As a vet of a dozen marathons I agree it overflows with challenge, meaning and metaphor. I get why the prep might feel about control but I think you’ll find the race contains a gift of self-worth despite participants who are younger, faster, more adventurous and willing to take more risks. The marathon - like life - starts as an exercise in planning and preparation but becomes a lesson in suffering and perseverance. No matter your best intentions at the start, by mid-distance (13.1 miles) you will have fallen back to your “true stride” and by mid-effort (around 20-22 miles) you will be introduced to your “true self” devoid of vanity, shame or the slightest sense of control. It is a reckoning that cannot be bought. You earn it by doing. It’s a painful and beautiful lesson... you are worthy and a life no one can diminish.