6 Race Day Tips For Marathon Runners

Marathon season is in full swing with pics of inspiring achievements, medals, PB’s, sweaty faces and big smiles posted over our social media channels.

If you feel ‘marathon inspired’ and are planning on taking part in a full or half marathon this summer, what’s good to know?

We ran up alongside Paul Freary from Athletics Weekly magazine to get some advice. Paul is also former British Half Marathon champion and ran the Berlin Marathon in an incredible time of  2:39:31 aged 54.

We couldn’t keep up with him for long, but we did manage to gather 6 top tips before falling by the road side, doubled over with a stitch.

1. You’ve probably heard this before, but don’t try anything new in the week before the race. That includes food, drink, training sessions and running gear. Everything you plan on using on the day should be things you’ve tried and used previously so there’s nothing to surprise you.

2. If you plan on using new shoes or gels, try them out for at least one long run before race day.

3. Plan your journey ahead of race day. Even if you don’t have far to travel be aware of possible delays with parking, trains, buses etc.

4. Give yourself plenty of time before the start. At big city events, you’ll need to queue for the bag drop and toilets so allow enough time.

5. Don’t get carried away with excitement at the start. Again, at big city events, the rush of the crowd and thousands of other runners can lead to you setting off too quickly. This time is hard to recover from so stick to your plan and run your own race.

6. Enjoy the whole experience. You’ve trained hard for your big day, enjoy it and even if you don’t hit your target time, take away the achievement of finishing and looking forward to your next goal.

Good luck!

As well as @ Athletics Weekly magazine, Paul is a contributor @ marathonhandbook.com  You can follow his journey on Instagram @therunningshoeguru