" Road racing offers competitors a variety of challenges to overcome such as hills, sharp bends, varied pavement, inclement weather, and a large group to compete against- or with. Aerobic fitness, or the ability of the body to utilize oxygen, is important to have to complete the long distances . Anaerobic fitness, that is, the body's capability at responding when there isn't enough oxygen for the muscle, is necessary to charge up hills and past competitors on the finish line. A common saying for runners is that the sport is 90% mental. Recreational running became popular due to high-profile runners such as Steve Prefontaine. Race courses are usually held on the streets of major cities and towns but they could be on any sealed road. Most road races are either 5 km (3. Discount Running Shorts1 miles), 10 km (6. 2 miles), half-marathon (21. "

"1 miles), or marathon (42. 195 km, 26. 2 miles), but non-standard distances are also acceptable. The "Round the Bays" run in Auckland, New Zealand is 8. 4 km (5. 2 miles), the SBLI Falmouth Road Race in Falmouth Cape Cod is 7 miles long, San Francisco's "Bay to Breakers" is 12 km (7. 46 miles); "City to Surf" in Sydney, Australia is 14 km, Honolulu's "Great Aloha Run" is 8. Running Shorts Pocket15 miles (13. 12 km), and the "Charleston Distance Run" in Charleston, West Virginia is 15 miles (24. "