NatNews

Each year, more than 1 million individuals make the conscious choice to run marathons, and many of them are doing so for the first time. Different people have different reasons for opting to put in months and miles of training to take on the 26.2-mile distance in an event for which they likely paid a hefty chunk of money.

For many of these participants, though, crossing that finish line is often about much more than running. 

“I think people are interested in running a marathon because it gives them a source of accomplishment,” Dallas resident and White Rock Running Co-op admin Chet MacArthur said. “A lot of people see a marathon as the pinnacle of fitness and discipline, so being able to run one is a big deal for most people.”

Dallas resident Katie Butler is training for the BMW Dallas Marathon in December (the full and ultra are now sold out for this year’s events), when she will line up with thousands of others to trek through the city before returning to downtown to cross the finish line at Dallas City Hall Plaza. This will be Butler’s first race covering such a distance.

“For me, running a marathon is all about outdoing myself physically and athletically,” she said. “I have been pretty invested in fitness for five years now, and as I got stronger, I found I was achieving goals and getting bored or lacking a goal. This is something I never thought I could do, and it’s nice to work toward a goal when you can see progress in real time.”

Butler ran her first half marathon last year and has since run two more. But it turns out that wasn’t enough for her.

“The excitement kind of wore off, so naturally, I had to level up,” she said.

MacArthur was once in similar shoes (figuratively, obviously) when he trained for and ran his first full at the Los Angeles Marathon in 2024. Since then, he has run two more marathons (Dallas in 2024 and Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego earlier this year), though completing this race distance was not originally a goal MacArthur envisioned for himself.

“All of my life, I hated running and always thought a marathon was unattainable,” he said. “Going from running only a few miles a week to 26 miles at once seemed like a monumental task.”

But for whatever reason, MacArthur became up for that task. While training for Los Angeles, he said it was often difficult to restructure his schedule to make sure that he fit in every run and got the mileage he needed and to determine the appropriate plan for the marathon in terms of both training and diet. And when the actual marathon day finally arrived, MacArthur said the most challenging component of the race he faced was the actual race itself.

“While I had done long runs, I had never done any official races and, therefore, felt overwhelmed getting to the race and holding everything together for the entire race,” he said.

That race anxiety can often serve as energy to help get one through a marathon, and people who planned to be one-and-done marathoners frequently find themselves hitting that register button for another 26.2. Helsinki resident Sophia Rahimeh ran her first full last October at the TCS Amsterdam Marathon and said she didn’t exactly expect to be someone with multiple marathons among her list of accolades.

“I’ve always pictured myself continuing to run and race throughout my life but assumed that a marathon would be more of a one-time thing, as I’m much more used to 5K, 10K, and half marathon distances,” she said. “I’ve now raced two marathons and am planning on running a third in the spring. I’ve enjoyed pushing myself to new limits and am considering doing an ultra next summer.”

For those new to running and/or marathon training, there are several helpful resources, including local running groups, coaches, and online training plans. It’s important to find what works best for you to ensure that you effectively build your mileage, fuel properly, and stay injury-free so that you’re ready on race day.

But be prepared that there might be moments during marathon training when you question your sanity or choices in life but still manage to come to appreciate the process.

“What I enjoyed most about training was that it gave me something to constantly be working toward,” MacArthur said. “I had been working out/jogging for a few years but had never had an event like this to orient my entire life toward. After the race, I realized that I had never exercised discipline on that scale, and that was the addicting part that got me hooked.”

And now there’s no turning back for MacArthur, who is training for another marathon yet again. For him, there is genuine purpose in doing so.

“I love the feeling of always having something outside of work to look forward to and orient my life toward,” he said. “I think it’s important to find a sense of accomplishment outside of work.”

On a similar level of a desire for achievement, Butler said she enjoys taking on feats that she never thought she could and gets a high from being able to do so.

“Running was always super difficult for me growing up—I was overweight and slow,” she said. “It was just something I thought I could never do. Being able to go out and run 12 miles on a random Sunday and go about my day is insane. It’s cool doing what other humans can’t and having the mental toughness to go with it.”

An octopus has nine brains—one central brain in its head and eight ganglia (one in each of its eight arms) that act as smaller independent brains that manage movement and sensory functions.

In the late 1800s, a candy initially known as chicken feed became available in the United States and later became a well-known and often notorious member of the Halloween candy lineup after its name change that, when said aloud, can create a bit of chaos.

For whatever reason, the goodness or grossness of candy corn has become quite the polarizing issue, often causing spirited debates among friends and coworkers as to whether or not it’s a confectionary blessing or essentially chunks of candle wax sold as a digestible treat.

Of the dear readers who participated in a recent NatNews research initiative, 38 percent indicated that they think candy corn is gross, 34 percent are big fans of the seasonal candy, and 28 percent are indifferent. Montana resident Karen Brinkmann is an avid candy corn consumer and doesn’t quite understand why anyone wouldn’t be.

“How is it possible that someone might dislike the buttery deliciousness of every amazing kernel of candy corn?” she said. “It’s unthinkable. Candy corn melts in your mouth and lights up the world in a perfect array of orange and yellow.”

While Dallas resident Craig Borkenhagen might not picture the same utopia as Brinkmann when he eats the popular yet often controversial candy, he certainly has a somewhat similar perspective to the joy it can provide, noting that such an experience is best when the candy corn is fresh.

“I like the slightly honey-flavored taste it has and the way it breaks down or melts in your mouth,” he said. “Of course, you might bite into one that’s been sitting out too long and has become hardened.”

Unlike Brinkmann and Borkenhagen, Dallas-area resident Emily Fred said she only likes candy corn during a specific time of year and in small quantities. Overall, though, eating it doesn’t exactly leave her feeling too great.

“I don’t like the pure sugar and how my teeth feel after,” she said.

And then there are those individuals, including Fort Worth-area resident Sam Parnell, who simply can’t understand why anyone would want to subject oneself to candy corn’s unappealing taste.

“It just tastes like waxy nothingness,” he said. “It’s not really good or bad—it’s just nothing.”

Regardless of whether or not you’re a fan of the tri-colored triangular treat, there’s no denying that it’s become a staple of the Halloween holiday and seen in abundance throughout the fall season. Because of its bright orange hue and limited availability, even candy corn haters like Parnell can acknowledge that it’s an important component of the holiday for many people.

“It’s probably a nostalgia and emotional connection thing,” he said. “It’s been around forever, and it is iconically Halloween, so I get how it can remain popular and part of the tradition.”

Fred said she thinks that many current adults have an affinity toward candy corn because of people’s previous historically higher tolerances for pure sugar.

“I’m also sure that candy technology was garbage back then, so it was a cheap way to theme sugar and set a time limit on how long we can enjoy candy corn,” she said. “So, therefore, it became an idealized treat in our childhood imaginations.”

While the scent and sugar rush can certainly bring back childhood memories of simpler times, Borkenhagen said he believes that there are other reasons people are inclined to grab for handfuls at a time of the brightly colored candy.

“First, I don’t think it would be such a staple if people didn’t like it,” he said. “So its popularity has got to be a dominant factor. I bet it has something to do with the shape and color, too—people like the tri-colored thing it has going (I know sometimes I like to bite each color one at a time) and the slightly pointed shape. I don’t know what it is about the shape specifically, but people must like it, too.”

While it is possible to find candy corn for sale in its off-season period, it’s certainly much easier to obtain this time of year. However, Brinkmann doesn’t think its scarcity surrounding other holidays and seasons is a factor in why people are more inclined to claim their undying devotion to it.

“Some might say it’s so wildly popular and considered the Best Candy in the World™ because it is only offered for such a small time in the year, but I disagree,” she said. “I think it would be delicious if it were available all year-round. This has me thinking now. Maybe I should stock up this year and build a root cellar and sell it throughout the year in 2026.”

According to science, the part of the brain that processes smell (which also impacts how a person processes taste) is in the same part of the brain where individuals store memories and evoke emotion. In this limbic system of the brain, strong connections—particularly those involving events of childhood—occur. Thus, adults who have fond Halloween memories that included such a staple candy as candy corn have an appreciation for the treat, while those who either have more negative memories surrounding the holiday or recollections of the candy causing an unwanted taste are more inclined to still detest its existence.

Borkenhagen said he remembers candy corn as being a sufficient “filler” candy.

“It’s never the star of the show,” he said. “It’s relatively unassuming and doesn’t try to do too much or be too flashy. It’s one of those candies that can just complement everything else in your bag of loot.”

For Fred, eating candy corn is more simply out of tradition than actually having any sort of craving for it.

“I always have to have a few pieces and eat each section by section,” she said. “Otherwise, it’s just decorative and then makes me mad because it tempts me to eat it, even though I know I’ll be mad at myself if I do. The curse of the candy corn.”

WEEKLY PHOTO OP

NatNews staff and dear readers were recently honored to celebrate dear reader Elizabeth Cruz at her wedding

Monday, September 15: Your 101 to Young Professional Groups at Communities Foundation of Texas; National Double Cheeseburger Day
Tuesday, September 16: Free Rooftop Movie — Bridesmaids at Sundown at Granada
Wednesday, September 17: Dallas Observer Beer Collaboration Release Party at Community Beer Co.; The Summer I Turned Pretty Finale Watch Party at Griggs Park
Thursday, September 18: Candle Making & Women’s Health Discussion at Davis Street Mercantile; Chocolate and Art Show at Lofty Spaces (also on Friday; Tate McRae at the American Airlines Center
Friday, September 19: The Boho Market at Preston Hollow Village; Candlelight — Tribute to Adele at Edison’s
Saturday, September 20: WRRC Saturday run from Taco Joint; DogFest DFW at Community Beer Co.; Stars vs. Blues (preseason) at the American Airlines Center; Guns 4 Roses (Guns N’ Roses Tribute Band) at Lava Cantina
Sunday, September 21: Rangers vs. Marlins at Globe Life Field; Cowboys vs. Bears Watch Party at Legacy Hall