To some people, running a marathon is much more than just a race. Training and then completing the marathon can be one of the greatest achievements in one 's life and people run for so many reasons: charity, health, or just the glory that comes from attaining that milestone. One of the most well-known marathons is the Boston Marathon. Only fifteen men participated in the first Boston Marathon in 1897. In 1966, the first woman ran the whole Boston Marathon, but was not recognized as a runner in the race and did not have a bib number or official time. Eventually, women were allowed to participate in the footrace and since then, the sport has grown tremendous popularity. In 2017, twenty-six thousand, four hundred eleven people completed the …show more content…
The Walker School is a program that provides services to children who face complex emotional, behavioral, and learning challenges; however, that is not the only charity people ran for. In fact, there are over 150 official charities to run for in the Boston Marathon. The marathon is a great way for people to raise money for charity, get in shape, but also improve their mental …show more content…
Primarily, there needs more conversation about these issues so adolescence will be able to understand their emotions and not feel embarrassed about getting help if necessary. Only 41 percent of adults in the United States with a mental health condition received proper treatment over the past year. If there were more discourse on these subjects, maybe the number of those treated would rise and those with depression can share their stories on how running benefited their mental health. Although running does not and will not cure anxiety and depression, it can help. Kirsten Jett, a Boston Marathon qualifier, struggled with depression for her whole life and decided to pick up running. Running did not cure her depression, but she said, “I credit all those miles for keeping me from sinking back into depression.” Currently, as stated in a poll from ADAA, only around fourteen percent of people turn to the regular use of exercise as a way to manage stress. This percentage of people is too small compared to the number of people with mental health issues. Overall, with mental health cases rising in the United States, there should come more discussion about how to treat the issues and resolve the taboo nature around them. Maybe one day, people will openly talk about their mental health without the fear of