How many marathons have I run?

Lately I've had several people ask me how many marathons I've run. I'm always a little unsure of my answer. I can quickly say that I've run 42 marathons. However, if you count ultra-marathons as a kiind of marathon, then I have actually run 44. If you count a 50K fun run as a marathon, the number is 45.

Then again, looking at it another way, I have really only run 22 marathons. You see, I've run the same marathon more than once. I've run the Silicon Valley and Tucson Marathons 5 times each, Rock 'N' Roll Arizona four times, and the St. George Marathon 3 times. So that's 17 marathons but only 4 different marathons.

I've run Big Sur, Cal International, Desert Classic, Lost Dutchman, Nisene Marks, Napa Valley, and the Chronicle SF Marathon twice each. That's 14 marathons, but 7 different marathons.

So what do I say the next time someone askes me that question?

Sometimes I just say, "I've run several marathons." Folks who really don't want the details are satisfied, and if they press me for more information, I feel entitled to give them the long story, because they asked for it.