THE MARATHON SERIES
It may be hard to believe, given the heat and (for those of us lucky enough to live in the South, Midwest, and East) humidity we’ve all been enduring, but fall is just a page-turn of the calendar away. It is the thought of flipping that page, then flipping it again that keeps many runners stepping through the door and into the furnace for yet another long run or set of intervals. For on one of those calendar pages is the X marking the date of a long-awaited fall marathon. And despite the cruelty of diving into the meat of marathon training during the hottest summer in recorded history, the thought of a cool and occasionally leafy autumn 42k through one of the world’s great cities, is enough to keep us stepping through that door.
The next best thing to training for a fall marathon, be it an Abbott World Major, (Berlin, Chicago and New York City are in the fall) or one of the many other marathons in cities all over the world, (Aukland, anyone? Dublin? Valencia? How about Chengdu, Sydney or Lisbon?) is planning for one. And it’s the planning, the little things, that make that big race a big success. Here at rabbit, we are very much invested in the chasing of major marathon dreams, so we asked some of our globe-trotting marathon friends for some of their favorite hacks to navigating the ins and outs of big city marathon travel.
RAD rabbit Sam R. is now a grizzled veteran of international marathoning, having run his second 26.2-miler in London last spring. He gives perhaps the best bit of advice any marathon traveler can heed: if it’s important, it goes in the carry-on! Says Sam, “Luggage gets lost, hotel arrangements get changed, stuff happens. While fortunately I was fine (relatively), I met A LOT of people who were not. I ended up not finding an adequate pre-race breakfast and had to make do with some Maurten bars and gels and such from what I packed. Complete life saver, but that’s nothing in comparison to those I met who had their luggage delayed and were scrambling to find kit and such at the expo.”
More (much more!) about food later. In addition to emergency snackage, always carry your racing shoes, kit, lucky talisman, medical and personal hygiene items onto the plane with you. Many a race has been sabotaged by a lost stick of Body Glide, bottle of Tums or temporary tattoo of your dog Roscoe!
On a related note, RAD Cody J. says, “Be prepared for the weather. If it looks like there is a possibility of rain in the forecast, make sure you have what you need to be comfortable at the start. Bring Ziploc bags and rubber bands to wrap around your shoes. Wet feet before even starting a race is not fun. Be sure to also pack a poncho!”
Or a black garbage bag. And most races collect and donate clothing left at the start, so if the weather is inclement, take something you can bear to part with to keep toasty before the gun goes off. Staying warm and dry (or God forbid, cool) until the start can be key to an enjoyable racing experience. As can be staying off one’s feet.
As a marathoner and longtime coach of marathoners, one thing I try and hammer into the brains of those I work with is that sightseeing is for after the race, not before. You have put in too much hard work to arrive at the line with dead legs from pre-race excursions. In this age of shakeout runs, pop-up shops, and ever more grandiose expos, the temptation is great to try and fit everything in, spend hours on your feet having fun with your 10,000 new best friends, only to find yourself sapped at mile 22. Does this mean one has to hide out in one’s hotel room watching German television? (Or Polish, if you’re running Chicago.) Not at all! The key is to pick your spots, do what most excites you.
Says Codi J., who really – I mean really – likes shakeout runs, “Shakeout runs are one of my favorite events to look forward to when running a major. When else do you get to go out for a run with fellow runners from all over the world?!? I think the hardest part about these is finding the one you want to attend, because there are often a lot to choose from. Usually there are shakeout runs two days before, and the day before the race. Brands will share these on their platforms and website as well. They will also, sometimes, indicate if one of their professional athletes will be joining the run which is always exciting! Take some time to do your research a few weeks before the race so you can plan accordingly, and make the most of your Majors experience!’
Olympic Trials marathoner and rabbit Elite, Jennifer Pope, adds a note of caution with regard to shakeout runs: “People are excited for race day and feel fresh and want to run fast. Don't do it. Keep the shakeout fun and super easy. Then go back to the hotel and recover for the day. Not a secret or anything, but rarely do we get an excuse to sit around and watch movies and simply relax. Enjoy the relaxation time, eat in bed (yes, why not, you're probably in a hotel), and try not to get nervous about the race!”
The same holds true for visiting the expo and running brand pop-ups. Okay, okay, major marathons can be a major shopping trip with a race attached; I’m not immune to the appeal! If you brought an extra suitcase for all the new swag, knock yourself out! Just do it two or three days before the race. The day before, you just want to get a last couple of miles in, pop into the expo for any last-minute items, then hunker-down at the hotel and catch up on your tiktok dance videos!
Or, as Pope suggests, “In addition to the TV time, I also tend to look back at my training cycle. Scroll your Strava! Read the titles and look at the photos with friends! I tend to name my Strava runs after the convos, jokes, and laughs, and I will remember it while scrolling. I like to go back and look at all the days and hours put into this one event. So many strong workouts and memories. Even the difficult days when you are unsure and question everything, it'll then be followed by a workout that you totally crush, and it helps to see it all come together. It helps me appreciate how far I've come!”
Long before all that, however, think about the logistics of where to stay, how to get around. Codi J. has some great advice, here: “I am a big fan of Airbnb for regular travel, but I always feel better staying in a hotel for race weekends. The biggest factor to consider is the distance from the start and/or finish depending on if you are doing a point to point or if the race finishes in the same vicinity as the start. For a point to point race, such as New York, I would recommend finding a hotel near the finish. Taking transportation to the start is more feasible than vice versa. The race websites have extremely useful information and guidance around this on their websites. I always use Google Maps (walking directions) to assess how far of a walk it is from the finish back to my hotel. My rule of thumb is trying to stay within 1.5 miles at the most. Accessing public transportation afterwards can often be tricky, and traveling by foot is typically the easiest.”
She also advises, time and money permitting, to have a couple of days before to adjust to a new time zone, and a couple of days after to enjoy this new, exotic city you’ve traveled halfway across the country – or around the world – to visit.
And now…finally…the food! Afterwards, obviously, go nuts! Eat the local delicacies, drink the local beer, put things in your mouth you’ve been swearing off of for months. But before, eat things that are as familiar as possible. Luckily, pasta is the universal language, so if noodles are your pre-race jam, you should be good to go. I trained my gut years ago to be just swell with pizza the night before a race, because pizza is awesome! Pizza is everywhere!
But if you have special dietary needs, a fear of local restaurants, or are just a creature of habit? See step one: take it with you!
Jennifer Pope concurs.
“Rice! I am super cautious before race day, and I am too scared to go out to eat or try anything new! It's kind of sad for a couple days, but not worth the risk for me. I play it extra safe, so in addition to the boring stuff (yes, the "I eat a bagel" and 10,000 bananas), I freeze a giant plastic bag of rice. Depending on how far the travel is, sometimes I also place it in a small freezer bag, but usually it'll defrost during the trip. Then I'm ready to literally eat my cold rice for 2-3 days straight before the run! Carb loading with the safest food possible for the gut! I did this for both Chicago and Boston. Then after the race? Give me every restaurant in town! But my first stop post-race is a latte. Give me the best-known latte around!”
Bagels from your favorite shop? Tortillas? Gluten-free brioche? See step one: put it in your carry-on, take it with you! And now, let’s have Sam R. have the last, best word on the whole point of the thing: the race itself.
“Enjoy the experience. Take it in. I was pacing about a half hour slower than what training indicated was the right pace for me, because it’s London and that’s like the Super Bowl for me. Then I got a bad injury late in the race and I was still able to have an amazing time. Goals never changed. I never had to go through that ‘A, B, okay go to C goal’ process. Several months out and my wife, who joined me for the adventure, and I still talk about it nearly every day. So don’t be afraid to slow down, take in the sights, take videos and pictures — just don’t stop dead center of the road, especially on Tower Bridge for a selfie like every third person. Finish lines not finish times here.”
Fast times or good times, it’s the little things that make all the difference. Advice from those who have gone down this road before is priceless!
