" 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. 1987 Man Running1 miles), 10 km (6. 2 miles), half-marathon (21. "

"12 km), and the "Charleston Distance Run" in Charleston, West Virginia is 15 miles (24. 14 km). Any running that covers a distance further than a marathon is called ultrarunning; the event is an ultramarathon. Such events can be measured in distance (for example, 100 kilometers) or by time (whoever has run the farthest after 24 hours). Examples include the London to Brighton run in England which is just over 54 miles (87. 085 km), the Comrades Marathon run between Pietermaritzburg and Durban in South Africa which is about 89 km (55. 3 miles), and the Badwater Ultramarathon between Death Valley and Mount Whitney in the United States which is 135 miles (215 km). By King Man Novel Running Stephen Road running is unique among athletic events because in many cases first time amateurs are welcome to participate in the same event as members of running clubs and even current world-class champions. Professional road racing's governing body is the IAAF. "