Re: Who Runs Marathons Alone?
Just as an observation, it's interesting how people can talk about running a race "alone" when they're in a crowd of hundreds or even thousands of people (at least at the big races). Like Blaine Moore said, unless you are running on a trail in the middle of the woods with no one else in sight, you're never truly alone. There are always people to chat with, however briefly, people to pace off of, people to encourage and be encouraged by. I often feel alone at the start or end of a race, because I typically go to races by myself, but I almost never feel alone during a race.
And they're small - <100 frequently, sometimes <10, once a year near a couple hundred. And being older female, I'm usually DFL or close. (but getting close to back of mid-pack or front of back-of-pack in my one large race)