In the past several races, I’ve seen some runners and walkers with shirts that say “Marathon Maniacs.” There is actually an organization called “Marathon Maniacs,” and on their website is a list of questions that determines whether or not you are indeed a maniac.

Though many people would consider ANYBODY who runs a marathon a maniac, we don’t all qualify as a “marathon maniac” according to their criteria…See how many of these questions you answer with a “YES”:

• Do your thoughts switch to the next scheduled race immediately after finishing a marathon?
• Are you signed up for more than one race right now?
• Do you know specifics about many of the marathons? Dates, courses, years run, etc.?
• Do you know the story of how the marathon got started? Also why the course is 26.2 miles?
• Do you read magazines on marathons like Marathon and Beyond?
• Is www.marathonguide.com book marked on your computer? Do you look at the race schedule more than once a week?
• Do you start to feel down when you haven’t run a marathon in a while?
• Are your closets and dressers filled with marathon t-shirts?
• Do you have so many marathon medals that you’ve run out of room on the hook they hang from?
• When asked about your racing from non-running people, do you find yourself talking with great passion to the point that the person who asked the question regrets ever asking?
• Have you run marathons on back to back weekends? Or better yet back to back days?
• Have you run a marathon as a training run? Or just to pace a friend?
• When asked by loved ones what your plans are for the weekend, you feel guilty telling them you’re running another marathon so you tell them “it’s only a half this weekend”?
• Do you plan all your vacations around a marathon race?

If you answered “yes” to ANY of these questions, you just may be a Marathon Maniac!!!

I have to admit – I actually answered “NO” to one question…

For more information about the Marathon Maniacs, go to http://www.marathonmaniacs.com

See you on the path!