Why a Sub-3 Marathon?
Among marathon runners, completing a marathon in under three hours is widely regarded as one of the sport’s most significant milestones. It represents a level of endurance, consistency, and long-term dedication that I have admired throughout my running journey.
For me, a sub-3 marathon is more than simply achieving a faster finishing time. It is the personal benchmark that I have chosen to pursue. Reaching this goal would place me within the performance range associated with qualifying for prestigious races such as the Boston Marathon while remaining consistent with the balance I want between running and the many other priorities in my life.
Beyond this point, marathon performance becomes increasingly specialized. For example, the automatic Olympic qualifying standards for the Paris 2024 Games were 2:08:10 for men and 2:26:50 for women, while the 2028 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials standards are 2:16:00 for men and 2:37:00 for women. These times illustrate just how extraordinary elite marathon performance is.
Rather than pursuing increasingly faster marathon times indefinitely, I have consciously decided that a sub-3 marathon represents the highest level of performance I personally want to achieve. Beyond that point, I would rather devote my time and energy to the many other passions that define my life—including mathematics, teaching, software engineering, travel, and lifelong learning. Running is one of those passions, not the only one.