How Many Calories Does a Marathon Burn?

The infographic below has examples of different food items, their estimated calorie counts, and the amount of time you’d need to run to burn off the calories from pigging out on those foods.

We also compared running a marathon with everyday tasks like taking notes in class or sitting at your desk and typing at work (spoiler alert: it’s such a long time, you’d probably get so bored you’d wish you were running a marathon just so you can finish sooner).

And for you travelers and explorers, we did a few marathon distance comparisons of famous tourist stops to get an idea of the number of steps you’d have to walk to equal the marathon length.

The marathon distance is definitely not something you just wake up one morning and run. But if you do decide to run your first marathon, you want to make sure you follow the proper training program to ensure you can successfully accomplish your goal. You should also consider the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon series, which provides a great first-time runner experience with live bands along the course and spectator and medical support throughout. Check the marathon off your bucket list while experiencing the elusive runner’s high that your runner friends keep talking about!