How to run your first marathon (and actually enjoy it)

What to eat before a marathon

The most important way to start training for your first marathon is to get your nutrition sorted. There’s no point running 26.2 miles if your body isn’t getting the right nutrients and fuel to support the calorie and electrolyte loss.

Dr. Kyle Pfaffenbach, a professor in the Health and Human Performance program at Eastern Oregon University and advisor to Brooks Beasts, has previously told us that “A healthy relationship with food is adaptable. For runners, this means dismissing the idea that there are magic foods that will work for a workout or on race day. Having a basic understanding of nutrition and energy production can help individuals make decisions and not be stressed when their “perfect” race food is not available.”

As well as your food, you can also try a variety of different race-ready supplements to replace the electrolytes and glycogen you'll be using during your marathon. The aim is to find the right formula for you, so try different gels, drinks, chews and other products when you start running longer runs.

A good guideline is to aim to take in some calories around the 45-minute mark of each hour, averaging around 30 to 90 grams of carbohydrates per hour. We advise that once you've got your fuelling strategy dialled in, stick with it on race day.

You can work closely with a nutritionist to devise the best plan for your body and goals, or read our guide on nutrition for running to get started.

Improve your mental wellbeing

Improving your mental strength and wellbeing before running a marathon, and even before beginning the very first training stages, is vital if you want to complete the race.

Whilst running can be great for mental health, most runners have heard of the infamous ‘hitting the wall’, a term coined to describe the sudden fatigue and loss of energy that generally happens around mile 20. It’s usually caused by the depletion of glycogen stores in the liver and muscles, and the mental impact of running a gruellingly long distance, and it’s important to be prepared so you can overcome it and push through to the end.

As well as ensuring you have glycogen gels and supplements on you to take through the race, it’s important to also get your mental wellbeing into shape and improve your mental resilience.

Jonathan Thompson, a personal trainer and nutritionist (and also one of our writers here at Brooks), says, “It takes a tough athlete to stay focused on the event in front of them regardless of the weather, the condition of the course, other runners, or anything else that might limit their performance. A mentally strong runner does not allow these distractions to discourage them.”

If you have a read of Jonathan’s complete guide to building mental strength through running, he cites an interesting study that found that your brain will typically give up before your muscles do. He says, “Across all of these studies, it was clear that mental fatigue — or a lack of mental strength — directly contributed to reduced endurance.”

Reading his guide is well worth the time, as he provides actionable tips to improve your mental strength.

Start your training by focusing on time, and time alone

When you’ve finished your warm-up exercises and are finally ready to hit the concrete, start by focusing on time and time alone. Don’t set goals by the mile until you’ve built your stamina and achieved small, bitesize goals first.

Remember, half the battle is psychological so you want to make sure your mindset is in a good place by achieving those small goals to begin with. And it’s not just us who believe this. Professional runners also advise sticking to time-based goals to begin with.

YouTuber and Marathon runner Casey Neistat, who estimates that he runs around 70 miles a week, was once told by doctors that he would never run again following a motorcycle accident.

17 years later, in 2024, he finally achieved his long-standing goal: to run the New York Marathon in under 3 hours. And he completed his goal wearing the Brooks Glycerin Max.

Casey gave his own running advice in a video with friend and Olympic marathon runner, Roberto Mandje. His first piece of advice was, “If you’ve never run before, focus on time, and time alone. So set yourself a goal, can you run for two full minutes? Two minutes without stopping, and if you can do two, get to four. Once you get to ten minutes without stopping, get to twenty, until you hit an hour. That took me like four months when I started running.”

Once you’ve mastered this strategy and have reached an hour, you can then move on to learning how to run for longer.  And don’t forget those post-run stretches!

As well as starting your training by focusing on time, we also recommend low-impact activities like yoga or swimming on recovery days, as you really need to train your whole body when you’re a running beginner training for your first marathon.

Casey also went on to say, “I run almost exclusively in Brooks.” and continued, “It’s just about what works for you because every foot, every foot is different.”

Invest in the right shoe (and clothing!)

Which brings us nicely into investing in the right running shoe.   

Getting your long-distance marathon footwear right is an integral part of your marathon success. Running on concrete is hard on the joints, so the right shoe not only protects your body, but it also provides your feet with the comfort needed to keep going, even 20 miles in when your limbs are screaming at you to stop.

If you’re unsure, we recommend starting out by trying them for yourself. This will help you figure out the right style for your foot and body. You might also want to consider a roster of training and running shoes to rotate between training sessions running shoes to rotate between training sessions.

Try out our online Shoe Finder by answering a few simple questions.

Now, the rest of your clothing and marathon running gear is just as important as the shoe. You’ll want light, breathable, and moisture-wicking fabrics to help keep you dry and comfortable.

Brooks Health and science writer Amanda Loudin says, “Check the forecast in the days leading up to the race. Plan accordingly — have layers you can strip as the temperatures rise. If it's looking rainy, wear tight-fitting technical fabrics that won't get bogged down with water.”

Additionally, women and runners with breasts will also need a supportive sports bra, no matter the bra size. Studies have shown that up to 70% of female marathon runners are likely to experience breast pain. Only a well-fitting supportive bra was reported to relieve the symptoms. Sports bras, like shoes, are very dependent on your individual body.

Be consistent but rest when you need to

Consistency is one of the best ways to achieve those small goals we spoke about earlier.

In Casey’s same video, Olympian Roberto Mandje told viewers, “Just start. Everybody starts at a different place, but somewhere to build up from.” he continued, “You’re gonna make the biggest gains in your training by being consistent.” Our own team at Brooks gave some great advice in our marathon preparation guide, “A missed run here or there will not make a bit of difference to your ability to finish a marathon, but a lack of consistency can derail your training plan. What does consistency look like? Regularly hitting your long runs, the cornerstone of marathon training. Doing the interval or marathon race pace training most weeks. Showing up and getting in the majority of your runs, week after week. That's where the training magic happens.”

As much as you might want to hit every training goal, the reality will likely look very different. Injuries happen, sickness happens, and your body will tell you when it needs rest. It’s okay to rest when you need it. Listen to your body and recognise the four signs that your body needs to take a break.

When asked about motivation, Roberto said, “Remember what got you out there in the first place, what your goals are. There’s gonna be good days and bad days.”

Find your motivation

While a lot of first-time marathon runners find their motivation from the personal challenge, or to improve their health and fitness, so many marathon runners these days also run in order to raise money for charitable causes.

Running for Charity

The 2024 London Marathon achieved a record-breaking £73.5 million in charitable donations, and the race organizers have claimed that it’s the world’s largest annual one-day fundraising event!

A lot of charities aren’t government funded and rely on the fundraising efforts of their supporters. Georgina Lowry, Head of Marketing and Family Support at Tree of Hope, a charity supporting sick and disabled children, told us, “Every mile our runners conquer helps a child take a step closer to the support they need in accessing healthcare support quicker. We’re so proud of our incredible marathon runners who go the distance to give hope, strength, and a brighter future to the families we support.”

Lauren Deitz is running the London Marathon in 2025 for Tree of Hope, and says, “When I got a place, I immediately knew I wanted to use it to help raise funds for my friend's son Rico with Tree of Hope. Running a marathon is a challenge but it’s nothing compared to the strength that little boy shows. I’m delighted to do whatever I can to support him to help him reach his own goals.”

Another runner who’s running a marathon for charity is Toby Freeman, the CEO and Founder of the Robin Cancer Trust, a charitable organisation that was set-up in 2012 after the death of his 24-year-old brother, Robin, from testicular cancer. Robin was an active and healthy young man, and Toby has set himself a challenge to not only raise money, but also awareness, of testicular cancer in young men.

To do this, he’s spending 2025 running 500km as part of the ‘Big Ballsy Challenge’, and is aiming to complete the Brighton Marathon, Hadrian’s Wall Ultramarathon, the Thames Path Ultramarathon, and multiple other 5km and 10km races in-between, all whilst dressed as, ahem, ‘balls’.

Toby says, “The motivation for the Big Ballsy Challenge is to raise £240,000 so the Robin Cancer Trust can educate, engage, and support the 2,400 men diagnosed with testicular cancer each year.” His top tip to help your motivation is, “Remember that the marathon is just the celebration at the end of months of hard-work and dedication - the real transformation has already happened; in the miles and hours spent training and preparing (usually in the dark and cold!). Be proud of what you've already achieved and who you've become leading up to race-day - you're already a hero just for getting to the start line!”

Running for health and fitness

If you’re running your first marathon to improve your health and fitness, a small 2020 study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that after six months of training, first-time marathon runners had lower blood pressure and less stiffness in their arteries.

There are also huge mental health benefits from running outside in the fresh air - the Journal of Affective Disorders found that running therapy and antidepressants had similar effects on the mental health of patients with depression and anxiety disorder.

So you see, marathon running can be good for you as well as doing good things for others! Whether you’re running for enjoyment and a personal challenge like Casey and Roberto, or running for a charity like Lauren and Toby, it’s important to use that ‘why’ to fuel your motivation and keep going even when you have a bad day.

Test your gadgets and apparel during training

You don’t want to be testing your GPS watch, fitness tracker app, or hydration belt on race day. Make sure you check everything in the early stages of training so you not only get used to them but can also ensure they’re comfortable and the right gadgets and accessories for you.

It’ll also give you time to work out if you experience chafing with your clothes, which can be solved with many types of creams and balms.

Additionally, you might want to prepare a running playlist for both training and race day, to help motivate and energise you.

Prepare for race day

Preparing for race days requires a few days of preparation before the day itself arrives, especially when it comes to mindset and nutrition. Get some meditation and gentle yoga in, and load-up on carbs.

Did you know that carb-loading before a race can help you avoid hitting the wall? Eastern Oregon University’s Dr. Kyle Pfaffenbach told us in our foods to eat before a race guide, foods to eat before a race guide. “In the days before your run, enjoy plenty of pasta, potatoes, fruit and vegetables. Don’t forget about protein - it helps to rebuild muscle, so it’s important after a long run, but you might want to include it in your pre-marathon meal, too. Something like pasta with chicken, broccoli and salad would be perfect, or a mild chickpea curry with rice would work well too.”

When it comes to the night before the race, set yourself up for success:

• Lay out your kit: Everything from shoes to socks to safety pins for your bib.
• Check the weather: Adjust your outfit accordingly and remember, layers are your friend.
• Charge your gear: GPS watch, phone, headphones. Eat a familiar dinner: Think carbs with a little protein.
• Hydrate: Start sipping water and hydrating the day before, but don’t overdo it.
• Go to bed early-ish: Yes, pre-race jitters might make sleep tricky, but even lying down and resting helps.

In the morning make sure you wake up fairly early so you have time to get ready, and fuel-up with something simple like toast and peanut butter, a banana, or porridge.

You’ll then want to get dressed and apply any anti-chafe balm, before warming up lightly. Think a brisk walk, some dynamic stretches - but save the big effort for the marathon. Visiting the bathroom should also be a priority, go early and go often. The porta-potty queues will be long.

And finally, the moment is here!

Arrive early, take some deep breaths, and trust your training. Soak up the atmosphere and enjoy the race! Remember, you’ve got this. And when the going gets tough, embrace the crowd and use them to pull you back into the moment and what your goal is.

Toby’s top tips for the marathon itself are, “Don't start too fast! As exciting as it is on the start-line, with the crowd cheering and the adrenaline pumping - make sure you're running your own race, at your own pace. Remember, it's a marathon, not a sprint.” He also advised, “Breakdown the race into manageable chunks. It's only eight (and a bit) parkruns right? Choose milestones, landmarks, or water stations to help you not get overwhelmed. If needed, just focus on the next mile - just keep your legs moving.”

Edward Lumley, former Guinness World Record holder for the ‘Fastest Marathon Dressed as a Vegetable’ (yes, really!), told us, “Typically on race day I look to conserve as much energy as possible, good fuel on the day, and a clean carrot outfit ready to tackle the distance ahead!”

Recover like a pro

Recovery is just as important as the pre-marathon training. Walk around a bit to let your legs cool down and then refuel with something carb and protein heavy within 30-60 minutes after finishing the race.

Do some gentle movement and stretching afterwards, and continue to do this each day for the first week after the race, adding in low-impact activities like gentle swimming and yoga.

And of course, make sure you sign up for your next marathon!