My Marathon Globetrotters Singlet Arrived

The next time I run in an international marathon, I’ll be sporting a new look.  My Marathon Globetrotters singlet arrived.

Marathon Globetrotters is a relatively new running club that I joined last February.  It’s a club for runners who want to run marathons in as many countries as possible.  That happens to be one of my goals.

Unlike running marathons in all 50 states, this goal doesn’t have a fixed finish line.  I don’t think it’s possible to run marathons in every country.  Even if there was an official marathon in every country, there are a variety of reasons why I couldn’t run in all of them, starting with the expense.

In 2010, I finished running marathons in all 50 states.  Later that year, Greece was celebrating the 2,500th anniversary of the Battle of Marathon.  Not wanting to miss that party, I made the 2010 Athens Classic Marathon my first international marathon.  Since then, I’ve made a point of visiting at least two new countries each year.

To be a full member of Marathon Globetrotters, you need to finish marathons in at least 10 countries.  (You can join as a provisional member with five countries.)  When the club was formed, I already had 11 countries.  Since then I’ve finished marathons in Japan, South Africa and Costa Rica, bringing my total to 14.

When I race, I usually wear a shirt or singlet from one of my running clubs.  I usually wear Marathon Maniacs gear, but sometimes I’ll wear a 50 States Marathon Club singlet.  I can race anywhere in the United States and I’ll see other runners from those clubs.  If I wear a Marathon Maniacs singlet in another country, there’s no guarantee that anyone will recognize it.

Now that I have my Marathon Globetrotters singlet, I’ll have something to wear in international races that will seem more appropriate for the occasion.  As the club grows, hopefully I’ll spot other globetrotters at races around the world.