<p>Is it possible to be a rec athlete for a sport not offered by your high school? Also, are sports like Running, and Tae Kwon Do looked down on because there is no Varsity, or even a school program?</p>
<p>I am a 2nd Degree Black Belt in TKD. I also ran a marathon. The only school sport I do though is track (no Cross country) Am I athletic enough for their tastes? Do I have a leg up on other applicants? I'm only JV on track (well I was last year) and only got a few small awards (2nd or 3rd at regionals) The marathon is cool because I ran it one week over the required age limit of 16 years old. only 20 of the 32000 finishers were 16 years old. 16 other 16 year old runners attempted, but they dropped out. (the stats are online) Also, aside from the black belt, I only have a few minor awards like a gold at lame interschool tournaments. I did go to the Mid Wisconsin tae kwon do meet when I was a frosh and I did real well. </p>
<p>Just my opinion, but I don't think running a marathon (a one time thing) will count for as much as you think it will. I could go sign up and run a marathon if I wanted to; however, if it is an avid passion that you continue to pursue on a yearly basis, then I would say it looks better.</p>
<p>unless you are EXTREMELY talented and in the best shape possible, i seriously doubt that you could just sign up and run a marathon. it takes months of training and commitment. i think it shows a real passion for running and self-discipline. it's very impressive for a high school student to balance homework, ecs, and everything else and still find time for twelve mile workouts. that's really admirable in my book and you should definitely include it on the application, shark_bite.</p>
<p>Well, it definetly qualifies as an EC worth putting down. A marathon is 26.2 miles and takes 6 months to prepare for if you are in good condition. You need to run at least an hour every day of the week and then on saturday you need to run a lot more. It ranges from 1 hour when you first start to 6 hours a saturday towards the end of your training. Sunday is a day off to repair your muscles. Then you get back at it. There is a huge difference between even a half marathon and a full one. A half marathon can be prepared for in about a month. The thing is that you run at least a half marathon every weekend for 5 months when training for a full marathon. A half marathon is much easier. I didn't even feel all that tired after the first 13 miles when I ran the real one. You really only feel tired when you get to mile 14 and then get progresively worse up till mile 19. Then because you are so close to the end, you pick up and keep moving.</p>
<p>So yeah, 2 things then. </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Should I explain the marathon thing to the adcoms who might not have run one? You really only "get" it if you have run a marathon and know what goes into it. Most people think its really easy and you just sign up and do it. Should I make some note or something on the app? Will I sound like I'm trying to make a big deal out of nothing? I'm kind of relying on this to be my magic "hook" that makes them forget about my low gpa and test scores. I'm kind of hoping Harvard looks at this favorably because the Boston Marathon is right on their door step.</p></li>
<li><p>And yeah, will out of school sports make you seem athletic?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Wow these are some crazy long posts. I can't believe you just read this far. I could have been working on some homework or something in this much time. Wow this site is addicting.</p>
<p>I'm not at all trying to discredit his accomplishment (I certainly can't run a marathon), but I'm just saying that I don't see it as being a significant "hook" in the admissions process.</p>
<p>What about starting a sports team because your school does not offer it? I started a cross country cycling club four years ago with a dozen friends and we have meets and a yearly 35 mile race. Would that be considered less impressive than a varsity sport?</p>
<p>Haukim, If I were an admissions officer, I would consider that very impressive.</p>
<p>Sharkbite, definitely talk and maybe even write about it. But I agree with MattCarmona. It is a worthy accomplishment, but I wouldn't overestimate the impact it will have. But who knows? Maybe harvard really digs marathon runners!</p>
<p>honestly, running a marathon isn't that impressive. unless you can run it in a good time, don't bother. actually running a marathon is not that hard--most young, fit people could do it without any prep (though they'd be incredibly sore afterward). but to run a fast marathon, you need to do speed workouts, tempo runs, hillwork that most people aren't capable of.</p>
<p>I don't know what to make of the responses I've gotten here. I don't want to sound arrogant but there is no possible way anyone can run a marathon without a significant amount of prep before hand. Anyone who says otherwise has no idea of what really goes into it. A half marathon maybe but after the half way point, your body will shut down. People have died running marathons because they didn't have enough preperation. (like 1 or so every year at a major marathon) Most people however are prepared so it generally isn't that bad. Only 19 other 16 year olds finished the chicago marathon this year. The other 16 16 year old marathon runners dropped out. 32,000 people finished the marathon and about 10,000 dropped out. The minimum age limit is 16 and I ran it at 16 years 1 week. It was extremely tough and took forever to train for. I only did it because I like doing it. Most people don't have a clue how long or tough a marathon is, and this thread proves it. If you can find a single marathon runner or experienced runner to say other wise than I will shut up and feel like an idiot. Make sure it is an actual 26.2 mile race though, not a 2 mile fun run.</p>
<p>On the other hand, I don't want to decieve myself into thinking this is the ultimate hook either. I know this will help, but I doubt it will be the magic EC that adcoms love. I'm still running and am planning on doing another perhaps this fall-after another 6 months of required training.</p>
<p>I guess this isn't the place to ask either. Most people here don't run. I guess I got the response that an adcom that hasn't run will give me-rejection. I'm still not sure what a marathon running adcom will say however. I suppose I won't find out here.</p>
<p>Shark_bite-- I am an experienced distance runner. I was recruited for track @ Harvard and won four state championships in high school. I spent my summers working in a running company advising runners--novices to experts. But obviously, you have the right to have a different view on marathons.</p>
<p>Well, thanks for the advice. I'm planning on doing another one so I will try to run that fast. I'm just annoyed at people who think they can get out of bed one day and go run a marathon.</p>