Are you seeking how to sustain sub 3 hr marathon pace more effectively? If so, welcome to RunDreamAchieve. I have run 2:19:35 for the marathon. My goal in writing that is not to impress you but to impress upon you what you are capable of. I didn't have a lot of talent but I had an enormous amount of work ethic. In fact, I rarely came across athletes with the amount of drive and focus I had or have. So, if you are lacking in the talent department then don't let that get the best of you. You were created for greatness and a sub 3 hr marathon is an elite time. One that very few runners around the world achieve each year. In fact, only about 4 percent of marathoners who compete in marathons each year achieve it.

Is 3 Hours a Good Time for a Marathon?

I consider a time of 2:59:59 to be an elite time. Yes, you will still have to work hard to maintain sub 3 hr marathon pace. There is nothing easy about a 2:59:59 marathon time. That being said, it is most certainly doable if you are following a legitimate plan. I created a course called the Sub 3 Hour Marathon Pro where I teach athletes exactly what to do in order to maintain 3 hour marathon pace. The problem is most athletes can do it for a few miles but fail in the latter stages. Our aim is to change that.

How Hard is It to Run a Sub 3 Hour Marathon?

It is most certainly not easy to break a 3 hour marathon. That being said, if you change up your tactics your chances are going to significantly increase. I see a big problem many runners make. They are running too many miles or kilometers too slow. In addition, their long runs are far too aerobic. I would recommend start doing faster paced long runs which I teach in the Sub 3 Hour Marathon Pro course. I used this tactic to drop my marathon PR from 2:43:36 to 2:19:35. It is not an easy task to go from running a marathon at 6:14 pace to 5:19 per mile pace.

Sub 3 Hour Marathon Indicators
There are many factors that go into running a marathon under 3 hours. Can you do 10 miles in training at goal race pace? If so, this is a legitimate indicator that you are getting into the proper fitness to break 3 hours. Can you run 20 miles at 7 minute mile pace? If so, you are definitely on track to run a 2:59:59 or faster over the marathon distance. Remember, there are many variables that go into running a marathon this fast. 

What Percentage of Runners run a Sub 3 Hour Marathon?

There are only about between 2 to 4 percent of marathoners who break 3 hours for the marathon each year. So, you are joining a very select few runners who can run this fast over the marathon distance. Again, it isn't about running more mileage. There are runners running upwards of 100 miles a week who still don't do it. In comparison, there are other runners running far less who do. So, you want to focus on using leverage. Leverage simply means doing more with less. There are many runners who know how to work hard. Well, working harder isn't always a guarantee.