Tips to get through your marathon in the best
possible time and condition:
By Joe Chawke (The expert: Running Coach and Runner) and
Eamonn Horgan (The Bluffer: Long Distance Triathlete and Runner)
October 10th 2006 – updated sept 2007
The following are the combined tips gained from Joe Chawkes years of experience as a
runner and coach and by Eamonn’s more recent experience as a long distance Triathlete
(twice Ironman finisher, 3 times half Ironman and 2 times marathon runner). Joe’s
experience is from years of quality running and formal coaching and Eamonn’s tips come
from a fast forwarded learning curve through taking on the Ironman distance events
which force athletes to scrutinise every aspect of their avg of 10-16 hour race, analysing
race nutrition, heart rate and progress over a whole day event and the pitfalls experienced
through this steep learning curve.
By now you will have followed a training programme that has suited your needs, fitness
and lifestyle and has hopefully brought you injury free to this point. Some of you may
either be going incredibly well and have shown good form in recent races, others may be
still struggling to meet their true potential. For the those going well we aim to help you
continue your success without reaching peaking too soon before the race, and for those
who feel there is still more to be achieved, we hope we can bring together your race on
race day. Some of the most amazing marathon finishes have come from athletes who
have been recovering from injury and poor fitness, only to obliterate the rest of a fit and
strong field on race day - so fear not – the marathon is not impossible, its not even that
hard, with the right race preparation it can be as easy as a 5 mile easy run. As long as you
respect the distance over the whole entire course, know your body and know your body’s
nutrition requirements and focus on your race throughout the last week, you’ll far exceed
your best expectations.
New addition following my fathers successful completion of last years marathon with 6-7
weeks training starting with 2x 2 mile run/walks for week 1: Just in case people think this
article might be too advanced and that they just want to finish – this can apply to all, no
matter what speed you are running. Last year my father ran over 10 miles for the first
time ever during his first ever marathon, which was also his first every road race. He was
61 and not a runner by any stretch of the imagination –reasonably “life-fit”, 6”0’ and just
under 12 stone, non smoker, non drinker but not a runner. About 7 weeks before the
marathon he decided to take it on and commenced training on a 2 mile loop with a
walk/run strategy. 6 Weeks later we very evenly upped his distance to 8 miles on the long
run with a maximum weekly distance of 18 miles in total on the longest week. We
worked out a steady race plan for the day which involved a walk run strategy from about
the ten mile marker. He reached the half way point in just over 2 hours and finished the
last 6 miles with a “strong fast striding for 10 mins and running for five”. With this
strategy he was passing many who were jogging while he was fast walking. On the day
he finished in 5.03hrs, and not a limp or a wobble in the legs the next day. The key to this
short training but successful marathon was regular intake of fluids and calories on race
day with proper pacing. The marathon is not particularly hard – its how hard you run it is
what makes it difficult – run it too hard at the start and it will be the most difficult thing
you have ever done - take it nice and easy all day – drink loads and run well “within”
your limits and you’ll be far more successful than you thought possible…….remember
“nothing is impossible”. My father followed the basic rules as set out below and applied
them to his training and his own race goals. So they work no matter what level you are at.
Nutrition and Hydration :
Studies have shown that 2% body weight-loss, due to not drinking enough, during
exercise/racing results in your endurance being reduced by 22% and your body’s ability
to absorb oxygen (VO2MAX) decreases by 10%. So if you loose say 2% body weight
(eg 1.4kg for a 70kg/11 stone runner) over the course of a marathon then, if your target
time is 4hours, you will effectively end up doing a 5 hour marathon if…… you don’t
properly hydrate and take in vital energy and salts during the race and also through
out your training.
Too little or too much food and fluids before the race and your doomed before you start,
and too little or too much food and fluids during the race and your also doomed – so how
do you get the balance right?
The week leading up to race-day:
 By this time you should have gradually cut your training times down to 2535% of your normal training week. Cutting down over a period of 3-4 weeks
may seem excessive but 75% the first week, 60% the next, 40-50% the next
and finally 25-35% on race week will really get the body in fine shape for the
race. You won’t loose speed, but you will gain stamina and energy for the
race
o eat normally and healthy; don’t radically change your diet into that of a health
freak just cause you have a marathon in 7 days time – Your body will not be
able to adjust to providing energy from the new diet in one week and will
leave the muscles drained of vital energy. (A radical change in your diet can
take up to 2 months to readjust to providing energy for the body.)
o Eat good healthy breakfasts, good sized lunches and medium evening dinnersdo not over eat this week at all – Normal, regular healthy meals.
o Give the chipper, Mac D’s, The local Chinese/Indian etc and over processed
foods/sauces a skip this week or even month – save the treats for after the
marathon!
o Drink plenty of fluids, juices, etc during the week and stay hydrated. Avoid
going to the pub for numerous pints – however one glass of red wine with
dinner or relaxing in the evenings over the week will do no harm and has even
proven to be beneficial to athletes – plus it can help you increase sleep and to
relax.
o Try using Dioralyte: “DIORALYTE” is a sachet of electrolytes available in
all chemists used to restore the bodies natural salt levels and used to help
people re-hydrate quickly and effectively – 1 sachet per 200ml water works
wonders and is much easier than drinking litres and litres of water all day! It
only costs 80 cent per sachet and comes in a three flavours – Citrus is
probably the best of the them.
o Don’t get a full body sports massage the week before unless you are in need
of urgent attention for a particular ailment. A vigorous massage will leave the
muscles sore and sucking vital energy and minerals and fluids from the body
to repair the sore legs after the massage. A very light rub 7 days before the
race could be beneficial but make sure it is purely a light rub and not deep
muscle or vigorous.
o SLEEP and RELAX…… VERY IMPORTANT
 try and increase your sleep this week by ½-1 hour of sleep per night and try an
put off any stressful issues at home or at work for a week or get them
completed 2-3 weeks before the marathon.
 Try and avoid any excessive travelling or driving in the final week.
 Turn off CSI and go to bed early instead
 The best recovery for the body is done while sleeping
2 days before race day:
 THIS IS THE BIG “REST AND EAT” Day – No training today!
o “CARBO LOAD” all day – ie big breakfast, big lunch and big Dinner and a
good supper of foods rich in carbohydrates
 Eat foods such as porridge, pasta, pancakes and syrup, Lasagne, pizza, Brown
Bread, brown or basmati rice etc;
o Avoid eating too much meat dishes though and keep away from creamy
sauces, get them “on the side” (for those racing NY/Boston/)
o Avoid white starchy breads and starchy white rice ; ask for Brown or Basmati
instead
o Better to eat “wholegrain” breads and “Wholegrain” cereals to optimise the
slow energy release properties of these foods.
o It will take about 36-48 hours for the body to convert the food you’ve eaten
into useable energy on race day – Hence the Carbo loading is done 2 days
before the race and not the day before
o Carbo loading the day before will leave the body, bloated, sluggish and
leave the body having to digest a stomach full of food and run a marathon
1 day before the race:
Go for a light run today – 3-4miles or 15-20 mins equivalent but really really easy.
Pick up the pace evenly a few times in this run up to predicated race pace but only
for 10-20 seconds each time – just to wake the muscle and nerves up!.
o Today eat normal-light meals – You’ll have eaten all the required energy the day
before hand to be processed by the body ready to provide energy into the legs the
next day
o small-med breakfast , med lunch and light evening meal – salad or something –
no big meat dish the day before.
o Stay Hydrated through out the day with energy or electrolyte drink.
o Instead of water, add in a fruit juice or something; too much water will flush the
body of vital salts and minerals that you’ll need during the race.
Morning of the race  Try and not eat too much solid food on race day – it won’t be as effective as liquid
energy/calories as you’ll only end up carrying undigested food around with you on
the run.
o Have a very early breakfast (about 2-3 hours before race start )
o Small bowl of porridge/pancakes ( or 2-3 slices of Rye Bread with “nutella”
works wonders for me when I don’t have access to a kitchen, but ya can’t beat a
bowl of Porridge for the day)
o Reason for early breakfast – ideally you will go to the bathroom 1-2 times that
morning and ideally you’ll not be carrying any digested and non-digested food
in the stomach that could cause stomach cramps during the race; plus its
weight you don’t need to be carrying – the energy is already in your legs by
this stage; its just waste food you are carrying now – so try and go to the toilet
– the nerves should help things along too! Anymore energy you’ll need on the
day will ideally be gotten from Liquid calories/drinks along the race.
o Drink a Glass of Dioralyte (as above), maybe mix up 400ml and drink slowly
over breakfast, but 200ml will do just fine.
o About an hour before the race start sipping 500-600ml of your preferred
sports drink (See below for details on sports drinks and gels)
o 25-20 mins before race start take a gel with 150-200mls of water. (See
below for details on sports drinks and gels)
o only use a sports drink or gel that you have trained with; don’t
experiment on race day
Sports Drinks
 Energy Drinks: There are many brands of energy drink on the market so make
sure you train with and try them out before deciding to use them on race day.
Ideally sports drinks have 6-8% carbohydrate concentration which allows them to
be absorbed into the body 30% faster than water and provide a steady stream of
energy to restock spent energy stores. Some also contain electrolytes sodium,
potassium, minerals that are lost through sweat (even on cold windy days) and
very important for fluid retention – REMEMBER – LOSS OF FLUIDS= LOSS
OF ENDURANCE AND PERFORMANCE! But make sure your read the labels
and look out for sodium content especially
 The ideal amount of fluid to be taken in per hour is anywhere from 400-800ml per
hour. This can be hard on race day , but drinking a full water bottle (150-200ml)
bottle at each aid station (usually about every three miles) should get you most of
the way to your fluid targets. – Studies show that replacing 80% of weight/fluid
lost is an achievable target;
 Typical commercial sports drinks contain 30-36grams of carbohydrate per 500ml;
More specialised carbo drinks can contain more per 500ml. You need
approximately 60g of Carbohydrate per hour so additional gels will be required to
supplement drink intake.
 High 5/Powerbar/Gatorade/SIS/Lucozade Sport are just a few of the more
popular drinks on the market

The drink should have about 6-8% carbohydrate and many also contain vital
electrolytes as you find in Dioralyte, ie Sodium/magnesium etc which are vital for
rehydration and proper body/muscle function. You can be fitter than you ever
were before, but without the required salts and energy in the muscles the legs just
won’t move.
Sports “Gels” or “Goo’s/GU’s”
 These are small sachets of high concentrated carbohydrate/Glucose that provide
instant energy.
 There are various brands on the market and again it is vital you try and train with
these before race day as they can be particularly disruptive on the most solid
stomachs if you have not used them before –
 They must be taken with water too, and never at the same time as a sports
drink. Why? Too much sugar/cals too quickly- taking together can cause cramps
or even vomiting!
Some of the best Gels available that I have used over the years (and I’ve tried
them all) are:
o
“Enervit” –60ml Cheer Packs – provide 240cals per packet- Really easy
on the stomach too and nice to taste!
o
“SIS” Science in Sport Pre-Hydrated Gels – Sports and Cycle Shops;
o
Both gels above are easy on the stomach gels: You can get away without
taking water with these 2 above , but just about though, so its still advised to wash
down with water; You need to take on fluids anyway so you may as well wash
down with plenty of water.
Others on the market and easy to get
 Powerbar gels (also given out on race day in Dublin I believe at mile 13 or
so and other specific aid stations)– loads of flavours – available in Cycle
Shops and many sports shops
 Lucozade Sports gel range – Available in sports shops/”Boots” Chemists
and shops
 Maximise Gels - Cycle Shops mainly
Another Option to take in extra calories are Energy sweets.
 These sweets work great – just pop one under the tongue every 10-15 mins
and let it dissolve pure energy straight into the blood stream –great if the
stomach is revolting against the gels; Boots Brand or Lucozade; available
in Chemists
During the race:
o You must eat and drink fluids during the race; otherwise the body will run out of
vital glycogen energy reserves and you will slow down and “hit the WALL”, or
else you’ll experience reduce endurance and VO2MAX performance by
20%/10% respectively which you don’t want either.
o You can avoid hitting the wall through proper pre-race nutrition and proper
calorie intake during the race.
o You should be fine for the first hour, as you will be carbo loaded from 2 days
before, hydrated properly all week and at breakfast and then 1 hour before the
race with your sports drink and the gel just before the race.
o Then after 1 hour start taking either the gels (They hand them out at different
points along the course, or you can carry your own preferred choice in a race belt)
or bites of energy bar if you are going with some solid food options along the
way:
o Drink water at every aid station even at the start of the race; if its small 250ml
bottles no harm in drinking it all
o “GELS MUST BE WASHED DOWN WITH ABOUT 100-150MLOF WATER”
so take the gels just before each aid station and wash down immediately with
water.
o Once you start taking gels/sweets etc you must continue taking at regular intervals
of 10 mins for sweets or 25 mins for the gels, or else you’ll get sugar highs and
lows – so keep the sugar levels up all through the race once you start taking it in –
plan to take a get every 3-4 miles or every 20 mins – otherwise you’re in for an
emotional roller coaster all day, brought about by sugar high’s and low’s.
o Also if you are feeling that you are slowing down or even loosing
interest/concentration it is most likely a sugar low, take a gel or drink some carbo
drink and you should feel pepped up in a few minutes.
Pacing in the race:
 Run the first 1-2 miles at least 5-10% slower than your target mile pace!!!!
 always take the first hour slow and the first mile should be the slowest mile of all,
don’t race off too fast – Use this time as your “Warm Up” – a fast first mile can
spell the doom of your race!!!!
 If you are aiming for a certain time, sub 4 hrs/sub 3.30 or 3 etc; one of the most
important aspects is completing the full 26.2 miles - Don’t forget to time yourself
for the 0.2 miles; often people forget to allow for this and narrowly miss out on
their target time by only a matter of mins, after having a perfectly calculated race;
 Run slower than your comfortable pace; then once you are settled in about mile 710 or so, then you can pick it up if you want - but hold back early in the race –
it’s taking it slow in the early section gets you to line faster in the end.
 The ideal race strategy is a “negative split race” either have a faster second 13
miles than the first (works for me when I use it) or better still have each
successive mile faster than the last; but this can take years to get right. The first
ten miles are always the easiest, the second not so bad, but the last 6.2 miles can
be killer, but if you hold back just that little bit in the first 10, hold back a little
less in the next 10 and then by mile 20 you should have conserved enough energy
2
and stamina to take you to the line holding steady even times for the last 6.
miles, But never underestimate that last .2 miles, it can be the breaking of those
who think they can sprint it home just like on the track!
 “MISERY LOVES COMPANY”:
o Its true!, if you are running or close to someone who is suffering then you
too will start to run and suffer like them before long. Avoid looking or
focusing on those having a bad day, they may have planned badly and
started too fast, or have not taken in vital calories or hydrated properly –
Don’t let their poor planning take from all the work you have done.
o Focus on good steady runners and if possible try and find a group of
runners attempting the same time as you; and who are moving well and
steady – feel free to ask people what times they are aiming for – but if
their pace feels to fast – leave the off and follow your own strategy!
What to wear:
 Before the race – old sweat shirt with maybe old hat and old socks on the hands to
keep warm standing around before the start – it’s an early run so can be cold
waiting to start – just throw away the old clothes to the side before the “off/go” (I
think many race organisers collect lost items and deliver them to Clothing
banks/Charity outlets for redistribution afterwards)  if its windy or raining; bring a big black plastic refuse bag; cut the two bottom
corners out and a slot for the head in middle of the bottom; and pull it over your
body and stick the arms out; works as a wind sheeter and everyone will be doing
the same so don’t think you’ll look foolish; the guy in his shorts and vest top
standing around for hours freezing in the chilly wind and cold is the one who’ll
look like a fool.
 During the run:
o When the gun goes off; you should be wearing a pair of good running
shorts and a running vest of some form:
o Try and avoid cotton as Cotton gets sweaty and wet (from rain) and sucks
the heat from the body when wet –any wind will increase the rate of heat
and energy loss from the body. Many shops selling running vests often
with “Dry-Flow” or “Dry-Fit” like material - You are a “runner” now so
dress like one!
o If its at all sunny/windy or if sun or wind is forecast a good pair of
sunglasses is advisable; Sun glasses will help keep the face relaxed and
avoid squinting into wind or sun which has a knock on effect over the
whole body which effectively squints/tightens up when the eyes do. Also
wearing of glasses has been proven to reduce the heart rates and increase
performance on sunny or windy days –
o SOCKS: Don’t wear a brand new pair of socks; wear a pair of socks that
you have used during training and that have never given you blisters or
trouble
o Try and avoid getting the feet too wet, avoid pouring water over the head
only to drain into the shoes and avoid too many puddles - run in the
middle of the road
SUMMARY:
 Rest, eat and hydrate well all during race week,
 Reduce the miles and time training, but not totally in the last week – stopping
totally will leave the legs “sleepy”; 2 days before, rest and carbo load
 1 Day before eat normal to light meals, and go for a 15-20 min easy run to
wake up the muscle fibers and nerves.
 Take the first hour/10 miles controlled and relaxed – Hold back  Drink at every aid station; walk if you need to drink
 Take energy sweets/gels/carbo drink (whatever works best for you) after the
first hour and aim to take in 300-400 calories per hour after the first hour
 Run steady and controlled and focus away from those running too fast, too
slow or having trouble/laboring
 Stay focused all day on your run and …….GOOD LUCK!