Wednesday: Eat well!
- Continue to follow your usual healthy, balanced training diet.
- Be sure not to skip meals or snacks on the days leading up to the event.
- Take extra care with food hygiene.
- Choose well-cooked protein and avoid raw fish and shellfish (e.g. sushi or oysters) as well as undercooked meat and eggs (e.g. burgers).
- Stick with foods you know you can tolerate.
- Don’t try anything new or risky.
- Avoid junk food.
- Reduce alcohol intake in the week leading up to the race; and ideally, avoid alcohol in the 24 hours before the race. You can have that celebratory beer (or 3) after the race.
RELATED: COMRADES 2019: All You Need To Know!
Thursday: Plan your race day well in advance.
It’ll minimise stress on the day – which means you’ll start your race relaxed and focussed. Ask – and answer – the following questions:
- What time are you going to wake up?
- How are you getting to the start, or where are you going to park?
- How much time do you need to get from your car to the start?
- When and where are you going to go the loo?
- Study the route map: where should you hydrate, take in fuel, look for your supporters? Have you visualised where you should be at certain points?
Friday / Saturday: Try to hit the expo early.
- Quickly browse the stalls and look at all the gear and gadgets on offer.
- Don’t spend hours ambling around the expo: you need to rest those legs for the 86.83km slog on Sunday!
- Don’t buy anything new for race day! Running in brand new gear, or trying out a new gel for the first time is a sure way to ruin your race. If you’re buying new gear, consider it a reward for finishing the race.
RELATED: 4 Common Race-Day Mistakes To Avoid
Saturday: Try to keep off your feet as much as possible, but do go for a light, easy, gentle leg loosener run (a maximum of 15 minutes).
Be prepared and lay out your gear the night before. You don’t want to be fumbling around in the early hours of the morning searching for your gear. Trust us.
- Tie your timing chip to your shoes
- Shorts, socks, cap, sports bra, sun glasses? Check, check, check, check, check.
- Take a snack (such as a banana or gel) to have while you wait for the start.
- Plan your breakfast: is your coffee ready to brew? Breakfast waiting to be munched? Do you have enough milk? You don’t want to start your day without your normal routine!
RELATED: 13 Ways To Ruin Your Comrades
Sunday: Hello, race day!
Set two (or three) alarms, and get a friend to call you if you haven’t messaged them by a certain time.
- Stay calm: you’ve done everything that you need to!
- Breathe it in: the 2019 Comrades Marathon has arrived!
For more race-day tips, get the special May/June Issue of Runner’s World Magazine, on sale now!