by Kathy Butler OLY, 2x Olympian, top ten finisher at Chicago Marathon, USATF Marathon Specialist Course co-creator and instructor
From experienced elite to first-time marathoners, everyone has one thing in common: the need to choose a race. Picking the right marathon can influence performance, enjoyment, and long‑term development. This decision is individual and based on what is important to one person. Race choice is a strategic decision, not just a logistical one. Location, course profile, timing, and goals for the race all go into the strategy of selecting a marathon.
Travel and logistics are often the first thing people think of when selecting a race. Whether you prefer a scenic location, a local race with your family along the course, or a far-flung destination that is on your travel wish list, it’s important to consider the cost of travel and accommodation. For some, that exotic location might be better saved for a post-marathon vacation or conversely a runner might want a quiet, non-family focused location where they can be selfish and focus on those 26.2 miles. When considering location of the race, ease of travel and time available to dedicate to the travel and acclimatization are important. How many time zones will the runner be going from their home or training location? How long is the travel day? A direct flight versus several flights, a bus, and/or a car rental make a big difference. A simple rule of thumb is to arrive near the race location, allowing one day for every hour of time change up to seven time zones away. Can the runner be away from their regular routine for the time required for this? Family, school, and work demand might make this difficult. Will the cost of being gone that long be too much? Is there an appropriate place to stay for that long? Being in a hotel without a kitchen and ability to make your own meals for longer than a couple of days can be hard for many marathoners. Other factors to consider when selecting domestic versus international racing are food availability, safety of the location, and level of competition. An international race may be a very exciting option as the competition might be just at the right level for the athlete; the location might be a huge draw and support for the race might be important as well. Some countries like Japan have huge running cultures, especially for marathoning, and can make running there logistically easy and a fun experience. Climate and weather should be researched carefully, and an athlete should be honest with themselves about how they run in different weather conditions. Looking at a ten-year trend for the race-day temperature, humidity, and wind is a good way to get a clear picture. How variable is the weather? Some places are quite consistent at certain times of the year and less of a risk when planning for conditions. Also, consider the altitude of the course. Even moderate altitude can have a big influence on pacing and finish time over 26.2 miles.
[1]El Helou N, Tafflet M, Berthelot G, Tolaini J, Marc A, Guillaume M, Hausswirth C, Toussaint JF. Impact of environmental parameters on marathon running performance. PLoS One. 2012;7(5): e37407. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0037407. Epub 2012 May 23. PMID: 22649525; PMCID: PMC3359364.
[2]https://www.runnersworld.com/news/a70237449/world-major-marathons-start-dates-weather-conditions/ with data from https://www.climatecentral.org/report/marathon-performance
The expression “horses for courses” applies to marathon racing, with a myriad of potential course types to consider. There is no requirement for a course to be certified or sanctioned, but if a runner wants the performance to be properly measured and maybe even used for qualification to another event then it is important to look for a certified course. There are plenty of different kinds of certified courses that might be better or worse for different athletes. A net downhill – if big enough – can make a course ineligible for Olympic Trials or even Boston Marathon qualification. However, there are courses that have rolling, hilly, and slight downhills that do fit these requirements. Some athletes, especially those with track backgrounds, prefer a pancake flat course. Athletes who have excelled at cross country or trail running may prefer a rolling course which uses slightly different muscles or parts of muscles with the varying terrain. A significant downhill may sound appealing but can cause muscle damage if an athlete’s running form is not ideal for downhill running and/or they haven’t trained specifically for the downhill. Pacing also needs to be adapted with courses that have more elevation gain or loss with specific pacing strategies created for the course. Other course factors to consider are things like a significant road camber (slope across the road), number of turns, exposure to wind, and road surface quality with things like potholes, cobblestones, metal bridges, etc. If an athlete is looking to use a marathon to qualify for another event, it is very important to check the rules and that the course meets the rules. To qualify for the Olympics or U.S. Olympic Team Trials, a course must not lose more than 3.3 meters of elevation per kilometer. It must also be a USATF-sanctioned event. If you are not sure whether a race meets that criteria, you can check here or contact the race organizer. To qualify for the Boston Marathon penalty-free, a course must not exceed 1500 ft. (457m) net elevation loss, or about 11 meters per kilometer.
Figure 1: Course profiles for the six majors (Syndey not included at time of WA research). Note that the elevation has been normalized to zero for a readable comparison. From World Athletics.
The time of the year is a very important component of marathon selection. One of the primary factors that will affect selection based on time of year is where the marathoner will be doing their training heading into the marathon. Other elements include work, family, and life balance. Training for a spring marathon in a place with significant winter weather can be hard and made even harder if the spring marathon has unpredictable weather for the race. Spring can be quite volatile in terms of weather, but fall can also have some very hot summer-like days. A mid-winter race in a warmer place might be appealing but often involves training through major holidays that can be difficult for those balancing their personal life with marathon training.
Once races have been selected based on time of year, timing relative to other races must also be considered. Optimal time in between marathons will vary based on athlete experience, training volume, and life commitments. A good goal is to have at least 16-20 weeks between with a maximum of two marathons per year being optimal for most runners. If someone ends up with three marathons closer together, then a longer break after the third one is recommended. Longevity in marathon running and just running in general should always be considered when planning back-to-back marathons. Races will have different goals for different people and at different points in their marathon running career. Races may be part of an experience with travel, beauty of the course, and enjoying the culture and community. Or it may be about running as fast as possible or placing as high as possible. Sometimes it takes several efforts at the marathon or even a particular course to get it right, which can also be a consideration when planning race timing. A final consideration when picking the timing of a race is the availability of good tune-up races. A half marathon or shorter races are often part of the training plan for a goal marathon race and having one at the right time that works for preparing for the marathon is part of the planning process. Since these tune-up races are often used for testing fueling, shoes, and heat or temperature preparation, finding the right race within the right timeframe before the marathon is important.
Now that a marathoner has considered a variety of times of year, course profiles, weather predictions, and competitive qualities, it’s time to make the final decision. Making a list and ranking priorities can be helpful as well as talking to other runners or coaches who have experience with the races that have made their short list. Remember that race selection is a skill and goals will change from race to race. Intentional race selection will help you gain valuable experience and keep racing fresh and exciting. Reassess goals each season. Ultimately the best race is the one that fits this moment in your running journey.