Things runners don't know about the first time they run a marathon

Marathon (42.195km) is always a difficult challenge for runners, especially those who conquer this distance for the first time. The first marathon often doesn't go as planned and runners will have to learn from experience.

"There's never been a marathon where I didn't want to give up," said Teal Burrell, a professional runner who competed in two US athletes selection for the 2016 and 2020 Olympics. Burrell has been running a marathon since college and got a sub4 on his first try. So far, she has run this distance 18 times, with a personal record of 2 hours 39 minutes 11 seconds.

"Everybody struggles with that mental battle, that 'this is really hard, I won't be able to get over it,'" said the 37-year-old female runner, who lives in Richmond, Virginia. "I wish I knew that. It's like a common truth in the marathon world."

Julie Sapper is a certified running coach by the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) - America's oldest running association. Like Burrell, she wished she knew ahead of time when she attended the Marine Corps Marathon in 2000. "During the race, I was taken aback by the pain. I've never experienced such discomfort in my life, makes me a little scared," Sapper said. "Now I understand that it's part of the experience of running a marathon."

Annie Frisbie, 25, finished seventh at the New York City Marathon 2021 with a time of 2 hours 26 minutes 18 seconds. Looking back, though satisfied with her first marathon, the 25-year-old realizes that she was not mentally prepared for the cheers from the audience. At that time, the sound from the crowd stimulated Frisbie to accelerate, pushing her out of the right zone.

"I wish I knew ahead of time how the crowd would energize me," says Frisbie. "I got a little excited at certain sections of the track. What I learned is don't get too excited, try to keep the energy because you will need that energy for the last 10 km."

After failing to perform as expected in a marathon in 2016, Meb Keflezighi, a 2004 Athens Olympic silver medalist, decided to retire. The 47-year-old Runner said he understood he was impatient, not keeping his strength properly. Instead of calmly running to km 32 as suggested by the coach, Keflezighi accelerated to take the lead.

"Be patient. At the 16-mile mark (nearly 26 km), you still have 10 miles (more than 16 km) left. When you reach the 32 km mark, you face more danger. Burn for the last 10 km" , Keflezighi offers advice.

Amby Burfoot, a 1968 Boston Marathon champion and former Runner's World editor, didn't believe in the mental power of running a marathon in his younger years. Now, aged 76 and retired, he has completed nearly 80 marathons and encourages runners to use "mantras". Research shows that words of encouragement during exercise can improve performance.

"The race is challenging both physically and mentally," Burfoot said. "Therefore, I advise everyone to find their own mantra, try it first to be ready to apply when needed."

For Burfoot, his mantra was "pain is temporary, honor is permanent".

"I'm sure there are many other runners who have the same mindset to help their legs move forward," the veteran runner added.

Tony Reed used to wear sports sweatshirts, gloves and a hat when standing in front of the start line of the 1982 Cowtown Marathon in Fort Worth, Texas. That morning, it was over 4 degrees Celsius outside, Reed recalled. But after running more than 3 km, he began to take off his clothes.

"Look at the outdoor temperature at the estimated time of the finish line, then add 20 degrees, and then you'll know what to wear," says Reed, now a professional coach at RRCA. However, this rule may change depending on the runner's speed.

One thing Betsy Balgooyen Keller learned from the 2000 Chicago Marathon is that the water stations on the track are very busy and crowded. Runners crowd to get filtered water or electrolytes. They poured excess water and dropped cups on the track.

Now, Keller usually carries a disposable water bottle with him to drink for the first few kilometers before throwing it away.

"You can avoid the chaos at the filling stations and use your own water," she says. The female runner warned that the area around the watering station can be very slippery and athletes also need to be careful when moving through here.

For Gene Demby, the excitement of running a marathon for the first time at the 2010 New York City Marathon led him to skip several water stations. This violated his plan of frequent rehydration. "I shouldn't have acted haphazardly on race day. I should have followed the plan."

Getting to the finish line for the first time in a marathon is a very special moment, worth every runner to enjoy and celebrate the results after training. "The first finish is very special because you have no expectations". Sapper said. "For people who are training for a marathon, it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience, because it's the first time and since it's something you've never done before, expect nothing but to do your best. me".