm walking it."
Person X: "Oh..."

Or the past tense version (once people have discovered that I completed the race):

Person X: "You ran the Mini?"
Me: "No, I walked it."
Person X: "Oh..."

I've learned that short little "Oh..." at the end of the exchange is more than likely masking a thought similar to, "Big deal, I can do that," to which I'm silently responding, "Then why don't you?"

Here's what I don't understand - why would anyone feel so strongly against people who, like myself, walk in half marathons instead of run?  I mean, seriously, who cares?  And for the record, on Saturday during during my third Mini, I passed several joggers who were jogging at a slower pace than I was walking.  But, I digress...  We walkers are not taking anything away from anyone. Everyone who crosses the finish line will get a finisher's medal.  The KDF Mini Marathon and Marathon caps the number of participants at 18,000.  Over the weekend, 1,497 people completed the Marathon and 8,138 finished the Mini Marathon.  That means less that 60% of the slots were filled this year.  Obviously, there's plenty of room for anyone who wants to participate in the race. There's enough room to accommodate the joggers, the elite runners, the walk-joggers, the wheelchair athletes, the bucket-listers, and the walkers.  

There's plenty of room for all of us to be the best marathon and half marathoners we can be. 

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