How I can Run Mountains

Here's how I envision breaking down the greater goal of running a marathon and relating it to climbing mountains. You see, much like climbing to high altitudes where one must acclimatize their bodies to the lack of oxygen and demanding environment, a distance runner must also "acclimatize" their bodies to the physical demands of running for extended distances. One would not set out to run a marathon or climb Everest on their very first outing. It would be foolish! It takes some time to work your way up to either goal.

By scaling the height of Mount Everest (29,029 feet) to the distance of a marathon (26.2 miles), you get about 1,108 feet per mile. Taking this ratio, several important running distances can be converted to an "altitude". A simple 5K race is the equivalent of scaling Mount Greylock, the highest mountain in Massachusetts. A 10K is equivalent to Mount Mitchell, the highest mountain in the Appalachian Mountains. A 15K is Mount Agung, a volcano located in Indonesia. Fitz Roy is a particularly difficult mountain to climb, located in the Andes on the Argentina/Chile border which corresponds to a 10 mile run. This is appropriate as running a steady and routine 10 mile run is a solid accomplishment and milestone. Equally notable as an accomplishment is the running of a half marathon (13.1 miles), which is equivalent to summiting the Matterhorn or Mount Rainier, both well known mountains.

	Relative Elevation
Run Distance	Feet	Meters	Mountain
0 miles	0	0	Sea Level
3.1 miles (5K)	3,435	1,047	Greylock
6.2 miles (10K)	6,870	2,094	Mount Mitchell
9.3 miles (15K)	10,305	3,141	Mount Agung
10 miles	11,080	3,377	Fitz Roy
13.1 miles (Half Marathon)	14,515	4,424	Matterhorn	Rainier
15 miles	16,620	5,066	Vinson Massif
18.6 miles (30K)	20,609	6,282	McKinley
20 miles	22,160	6,754	Huascaran
23.7 miles	26,286	8,012	Shishapangma
26.2 miles (Marathon)	29,029	8,848	Everest

Now for the more difficult "summits" of runs. A 15 mile run roughly scales to Vinson Massif, the highest mountain in Antarctica, certainly not easy terrain or climate. A 30K or 18.6 mile run works out to be the famous Mount McKinley in Alaska. For even more of a challenge, a 20 mile run is the equivalent of Huascaran, the highest point in Peru. Now we get into the major distances and difficult altitudes that take a great deal of time, effort and strength to surmount. The summit of Shishapangma is the lowest of the eight peaks on Earth that are +8,000 meters in height. This marks a 23.7 mile run… just a short couple of miles further to push to the summit of Everest at 29,029 feet… or 26.2 miles.

So why have I been mired down at sea level for so long?