Guy runs a 3:46 marathon and claims to have done it off of no training. Is he lying, or is he just really talented?

About 5 or 6 years ago a high ranking female pro tennis player raced NYC marathon on tennis training in 3:30.xx If the guy is a lumberjack or has another physically demanding job,why not. I more or less did that on 25 miles per week. Not a big deal.

25 miles a week is a lot different than 18 miles in two months (i.e., 2 miles a week).

I could run a 17 minute 5K on 25 miles a week. I don't think I could break 20 on 2 miles a week.

Since when is 3:46 an indication of any sort of talent lmao

Any young male can run a 3:46 off of 30+ miles a week. Almost no one can do it off of 0-2 miles a week.

A few years ago, two of my former college teammates signed up for a marathon on a whim about two years after graduation. Neither one broke 3:46, and they were former sub 4 1500 guys. Granted, they were sedentary those two years, but it's not like they gained 50 pounds or anything.

Do you have evidence? 3:46 isn't a big deal.

You are kidding, right?

8:40ish pace is doable for someone with fitness. Not necessarily easy. But a lot of reasonably fit people will handle that pace.

I ran a 5:34 mile in PE off of 0 mpw and no organized sports training. I think most people would consider that to be at least somewhat talented. After two years of training, I ran a 15:29 5K. Again, not world-class talent, but definitely some talent.

I was pretty much sedentary from age 23-26 but signed up for a marathon on an easy course on my 26th birthday. It was a "run your age in miles" thing that randomly came into my mind. I was too lazy to train for it and figured that my talent would carry me through.

I aimed for a 9:00/mile pace, finished in 3:52, and thought that it was one of the hardest things I had ever done. For the next week or two, I felt like I got hit by a truck.

So yes, a 3:46 off of no training is an indication of talent.

If this story is true then the guy must have been active in some capacity prior to this, playing soccer, basketball, etc. This would be very difficult for an overweight couch potato, but I assume this was not him.

Though Caroline Wozniacki did a lot more than just tennis training. She ran distance on non-match days and then upped her mileage before the race.

Probably another secret 100 miles per week person.

Certainly possible. I ran a 3:50 after not having run even once for the six weeks prior and only I think twice in the previous two months. I had been running maybe 10-20 miles per week prior to that for several months. I am not what anyone would call "talented" - I have broken 3:00 a few times but never even reached 2:50. The worst part was my 3:50 was at Berlin so I missed my one (and probably only) chance to tear up possibly the world's fastest legal course.

There's a world of difference between doing high-level tennis training and doing nothing besides 3 runs in 2 months.

This is not a big deal. Really. If he ran an hour faster maybe than it's worth a hoot.

If running a 3:46 off of 0 mpw were no big deal, there wouldn't be any couch to 5K programs, let alone "how to run your first marathon" books.

I've been around quite a few runners and know four guys who've run 5:0x miles without any running training and without being involved in any other organized sport. This is the first time I've heard of a sedentary guy running a 3:46 or better on his first attempt, which shows how rare it is.

He has some talent, likely sub 3:00 marathon level if he trained. He was young, and did have endurance experience from his write up (half ironmans, century bike rides, sprint Tris..etc.). It sounded like he was somewhat active, though limited running. Still we do not know the whole story. Had he completed a training block for the half ironman, completed the half ironman, then shut it down, so to speak, for several months? Was he playing racquetball and basketball regularly? He mentions these activities as ones he participate in.

I work physically so my heart rate is elevated 5+ hours per day. I used to run and once broke 2:40 which I know is not terrific. Maybe 3-4 times per month I get out for about 4 miles. I have no real issue breaking 7-minute pace when I do.

I am 52 now and could not imagine running that slow even without a single mile of training. I understand it is different for everyone. Most decent milers and other mid distance runners don't necessarily have it in them to run a good Marathon anyway even when they do train.

If he's not overweight and/or old, I don't see why this is so unbelievable.

I often see non-runners who'll go out and do some "cardio", wherein they'll 'greyzone' for an hour at 7 min/miles. This is much slower than that.

The guy likely ran at 8 min/miles with a few walk breaks throughout.

You often see non-runners doing 7 minute miles for an hour? Where was this, a soccer training camp? That's a 43:30 10K plus another 2.3 miles at that pace immediately afterwards.

A 43:30 5K would easily put you in the top 10% of young men in the vast majority of road races. And yet you claim to often see non-runners doing that. Something doesn't add up.

I'd sometimes get weird looks at the gym whenever I'm cranking out 7 minute miles on the treadmill. Hardly anyone else goes that fast. And when I complained that the treadmills timed out after 60 minutes, I was told that it was the first time they had ever heard of someone staying on the treadmill for that long.

Running a 3:46 has little to do with running ability and is mainly dependent on how well your muscles can handle continuous moderately intense activity without breaking down. I know 6:30 milers who easily could do it as well as 5:30 milers who wouldn't stand a chance.

It's kind of like the Barkley (Google it, you'll see what I mean). That race doesn't select for fast runners, it selects for moderately fit people who're exceptionally good at orienteering and functioning well during bad weather and sleep deprivation. A construction worker or a Himalayan sherpa could easily run a 3:46 off of 0 mpw. An accountant or programmer, however, would struggle with it even on 15 mpw.