Nine of the Biggest Race Day Mistakes You Should Avoid
This is the second season of Training Diaries, a Lifehacker series about my journey to the 2024 Philadelphia Marathon. This series will cover all the ups, downs, and hill repeats leading up to race day on Sunday, Nov. 24. I’ll go over proper fueling, injuries and setbacks, treadmill tips, wardrobe malfunctions, long run logic, and just generally reflect on what it takes to cross a marathon finish line.
When it comes to marathon training, I prefer to zoom out and look at the sum of its parts. I’m guided by a mantra both corny and true: A marathon is actually hundreds of miles; race day just happens to be the last 26 or so. Of course, there's a certain pressure on those last 26.2 miles. Marathon day represents months of dedicated training culminating in a single event—that's some high stakes right there. Even well-trained runners can sabotage their performance by making common race day mistakes. Here's how to avoid the most significant pitfalls that can derail your marathon experience.
Starting too fast
Perhaps the most common and devastating mistake is beginning the race at an unsustainable pace. I get it, I'm guilty of it—the adrenaline of race day, combined with fresh legs and crowds of runners, leads people to run their first few miles significantly faster than planned.
The easiest way to avoid this is making sure you start in the correct corral. Focus on holding back during the first 5-10 miles, and use your watch to monitor your pace religiously early on.
Trying anything new
This is one of the major tenants of marathons: Nothing new on race day. In other words, race day is not the time to "save" or experiment with new gear, nutrition, or strategies. Anything new introduces unnecessary risk and potential complications.
Never try these for the first time on race day:
New shoes or clothing
Different energy gels or sports drinks
New breakfast foods
Novel warm-up stretches
Untested pacing strategies
Poor fueling strategy
Improper nutrition before and during the race can lead to hitting the wall earlier than necessary or experiencing GI distress.
The basics of proper fueling:
Eat a familiar breakfast two to three hours before the start.
Begin fueling early in the race (usually around 45-60 minutes in).
Take in 30-60g of carbohydrates per hour.
Stay consistent with your hydration strategy.
Don't skip aid stations early because you "feel good."
Inadequate race research
Failing to plan the logistical details can create unnecessary stress, which goes on to affect your performance and overall race day experience. I like to virtually peruse the course, if your race has that option.
Essential planning elements:
Know the exact race start time and location.
Plan your transportation and parking.
Understand bag-check procedures.
Scout bathroom locations.
Familiarize yourself with the course map.
Check the weather forecast and plan accordingly.
Improper warm-up
Either skipping your warm-up entirely or warming up too vigorously can impact your race performance.
Proper warm-up guidelines:
Do a small warm-up 30-45 minutes before race time.
Keep it light and easy.
Include dynamic stretching.
Avoid static stretching.
Save your energy for the race itself.
Poor weather prep
I’ve trained for both spring and fall marathons, meaning I’ve trained in rain, snow, and worst of all, a heat wave. Chafing is so real, and so painful. Failure to account for weather conditions can lead to serious performance issues or even medical emergencies.
Weather considerations:
Check the forecast several days in advance.
Dress for temperatures 10-15 degrees warmer than actual.
Bring throwaway layers for cold starts.
Apply sunscreen and anti-chafing products as needed.
Adjust your pace goals for extreme conditions.
Mental game mistakes
A marathon is as much a mental challenge as a physical one. Poor mental preparation can derail your race regardless of physical readiness. Just like cruise control in a car helps reduce fatigue for drivers, my ultimate running hack is learning how to enter a personal state of cruise control.
Mental preparation tips:
Prepare mantras for tough moments.
Practice visualization before race day.
Break the race into manageable segments, like "I just have three miles left. That’s one mile, three times. I can do that..."
For more, these are my mental tricks to get your mind to handle running such long distances.
Over-tapering
While tapering is essential—which I detail in my taper guide here—some runners take it too far in the final days before the race.
Proper tapering guidelines:
Maintain regular running routine with reduced volume.
Don't completely rest for multiple days.
Keep some intensity in your shortened workouts.
Stay active with light walking.
Get adequate sleep.
Post-race neglect
When you're so focused on crossing that finish line, it's easy to neglect what you'll be doing on the other side. Having a solid post-race plan is crucial for both safety and recovery.
Essential post-race considerations:
Arrange a meeting spot with family/friends.
Pack warm, dry clothes for after.
Plan post-race nutrition.
Know medical tent locations.
Have transportation arranged.
For more, here's how I recover smart from long runs.
Remember that success in a marathon comes not just from physical preparation, but from avoiding these common pitfalls: It's not just enough to be able to run super far.