After 20-weeks of training, would you ride a bull, enter a Formula One car race, parachute from 30,000 feet solo, fly an airplane solo into a storm, climb Mt. Everest, surf 100-foot waves, or eat 50 hot dogs in ten minutes. Yet millions of people try to run marathons. You hear stories of those who succeeded, but if you failed, would you tell anyone? In training for my marathon, I heard a lot of stories of serious injuries, did some research, and began to realize just how dangerous a marathon is and why the average person should not even try to run one. For those foolish enough to try, (myself included) I offer crucial, concise advice on how to avoid serious injury.