Marathon Race Day Disasters: What Could Go Wrong & How to Fix It

We dream of the perfect race day, but let’s be honest—things can (and often do) go wrong at retty much any running event distance, from the 5K to ultramarathon distances. On today's podcast, we'll delve into the top 10 hiccups that can wreck your race. From blown-up pacing to blister meltdowns, weather surprises fueling nightmares, to the dreaded running side stitch, we’re getting into everything that could go wrong in a race and, more importantly, how to fix it in the moment. Plus, we will share personal horror stories from the road and trail. For each issue, we'll break down the details and science behind why it happens, practical tips on how to handle it in the moment, and strategies to prevent it from happening again. We Cover: 00:00 - Intro 01:56 - Hitting the Wall in a Marathon 11:22 - GI Issues 22:13 - Chafing, Blisters and Shoe Problems 29:36 - Side Stitch 38:30 - Leg Craps and Muscle Fatigue 41:41 - Dehydration 50:44 - Fueling Mistakes and Energy Crashes 54:40 - Bad Weather 1:02:50 - Mental Fatigue/Losing Focus 1:13:55 - Getting Lost/Sent Off Course Over 230,000 runners read our newsletter. Sign up here and get our free book The 26 Golden Rules Of Running: https://marathonhandbook.com/newsletter/ Our free marathon training plans: https://marathonhandbook.com/trainingplans/marathon-training-plans/ Follow us on IG: https://instagram.com/marathon.handbook Follow us on Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@marathon.handbook Like us on FB: https://facebook.com/marathonhandbook Follow us on X: https://x.com/MarathonHB