MARATHON GUIDE 2018 THE BEST RACES TO RUN MARATHON CALENDAR PRODUCT REVIEWS EXPERT ADVICE CHOOSE YOUR NEXT 26.2-MILE CHALLENGE 1 Marathon cover.indd 1 04/11/2017 11:49 MARATHON GUIDE 2018 WELCOME AND CONTENTS @ATHLETICSWEEKLY TAKE CONTENTS 4 WHY RUN A YOUR PICK SHUTTERSTOCK MARATHON? The lure of 26.2 miles DECISIONS, decisions. When it comes to choice, marathon runners really have never 6 EXPERT ADVICE had it so good. Those in the know pass on Such has been the explosion in mass their running wisdom participation running that it can now feel at times like there is barely a corner of the 10 YOUR EVENTS planet which doesn’t have its own GUIDE STARTS HERE 26.2-mile event. Whether you are planning your first We examine an extensive range marathon or you’re an experienced of marathon events for your campaigner clocking up yet more miles, consideration the choice of the race for which you are planning to part with your hard-earned entry fee can quite rightly take a lot of time and consideration. Options abound and, as the winter begins to draw in and thoughts turn towards targets for 2018, we at Athletics Weekly have been busy putting together this 32-page marathon guide which is packed with running possibilities. From sunny Cyprus to the heart of Scotland, there is information on a wide range of marathons for you to consider, whether they be taking place in spring, 16 RACE CALENDAR summer, autumn or indeed the depths of Marathon choices for 2018 winter next year. We also have some expert advice to help you through the challenges 26 BMAF CHAMPS presented by running a distance which Will you be a contender? continues to capture the imagination. You may wish to stay local or you may 27 PACE YOURSELF instead be looking to travel considerably How to find the strategy for further afield so you can put a pin in a marathon success new part of your own personal running map. 28 MARATHON KIT Cover image: runners Whatever event The best products to help take part in the London you decide to do, optimise your training Marathon (Mark Shearman) enjoy the journey that only running Athletics Weekly, Editorial Director: Advertising Publisher: Wendy Sly Subscriptions and back While Athletics Weekly a marathon can The Great Run Company, Euan Crumley Head of publishing sales: wendy.sly@ issues: takes every care to help 22 Long Acre, London 07971-668070 Neil Presland 07471-035555 thegreatruncompany.com Warners Group readers with training, diet provide. euan.crumley@ neil.presland@ Tel: 01778-392018 and injuries, neither they nor WC2E 9LY thegreatruncompany.com thegreatruncompany.com Retail distribution: their contributors can accept Euan Crumley, web: athleticsweekly.com Seymour Distribution responsibility for illness or twitter: @AthleticsWeekly Products: Paul Freary Group Sales Executive: Tel: 0207-429 4092 © Athletics Weekly 2017. injury caused as a result of Editorial Director email: officemanager@ paul.freary@ James Mason Registered at the Post Office advice given. We also cannot athleticsweekly.com athleticsweekly.com james.mason@ as a newspaper take responsibility for loss or athleticsweekly.com damage to supplied material. 2 MARATHON GUIDE 2018 MARATHON GUIDE 2018 3 MARATHON GUIDE 2018 THE LURE OF 26.2 MILES @ATHLETICSWEEKLY MARK SHEARMAN WHY RUN A MARATHON? There’s good reason as to why so many are so keen to test their limits HE lure of the marathon, it which is proving difficult for runners would appear, has never been to resist. stronger. With each passing “The whole experience of running a Tyear, a steadily increasing marathon is really amazing,” he says. number of people are willingly “I’d encourage everyone to experience signing up to take on the task of that once. running 26.2 miles. “I loved the part of the race where Why someone might want to I felt good but also I really love inflict that physical and mental physical challenge so I loved when the pressure upon themselves is beyond marathon got really hard. I told myself the comprehension of even more of when it gets harder I get stronger and the population but there can be no I get better. When it got really tough denying there is something particularly would be when I was at my best. special about being able to call “I loved being 23 miles into the yourself a marathon runner. race, hurting like a champ and It’s classic distance, it takes the just digging down deep, trying to put human body beyond its limits and it’s one foot in front of the other as fast an event which can, frankly, get under as I could. your skin. “Then, getting to the finish line of Perhaps Zola Pieterse, the former a marathon is amazing, too. 5000m world record-holder turned “It’s pretty emotional and I’ve marathon runner puts it best when she had some really incredible life-long says: “It’s not something you just go memories, of running into the arms and do…it’s something that happens of my wife and just being so stoked to you.” that whatever happened had just Ryan Hall, the fastest American to happened. ever run the marathon with a personal “It wouldn’t necessarily mean best of 2:04:58, offers an intriguing I’d won or anything but just the fact insight too into the agony and the I’d finished a marathon, the feat of ecstasy of covering 42km. It’s a recipe completing 42km, is amazing.” 4 MARATHON GUIDE 2018 MARATHON GUIDE 2018 5 MARATHON GUIDE 2018 EXPERT ADVICE @ATHLETICSWEEKLY WISE WORDS MARK SHEARMAN Running 26.2 miles is a big undertaking, so we asked some experts to offer their advice about the marathon HERE is a seemingly RUN COMPANY THE GREAT on your legs and people forget that neverending stream there are a loads of green areas of advice out there for all over Britain where you could Tmarathon runners these really benefit from doing fartleks, days. We are never short of an hill running and barefoot running, expert opinion or two at Athletics which I did a lot. Weekly and have pulled together “There are so many elements some things for you to think that you can do other than just about as you begin to make your getting on a road or getting on marathon preparations. a treadmill and running for two hours. Because that’s not what FIND YOUR FORM FIRST marathon running is. When you do The lead-up to beginning marathon a marathon, you’re running anything training is the perfect time to from two-and-a-half hours to five address any weaknesses in your Liz McColgan- hours and you’ve got to prepare Nuttall: experience form, insists running technique your body for that.” specialist James Dunne of Kinetic Revolution. HEAD OFF-ROAD TAILOR YOUR TRAINING “If there are any idiosyncrasies “Cross country is the backbone “The marathon is an aerobic event within your own personal running of endurance running,” says Liz and therefore you must tailor form, that can result in you getting McColgan-Nuttall, former 10,000m your training to make your body tight in certain areas or weak in world champion, winner of the efficient at burning fat and running others,” says Dunne. “That, in New York, Tokyo and New York aerobically,” says Mara Yamauchi, turn, overloads other areas, then marathons and ambassador for the second-fastest British female all of a sudden we get to the point the Stirling Scottish Marathon and marathon runner in history. “This where we really reinforce these Birmingham International Marathon. will spare carbohydrate during a imbalances and flaws. “It gives you the strength in the race and prevent you running out “A nice way to mitigate that is to legs, it gives you the drive that you of fuel. look at breaking up the movement need and it’s all very akin to the “Some runners misunderstand patterns and start to think how to kind of running that you need to be this and think they can handle a build your body into that of an a marathon runner. marathon just by adding a longer all-round athlete.” “Most marathon runners will run to a training programme which He adds: “Hips and ankles come from a good cross-country consists mainly of fast, anaerobic are really, really important. Think background. Very few distance work. For the marathon, training at about hip stability, hip mobility and runners I know that went on to be speeds in between a jog and fast strength around that region and champions didn’t come from doing intervals is important.” Cross-country running combine that with a certain amount the mud running from a young age. With specific regard to the provides the ideal blocks upon which to build of spring or stiffness around the “It uses all the muscles in your traditional long run, she adds: “Lots endurance running ankles. Hip mobility is what I feet and your legs – everything that of people run too slowly and get a generally get runners to focus on you need to use, it strengthens. limited adaptation. first. Make sure you make time for You’ve got to be careful of the “I ran well in my early career regular mobility and stability work.” impact (marathon) training will have over 10km and half-marathon, but 6 MARATHON GUIDE 2018 MARATHON GUIDE 2018 7 MARATHON GUIDE 2018 EXPERT ADVICE @ATHLETICSWEEKLY poorly over the full marathon. In MARK SHEARMAN get dropped then you’re done, in the latter part of my career after I the marathon someone can come really worked on aerobic marathon- back a minute or two in the last specific training.