I am no elite runner (some would even call me a "slow marathoner"), but I am certainly not a beginner. My 5th marathon was just as tough as the first and even 17 minutes slower! A couple of nursing girls came to cheer me on and for the first time ever, I did not stop running (except to grab a cup of gatorade at the aid stations). 4 hours and 32 minutes of non-stop running ain't easy! Sooo...26.2 reasons to run a marathon...

1. For the T-shirt
2. For the Shiny Medal at the end
3. The warm emergency blanket
4. Non stop eating of pasta and other carb-loaded foods pre-race
5. Post-race food (pizza, bananas, oranges, bagels, PB, smoothies...)
6. Post-race massage
7. The support of your friends/family cheering you on (even from the library back home)
8. The support of strangers you've never met cheering you on
9. Race day excitement
10. Meeting new people on the bus
11. Meeting new people on the course
11. Discussing with said people every previous race: place, times, conditions, what was good about, what was bad about it, what you ate for breakfast, how dehydrated you were, anticipated time for today etc..
12. The week-long taper down (sitting on your ass eating for a week and not feeling guilty about it!)
13. The look on people's face when you tell them you're running 42.2 Km's
14. Excuse to buy new running sneak-dawgs
15. Wearing head - to - toe spandex and not looking out of place
16. Discussing every detail of the race with anybody that will listen
17. The race expo
18. Free food, coupons, and other random things you get at the expo
19. The Spyching Team (everyone needs a little motivation/calming down at some point)
20. Knowing that you've just burned about 2700 calories
21. Feeling of accomplishment
22. Motivation to train for something...Must keep running
23. For Fitness...Running is good for your heart I hear...
24. Because it's fun!
25. Because I can
26. The indescribable feeling of crossing that finish line (and hearing those timing chip beeps)
.2. The post-race sleeeeeeeeep

Feel free to add your own reasons!