The ultimate London Marathon day checklist

From getting greased to staying hydrated, running coach Keith Anderson runs through his big race essentials

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In 2023, Buxton is proud to partner with Mind to support the sweat and tears of 15 Rise Up Runners. 15 real people, each facing their own physical and mental struggles, who are bravely taking on the ultimate test of resilience: The London Marathon. We’ve enlisted the help of professional running coach Keith Anderson to share his top training pointers to help them and you prepare physically and mentally for the big day.

Make sure you’ve got the right running kit

It’s a good idea to lay your kit out the night before the race. Over the course of your training you should have worked out which shorts and top work best for you, and be sure to cut the labels out as they can rub. And it’s vital, obviously, that you’ve found trainers that work for you. Anderson advises having two on the go at the same time. “While you’re running regularly in one pair, get a new pair and gradually break them in as you go along. That way when the first pair gets worn out, you’ll have a backup pair ready to go for race day.”

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Eat the right breakfast

Ideally during your training you’ll have adopted a better more nutrition-focused diet with the right balance of protein, fruit and vegetables, and a range of different carbs. In the week leaving up to the event, you should be looking to build up your energy reserves without carb-loading all at once.  Keith Anderson’s approach is to add a little more carb to his main meals and graze on carb rich snacks between meals.

He says: “Eat small portions of sticky rice between meals. Similarly on the day, don’t be tempted to overload or carb-load. Stick to a pre race breakfast of a couple of bowls of cereal, or two slices of toast.”

Pack your bag

Make sure that you’re wearing the right race kit for the conditions and you’ve used Vaseline on any areas that may chafe. “Having a good supply of Vaseline is essential. Don’t hold back when it comes to greasing up all the parts of your body that might get chaffed. And don’t forget your race number, chip and pins, your watch and some spare laces,” says Keith. You’ll also need some clothes you don’t mind losing, perhaps things you’ve picked up from a charity shop. If it’s cold you’ll want a hat, gloves, trousers and a top to keep you warm during the long wait for the race to start. If it’s raining a bin liner and a piece of cardboard are handy so you can stay dry and sit on the floor.

Concentrate on your race plan

“Race day is exciting. There are the cameras, the helicopters, the crowds and the wonderful atmosphere. But don’t forget you still have to execute your race plan.” The best way to do this is stick to what you’ve practised in training. “Think of it as just another long run. This one just happens to be with lots of people. Take the stress out of the situation and look at it analytically.”

Don’t get sucked in to silly warm-ups

A lot of modern marathons have a lively pre-race festival. While these events are fun and can be great for motivation, don’t get sucked into anything silly. “There might be a warm-up routine where they get you to do all sorts of weird and wonderful moves. But get it wrong and you can easily pull a muscle.” The reality of most marathons is that you’re going to be running with 10,000 people or more, and unless you’re on the front row with the pros, your first mile or so will be slow and steady. As Anderson says: “you’ve got 26.2 miles to warm up.”

Stay hydrated throughout

In the run up to the race you need to stay hydrated to keep your focus and your energy up. On the morning of the race take small steady sips of water, not big gulps. “Just sensibly hydrate. There’s loads of water on marathon courses, you’re not going to run dry. I used to drink every five kilometres when I was racing. And I think that that’s not a bad thing for most runners.”

And it’s important to stay hydrated throughout: “When you get 18 or 19 miles in the race you can end up in a kind of zombie state where you’re fatigued and you’re hurting a bit and you forget to drink. So make sure that for those last miles of the race that you’re really focused on good hydration and good energy replacement. Because that is what’s going to help you get to the finish.”

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