What I wish I knew before my first marathon...

There’s so much preparation (mentally and physically) to do before a marathon, that I decided to pull together a tip list for marathon newbies.  With the help of the WhyMarathon ambassadors (www.whymarathon.com), the list below will hopefully help you with things you may not have thought of!

I asked the WhyMarathon ambassadors to fill in the following blank:  What I wish I knew before my first marathon __________.  Here’s what they came up with!

-Park your car close to the finish. Smile at the finish line with arms raised.  That stuff on a stick isn't Gu; it's vaseline. The pain will go away but the memory lasts forever. Save your bib.

-Chat with people who have run a marathon, whether it’s a local running group or a group of runners on-line or WhyMarathon.com, and learn from them.  Learn how to fuel.  Ice bath afterwards.  Have an amazing support team.

-Seamless sports bras.  Stick with the training. Smile for every photog on the course. Have someone at the finish line to hug if you are crying or to hold you up if you can't stand.

-When you get to the race, get in line for the port-o-potty. When you come out, get right back in line to go a second time.


-Wear whatever you will wear during the race for at least one long run before then to make sure nothing is chafing or bugging you; do NOT wear anything new on race day; Body Glide is your friend.

-If you're traveling to a marathon, take your own food so you eat what you would normally eat prior to a long run.

-Layer with clothes (or even a trashbag) you don't care about so you can throw them aside along the race course!

-Do not consume products for fuel that are offered on the course unless you are familar with them.  If you dont drink Gatorade, don’t get all crazy adventure girl and down it at mile 10.  Your long training runs are for experimenting with fuel, clothing, hydration, etc.

-The marathon starts at mile 20. Those last 6 are where the real guts come out. Have people come out and cheer in the last quarter, not in the first.  Look around and have fun, as there will never be another first.

-Trust that the timers will time you correctly.  There's no need to stop your watch as you're crossing the finish line, creating a really dorky looking finish photo of yourself staring at and stopping your watch.

-Start out conservatively; it's so easy to get caught up in the energy of the crowd, but 26.2 miles is a loooong way to run if you don't pace yourself correctly!

-Break up the marathon into segments. I mentally think I only have to get to mile 6, then 10, then 13, then 18, 21, 23, 25, 26, 26.2! This mental mind game really seems to work for me and keeps me from freaking out over the mileage that I need to run to cross the finish line!

Bandit - the dirty word of running!

I have seen people get so riled up when talking about bandit running that you would think they were in a Presidential debate!  You say “bandit” around a group of runners and it’s like you said a dirty word. 

Race directors and racers cry thievery.  Loudly.

Some argue that it’s okay if you don’t partake in the amenities, i.e. water stops.  Others argue that the bandits make the route more crowded and possibly unsafe.  Bandits can also cause insurance and safety issues.  What if the bandit gets hit by a car?  You bet the race director is going to come under scrutiny.  Some runners become bandits to avoid paying the race fee, while enjoying a closed course with cops directing traffic that non-bandit runners helped pay for.  Race fees also go to the charity the race supports, if it supports one, so bandit runners are also gypping the sponsored charity.  Pretty much, bandits are reaping the benefits of what others bad for. 

What about (bandit) pacers?  Or non-legal bib transfers?

What about that awesome friend who is going to pace you?  They shouldn’t have to pay... or should they?  Some runners say that the friend gives you an advantage and it’s not fair.  Others say if they’re runing, even with no goal other than helping, they should pay. 

If you wear someone else bibs, then you are possibly messing up results.   For example, a guy’s lady can’t run, so he wears her bib so the bib doesn’t go to waste.  The problem is he’s fast and wins her age group.  So the bib didn’t go to waste, BUT he stole someone’s chance at glory and messes up the scoring for the local running club! 

So, come on race directors, look into bib transfers!  Most runners understand that their entry fees have been spent way before race day, but life happens, so why not make it where at least someone can (fairly) run the race?  PLUS, it means an additional source of revenue for your race!

So, what’s my stance?  Just say no to bandits, of any type!  If you don’t feel like shelling out money for a race, then don’t run it.  If everyone ran races without paying, races would cease to exist.  No more running the streets of a city without having to worry about traffic.  No more cool tech tees to sport around town.   Organizations wouldn’t raise any money for their causes, but most importantly, there would be no more race bling and the world would be a sadder place because of that.