Careful marathon build-up pays off in the long run

Many joggers dream of running a marathon one day. Although a full marathon is 42 km in length, that does not prevent even the most inexperienced athlete from at least considering taking part in one.

All budding marathon runners should train aplenty beforehand as even experienced joggers will find a marathon challenging.

Smokers and those over the age of 35 should let their GP check them out before beginning training, advises Professor Hans-Hermann Dickhut, director of the Sport Medicine Institute at the University of Freiburg, Germany.