April is unofficially the UK’s ‘Marathon Month’, with about 100,000 people expected to take on London, Brighton, Manchester, and countless other events. Long distance challenges are built through months of training, but the final week can make a huge difference. Here are the best marathon tips for the week before your big day.
At Ultra Challenge, we’ve supported 250,000 Challengers across distances ranging from 10km all the way up to 100km, so we know what works.
Tapering and Time off Your Feet
Tapering, the process of deliberately reducing mileage and intensity before your event, is key for arriving fresh – but it is not just about your training. Make sure to take time off your feet generally, enjoying more hours on the sofa and in bed.
Remember this even if you’ve travelled for your marathon. It is tempting to rack up 10,000+ steps exploring a new place but try to take different transport options where possible.
The few training runs or walks that you complete during the week before your challenge may feel sluggish – don’t panic, this is totally normal. Your body is taking time it needs to recuperate before the big day, and adrenaline will cover up any of this when you cross the start line.
We promise you don’t need to head out the door for another session.
Nutrition and Hydration
Nutrition and hydration fit nicely together on our list of marathon tips, but treat them with equal importance. Just because you should be moving less before your marathon, doesn’t mean you need any less food or water.
Fuel consistently throughout the week and look to considerably increase carbohydrate intake in the 2-3 days before (also known as ‘carb loading’).
Carb loading ensures your muscles are full of glycogen, ready to be as active as possible whilst you run, jog, or walk your marathon.
Maintain a regular eating pattern with typical food earlier in the week, and follow these simple tips to boost your energy levels on the day:
- Increase carbohydrate food sources such as pasta, rice, bread, potatoes, oats, and cereals.
- Increase proportion of carbohydrates in your diet, not just eating more – lower protein, fat, and fibre sources in the 2-3 days before.
- Include regular carb heavy snacks alongside meals, like crumpets and breadsticks, to make digestion easier.
- Always have a drink of water alongside your meals.
You can’t fix hydration in a day, so keep a water bottle on you throughout the week. Drink before you get thirsty rather than playing catch up. Again, it is not about panic drinking water heavily just the day before, as this will flush out essential electrolytes.
The day before the marathon, or certainly the morning of, feel free to include electrolytes in your hydration plan. For a homemade alternative, mix a small amount salt, maple syrup, and lime juice together – it’s not to everyone’s taste though!
Sleep During the Week, Not the Night Before
Nobody sleeps well the night before a big challenge, so don’t put pressure on yourself. Instead make sure you are as well rested as possible in the week preceding.
One of our personal recommendations is to avoid wearing fitness tracking devices overnight, like smart watches or heart rate monitors, in the lead up to your marathon. At this stage, all that will cause is unwanted and unnecessary stress. Trust you’ve put in the work!
Preparation and Checklists
Event day admin inevitably comes alongside a big walking or running challenge. Use this checklist below to make sure you’re ready for the big day and avoid last minute stress:
- Check all your clothes and kit – use a kit list if you’ve been one (ours is in the Ultra Challenge App).
- Transport to and from the course, booking shuttles if needed.
- Food and drink to bring on the course.
- Downloading relevant tracking apps.
- Communicating all of the above with family and friends supporting you.
At Ultra Challenge we use our Challenge App to keep everybody informed. All codes to access your event specific app can be found in our Participant Area web page which can be found here.
Good Luck!
We hope you make the most of our marathon tips. All that remains to be said to anyone taking on a marathon, or any long-distance Challenge coming up, is good luck!
We can’t wait to welcome everybody to our Windsor 50 Ultra Challenge on April 18th. We still have plenty of fantastic events to enter in 2026, with distance options from 10km up to 100km.
Check out our series of Trail Marathons, or step up your distance to one of our 50km Challenges.
