Don’t Move the Finish Line (The Friday Ficks S6 E12)

Every marathoner knows the number: 26.2 miles.

Not 18. Not “most of it.” Twenty-six point two.

Earlier this month, Los Angeles Marathon race organizers told runners that in anticipation of warm conditions, anyone “having a tough day” could stop at mile 18 and still receive a finisher’s medal.

I understand the instinct. Safety should always matter. Running a marathon in difficult conditions is serious business. I’ve been there, quite often.

But a finisher’s medal is not a participation ribbon. It represents something very specific: you finished the race.

All of it. Twenty-six point two miles of doubt, fatigue, grit, discipline, and resolve.

When you redefine finishing, you dilute the meaning of the achievement for those who pushed through every step of the way. The medal stops representing completion and begins representing something else - good intentions perhaps, but not the accomplishment it symbolizes.

And the message extends far beyond a marathon.

Life hands you plenty of mile 18 moments. Days when the conditions are harder than expected. When the challenge feels bigger than you planned for. When fatigue shows up early. When the finish line suddenly feels far away.

But the lesson that builds resilience - the one the next generation needs most - is simple: finishing matters.

If the conditions aren’t right for you, there is no shame in choosing not to start. That decision is yours. But once you begin, the meaning of the finish line should remain clear.

Because milestones only matter when they mean something. And a marathon finisher’s medal should represent exactly what it says: you finished the race. All 26.2 miles.

Don’t move the finish line. Rise to meet it.

Own the day. Own the weekend

Carl