Pacing Strategy for Best Marathon Results

Determine the best pacing strategy for your upcoming marathon or half marathon. This video will explain 'what is a race pace strategy?' along with how to calculate and execute the perfect race.

00:00 Intro
00:13 What is a Pacing Strategy?
00:52 Race Pace for Best Results
02:09 Calculating Your Pace
04:20 Biggest Pacing Mistakes
05:40 Race Pace Adjustments
06:10 Pacing Strategies for Elites
07:15 Psychological Advantages
08:34 Tips to Monitor Pace
09:01 Cognitive Load when Racing
09:50 Best Pace Monitoring Strategy
10:16 Troubleshooting for Hills

Material in this video:

Book 1.) The Science and Practice of Middle and Long Distance Running: Richard C. Blagrove, Philip R. Hayes

Podcast Interview 1.) Episode 162: Marathon PB Tactics & Strategy with Brian Hanley

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[RunSmarterwithBrodieSharpe]

💥💥80% of Runners are Injured EVERY YEAR 😲 But it Doesn't Have to be You!

[luddesterner]

Finnaly a video that talkes in km instead of Miles. THANK YOU :D

[whitestuff]

I have watched so many marathon pace strategy videos, this advice stands out especially the consideration of cognitive load. It entirely makes sense that would be a drain on your valuable energy stores. Great video.

[grahamsy]

Great advice! Going to Chicago on 10/8, hope to do sub-4 with starting slow and patient.

[cdsanchez]

Thank you for the tips! Got the sf marathon in two days and I’m freaking out haha my training was plagued with injuries. My goal is just to cross the finish line

[aeroman]

fantastic video, thank you! About to do my first marathon in London and this has really helped to confirm and go into detail negative split/ easy going start that I'm really hoping to stick to and not get carried away like it seems so many people do 🙏

[dennislouwerse]

Great video Brodie, thanks! After running my first marathon on the trails without any time goal last year, coming Sunday i'll have my first 'pancake' road marathon and was struggling on finding a pacing strategy. This is going to help me a lot!

[DWNY]

The conservative approach you described worked very well for me - I ran a consistent 8:05 pace at the recent Berlin marathon right to the end. Of course that was a very flat marathon. I am a less sure how to approach the NYCM in 2 weeks, given that I have already run a marathon recently and that it is a hillier course throughout.

[francescborrull]

To run at an even effort, the Stryd pod may come very handy.
Great vide. Thanks!

[sabinahavkins]

Since I started running marathons way before GPS watches and only had the Timex chrono type watch what we used to do was pre race figure out the splits at each mile
I then wrote most of these either on my bib ( upside down so I could just tip up my shirt and see the split time)
Or write them on the back of my hand
Usually I’d include the 5 and 10 and 14 and 18 splits
I usually stopped at 20 cos by then it was just hang on for whatever you got left
I hesitate to follow pacers as I sometimes they aren’t always accurate and I don’t like giving up too much control to someone else
I still write times down for important races
Great video
Thanx

[bakerstreet]

2 weeks ago I did my 3rd marathon. I was trying to get 2:50 but I dont know why I start every time way to fast (and I know it's a big mistake), I passed the half in 1:21 and I hitted the wall early at km 30.Cramped till the end and closed with new PB in 2:54 :c I feel like I can do my goal! my PB was 2:59 4 months ago 🤟

[alanshrimpton]

I need to work on something. My Oct marathon 3h8m but my best HM is 1h32m. Which means double 1h32m = 3h4m + 4m for my marathon time. Either I have more slow twitch muscle fibers or I need to work on my HM time.

[ellens]

A really good video. I also had not thought about cognitive load and would do math extrapolating from current location and time where I was on pace to arrive. I can’t usually use pacers because they don’t have any with marathon times more than 5 hours. Anyway, this year I’m focusing more on trails and halfs so it’s okay.
Where I struggle is at the start of a couple of my favorite road half marathons we climb from sea level up a long hill, mix that with the energy surge of the start of a race and it’s just reminding myself it’s all for fun and health, short uphill intervals mixed with walking when I can’t go any more.

[TommysVinylnaut]

Well explained thanks. Pacers helps a lot in marathons.

[samwoodward]

I definitely prefer to start at a pace slightly below what I know I can hold and being able to do the second half about 5% better and still end on what my best average pace is

[PoetWithPace]

Well presented video, thank you! I see so many going “all-in” and then blow up in second half and some are professional running coaches 🤣🤣🤣

[samuelsamsamu]

Thank you very much for your tips. Very clearly explained ! 👍

[mouse]

Being an elite athlete I disagree with your friend on the phone. A negative split is better and more effective than an even split. As proven in the majority of the fastest ever marathons.

[franklehouillier]

I mean those Billat people have lots of papers saying that you should spend the majority of your race below your goal time pace with smaller much faster intervals. The science isn't as unequivocal as Dr. Hanley suggests. One paper might be "Marathon Performance Depends on Pacing Oscillations between Non Symmetric Extreme Values" by Pycke and Billat.

[ScambaiterX]

You should factor in fatigue. Example: Half-marathon time * ((26.2/13.1)^1.06) = Marathon time.