Celebrity triathlete Bubbles Paraiso sparked online talk about the difference between “fun run” and “marathon” after posting about their definitions.
On May 30, Bubbles said a running event is considered a “marathon” if it covers 42.2 kilometers.
“Half mary [marathon] is 21.1… anything under is called fun run,” she said on the Threads platform.
“So yeah, there’s no such thing as a ‘5k marathon’… if it’s 50k though, then it’s an Ultra,” Bubbles added.
Her post upset some Filipinos who believed that running five kilometers already qualified as a “marathon.”
The celebrity triathlete reiterated her point by posting a screengrab of her post with the caption, “Just to be clear.”
“Why are people so bothered that I stated that 5/10 km [kilometer] run races are called ‘fun runs’… It’s what it’s called, it’s not my imbento, ano baaaaaaa,” Bubbles wrote.
In the screengrab, Bubbles also emphasized that she was “not making fun or belittling” those who join fun runs.
“It’s the ACTUAL TERM FOR IT. Ano ba,” she wrote.
On May 31, the triathlete stressed her point with a smiling face emoji, posting: “Bottom line is, 5 km [kilometers] is NOT a marathon”
Bubbles also posted an Instagram video of her driving.
“On my way home from brunch, knowing I won’t get invited again, but at least now they know that you can’t call 10 km [kilometers] a marathon,” the text on her video read.
“It’s called a fun run,” Bubbles captioned her post.
“Why do people think the term ‘fun run’ diminishes the value of a race? It doesn’t,” the triathlete added.
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Bubbles is an actress and triathlete who placed third in the female division of the 2022 Subic Bay triathlon.
She is the younger sister of actor Paolo Paraiso.
What running channels say
Meanwhile, the Running Channel defines a marathon as a running event covering 42.2 kilometers.
“All official marathons have to be this distance,” it said on its website.
It also said that a half-marathon has a distance of 21.1 kilometers.
On the other hand, the World’s Sports Group defines a fun run as “usually a themed or obstacle course type race.”
“Often high numbers of runners participate in many waves throughout the day and partake in costumes, colored powder, mud, water, or physical obstacles. These races are meant to be amusing, a bit physical, but with much less focus on the actual running,” it said.
It also called five-kilometer and ten-kilometer runs as “races.”
The World’s Sports Group likewise defined a full marathon as “the champion of long distances,” with a 42-kilometer running distance.
“Marathons require long training programs, anywhere from 12-20 weeks before race day, and the average finishing time is around 4 hours and 30 minutes, while elite finishing times are just minutes above 2 hours. Some races are prestigious and require a previous qualifying finish time, some have a lottery to enter, and some are open for all,” it said.
