Ensure you’re ready
Before you enter a race, it’s vital to think about whether you’re in shape to make it through the training. For a marathon, you’ll probably need to be a regular runner who has completed several 10ks or the half distance.
Most marathon training plans take about 16-20 weeks, so it is wise to book a race at least six months in advance to give yourself enough time.
Book your place
While there is less pressure for places in some local races, many big marathons sell out in a few days – or operate a lottery system.
This is particularly the case with London: it attracted a record 1.1m applications for this year’s event, with a less than 5% success rate. Those lucky in the ballot paid about £80 to enter if UK residents and £225 if international runners. The majority of runners secure their places by running for charities, which require a registration fee (typically £50-£150) plus a minimum fundraising target (usually about £2,500).
As an alternative, you can run the distance on the route of your choice via the London Marathon MyWay virtual event, which costs £30 for UK runners and £40 for international participants.
Other big UK marathons have similar fees: Edinburgh costs £82 this year, Brighton about £80 and Manchester from £65.
Kieran Alger, who has run 64 marathons, says: “Plenty of local UK races come in much cheaper. Those, like the Chester Marathon (£55), are brilliantly organised and often more chilled.”
Other good-value races include the Cambridge Boundary Run at £25 (£20 for Cambridge University students), the Malvern Midsummer Marathon at £26 (£18 for members of the Long Distance Walkers’ Association), and the Boston Marathon in Lincolnshire at £42.
The time of year can affect the cost. Adharanand Finn, the author of the book Running with the Kenyans, says: “Choosing an autumn marathon over a spring one can cut costs. (Most marathons, in northern Europe at least, are in either the spring or autumn.) An autumn marathon means training through the summer, so you won’t need as much kit as you will training through the winter (for a spring marathon). In winter you’ll need a running jacket and maybe some leggings, at the very least. Probably some warm base layers and gloves, too.”
Sort travel if needed
Consider the cost of travel and accommodation if you are planning a race away from home. Flights, trains and hotel bills can easily add up, and it’s worth booking as early as possible to get the best prices.
For example, the Travelodge hotels and the Premier Inn at Greenwich, near the London marathon start line have already sold out for the night before this year’s race in April, compared with rooms from £96 the weekend before. It’s perfectly possible to stay further away, but may mean leaving for the race earlier.
Finn says: “Most marathons start early in the morning so staying nearby is essential. Choose a marathon as close as possible to where you live so you can stay at home, or, alternatively, in a city where you have friends or family who might put you up the night before the race. Hopefully they’ll get into the spirit of things and even cook you a hearty meal the night before you run.”
Get the right gear
The accepted wisdom is “nothing new on race day”, so make sure whatever you wear is tried and tested in advance.
Avoid running in shoes that are worn out (many last about 300 to 500 miles), but there’s no need to dash out and buy the latest “supershoes” when you start your training.
“Probably the biggest way people get suckered into spending more than they need to is on running shoes,” Alger says. “It’s easy to get drawn into thinking everyone needs the latest £250 carbon plate race shoes to run a marathon. Or that the newest, most expensive shoes are always better. They don’t and they’re not. Lots of non-plated shoes have good marathon credentials and the really smart thing to do is hunt deals on those that are one generation old.”
Sites such as SportShoes.com and Start Fitness often have deep discounts on a range of shoes, including last year’s offerings.
Alger, who tests shoes for a range of sites, says: “For getting lots of training miles in, I really rate the new Kiprun Kipride Max (£120).
“But we’re also seeing lots of really good versatile ‘all-rounders’ that can cover loads of training miles and step up to race day. So if you really wanted to, you could just buy one. The Saucony Endorphin Azura, Adidas Evo SL and the Hoka Mach X3 could all fit that bill.”
Alternatively, scour eBay, or other auction sites, for items that may only have been worn a few times. “Vinted is a treasure trove of running gear,” Alger says. “There are some real bargains to be had.”
He also advises asking friends if they have any spare gear: “Every runner I know also owns hundreds of technical race tees they never use and would probably happily donate. So if you need training tops, ask a runner.”
Find a training plan
If you want to get the most out of your marathon, use a plan to schedule your training. Finn says: “There are tons of free basic training plans available online. The simplest way to train is to slowly increase the distances you run week by week over about 12 weeks, increasing your total running distance by about 10% each week.”
It’s also not vital to pay for an app to track your runs. The basic version of the popular fitness app Strava costs nothing, while Nike Run Club and the Adidas Running app are also free.
Alger says: “Training apps can be great for those with less experience who might benefit from being guided to the start line. Unlike a free off-the-shelf plan you might find on the web, some apps have the added bonus of being adaptive, so they evolve with you.
“You can also get free adaptive marathon training plans on some Garmin and Coros watches.
“And it’s not perfect, but with the right prompts, it’s also possible to get ChatGPT to be a pretty good free coach. And if you tell it what you ran in the past few days and how you felt, it can even offer updated advice that’s almost as good as a subscription app.”
Get the fuelling right
Training for long distances takes a lot of energy. Using gels, or other sources of carbohydrates, can help you avoid “hitting the wall”.
Gels can cost from less than £1 to almost £3 each, and you may need eight to 12 for a four-hour marathon. Some runners swear by dried fruit such as dates, apricots or bananas; others mix their own carbohydrate gels or drink at home.
Whatever you use, make sure you have tested it beforehand: tummy troubles can make any race a misery. The online store XMiles sells gels singly, or in small numbers, allowing you to test a range of products.
Alger says: “You don’t need to be guzzling expensive electrolyte powders all the time. When you’ve run longer, harder or in hot conditions, topping up lost salts can help. But it’s not necessary after every single run. Ditto gels. You don’t need to eat a £2.50 energy gel on that 45-minute easy training run. Save the budget for runs at least over an hour.”
Get to the starting line
This can be the biggest problem for many runners. Too much – or not enough – training can put you in danger of picking up injuries. Act at the first signs of muscle pain or niggles: taking a few days off training or booking a sports massage can get you back on track.
So it’s best to mix hard training sessions with more gentle runs and rest to give your body time to recover. Finn advises: “Don’t run every day – rest days are important for your body to adapt.”
Make sure you include some strength and conditioning work in your training – this can be as simple as doing leg exercises at home if you aren’t a gym member.
And don’t try to make up for lost training by overdoing it in the final weeks before a race: it is unlikely to benefit you, and could leave you unable to make it to the start line.
Finally, make sure you have all the logistics of getting to your race, and what you will wear, straight in your mind before race day.
You may well feel nervous, but a last-minute scramble to find your race number, or having to dash for transport, is unlikely to leave you in the best state for the miles ahead.
