Road running Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road (as opposed to track and cross country running). Road racing offers competitors a variety of challenges to overcome such as hills, sharp bends, varied pavement, inclement weather, and a large group to compete against- or with. Aerobic fitness, or the ability of the body to utilize oxygen, is important to have to complete the long distances. Anaerobic fitness, that is, the body's capability at responding when there isn't enough oxygen for the muscle, is necessary to charge up hills and past competitors on the finish line. A common saying for runners is that the sport is 90% mental. Recreational running became popular due to high-profile runners such as Steve Prefontaine. Race courses are usually held on the streets of major cities and towns but could be on any sealed road. Most road races are either 5 km (3.1 miles), 10 km (6.2 miles), half-marathon (21.097 km, 13.1 miles), or marathon (42.195 km, 26.2 miles), but non-standard distances are also acceptable. San Francisco's "Bay to Breakers" is 12 km (7.46 miles); "City to Surf" in Sydney, Australia is 13 km, and Honolulu's "Great Aloha Run" is 8.15 miles (13.12 km). Large road races are often community-wide events that highlight or raise money for an issue or project, most notably Susan G. Komen's Race for the Cure, which is held nationwide to raise breast cancer awareness. Any running event that covers a distance further than a marathon is called an ultramarathon. These can be measured in distance (for example, 100 kilometers) or by time (whoever has run the farthest after 24 hours). Road running is unique among athletic events, in many cases first time amateurs are welcome to participate in the same event as current world-class champions. Professional road racing's governing body is the IAAF. Competitors from around the world participate in what is dubbed the "elite" races for cash prizes. Kenyans and Ethiopians are renowned for their skill and it is rare for a race's top finishers not to include competitors from these countries. category:running FAVORITE ARTICLES: History of the World    History of the United States    History of Europe    Ancient History    History    Military History    World War I    Bombing of Dresden    California    US Constitution    Frank Sinatra    Boston    Marbury v. Madison This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License at http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html You may copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license. You must provide a link to http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html To view or edit this article at Wikipedia go to http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road_running">follow this link. All other content is copyright © 2000-2005 by WorldHistory.com. All rights reserved.

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