How to Plan for an International Marathon

How to Plan for an International Marathon

NO MATTER HOW well-prepared you think you are to run a marathon fitness-wise, traveling to another country to compete will be a challenge, says Jessie Zapotechne a NYC-based performance coach and US community leader of Adidas Runners. She has run the Berlin Half and Marathon multiple times since 2012, and says she uses her experience from all those races to counsel runners for their own jetset trips. “To be quite honest, I think about these tips because of all the mistakes I’ve made over the years,” Zapotechne says. “That helps me to be a better coach from learning the hard way.”

Tommie Runz is a content creator and runner from Detroit. While there are events in his local area, almost all of his races have required travel. “I’ve done 14 marathons, and only one of them was in my state,” he says. Since we spoke, he added another to that list (Chicago), and he’ll finish out the season with New York City, hitting all six Majors in 2024. He’s also vegan—so he understands the challenges that come while traveling for anyone who has dietary restrictions.

These experts have considered just about every scenario you’ll face while you make your own pre-race preparations, but keep in mind that everyone is different. Apply these tips when they fit, and don’t stress if your circumstances (like budget or trip length) force you to adjust and plan differently. Above all, just remember: It’s supposed to be a good time. “This is a hobby—we’re not like Eliud Kipchoge,” Runz says. “Find a way to balance fun and also plan for race day.”

Book Your Travel Early—and Get There Early, Too

If you’re lucky enough to gain entry into an international race, the first step should be booking your travel and accommodations. You don’t want to risk a surge in ticket prices or room rates, putting other aspects of your trip in jeopardy if you blow your budget on airfare and lodgings. On the fitness side of things, if you know exactly when you’ll be flying out, you’ll be in a better position to program all your workouts ahead of time. “My training plans for athletes when they are traveling are plugged in, and we’re thinking about that in how they’re training,” Zapotechne says.

Exactly how many days you give yourself to acclimate ahead of the race will depend on your circumstances. Work schedules, budgets, and family responsibilities will likely play into this, but you should definitely not plan to show up just the day before your run. Flight delays could ruin your trip, and you’ll need to ease into the foreign environment. “I would recommend at least giving yourself a couple of days before the race to get into town,” Zapotechne advises. “I’ve seen athletes cut it real close—but ideally, you’re giving yourself two or three days before the race is happening to get into that city.”

Having those extra days will be important to allow you to recover from the flight, adjust to time and climate differences, and set yourself up for a good night’s sleep ahead of the big day. Less practically, an earlier arrival will give you a chance to take part in as much of the marathon experience as you can.

Zapotechne also advises that you make one other early booking to avoid last-minute scrambling and high costs: dinner the night before the race. Aim for carb-heavy meals that won’t upset your stomach, so resist the urge to try a new type of cuisine, even though you’re in a foreign city. “Find a place that’s nearby or accessible [to your hotel] so that you’re going to have an early dinner and get back to your hotel, get off your feet, and have all your stuff ready,” she says. Aim for a sit-down meal two or three hours before you plan to go to sleep. “You don’t want to have a late night dinner before your race,” Zapotechne cautions. “You [might still be] digesting it in the morning, or [maybe] you can’t go to the bathroom in the morning because you ate too late. And that’s never fun.”

Race Gear Gets Packing Priority

One of the most common marathon truisms is “nothing new on race day.” You’ll put that to the test if you show up to your destination and your checked bags containing your race day kit don’t. Limit the chances of gear emergencies by making sure your race day essentials are with you through transit.

“I’ve had friends’ luggage get lost, and then they don’t have their shoes and they don’t have their outfit,” Zapotechne says. To prevent this, stow your shoes, race day outfit, and even your on-course fuel like gels in your carry-on. You’ll probably be able to find a suitable tank top to run in before the race, but your perfectly worn-in super shoes? Probably not. “You’re not guaranteed to find that stuff in another country, she points out. That counts for your pre-race meal, too; Zapotechne says she always travels with peanut butter and instant oatmeal packets in her bag.

Even if you have to pack smelly shoes right next to your toiletries, you’ll be thankful that you have everything you need in the event of a baggage emergency. My race sneakers were thrashed after running Berlin’s streets and getting soaked at water stations, so I tied them to my backpack straps for the journey home. You can try that too to give the rest of your stuff some space without potential stink and street grime.

Hydration Starts Early

You’ll need more than will to finish a marathon. Fueling and hydration are key—and that can fall by the wayside when you’re taking a long haul flight. Make hydration a priority even before your plane pulls off the runway. Whether you’re trying to avoid bathroom trips or you just get caught up in your inflight movie, don’t let your surroundings distract you from drinking water.

“Bring a water bottle with you on the plane,” Zapotechne advises. “Don’t drink alcohol on the plane—it’s going to dehydrate you. Even though it’s a long trip, I highly recommend not doing that. Wait for the way back. You don’t want to show up in that other country or city dehydrated, because then it’s hard to come back from that.”

Once you’re on the ground at your destination, don’t ditch your bottle so quickly, either. “Definitely carry your water bottle around with you when you are out and about in that city—not every country drinks a lot of water,” Zapotechne notes.

In Berlin, for instance, I was surprised to find that normal still water isn’t always easy to find. I constantly found myself making extra requests in restaurants or sorting through bottles of sparkling water to stay hydrated. International races often offer fewer aid stations on the course than American events—every three miles, rather than every mile, according to Zapotechne—so if you’re the type of runner who needs a drink before the three-mile marker, she advises starting the race carrying a bottle, too.

Sleep Smart—and Be Ready for the Time Change

Sleep might not be your main concern when you’re trying to enjoy every bit of your time in another country, but you’ll need plenty of it for the long run. Similar to hydration, you should aim to start off your trip on the right foot even before you’ve left. “If you know you’re not a great sleeper during travel, try to sleep a lot the week before, so that you’re already getting your body ready for wonky travel sleep,” Zapotechne advises. There’s no magic number for everyone, but try getting two or three extra hours in the days leading up to the flight if you can.

Along these lines, you’ll have to adjust to a different time zone, which can be jarring especially if you don’t travel often. “You have to almost start being aware of the time change before you even leave,” Runz says. Try going to bed and waking up to match that time zone for a day or two before the trip to acclimate. Then if your flight lines up with night time at your destination, he recommends you use the trip to get extra rest. “Take advantage of [that time] to sleep.” Skip the inflight movie and maybe even invest in a sleep mask.

If your flight is during your destination’s daytime, Zapotechne notes that a plane ride slumber isn’t the wisest course of action. “If you’re going to be getting there at night time, maybe you’re staying up on the plane ride so that when you get there you are really tired and you can go to sleep,” she says. “Do your best to acclimate to where they are at.” Stay awake by keeping yourself engaged in a book or movie, setting phone alarms, and getting up to walk the cabin (when you’re allowed).

And when it comes to the night before the race, an early bedtime is non-negotiable—you’ll want way more than just six hours of shut-eye, as close to the general recommendation of seven to nine hours as possible. Finish your evening early, turn your lights out, and avoid extra screentime before you sleep.

Save Your Steps for the Race

Once you’re on the ground there are a million different things you can do in the lead-up to your race. Major marathon weekends offer all kinds of special activities, alongside the typical tourist attractions of a large city. As any tired-out traveler can tell you, all the walking required will add up to actual mileage on your feet and legs. “Ideally, you’re picking and choosing wisely what those tourist activities would be and planning ahead that you need to keep your meals at regular times,” Zapotechne says.

You might have a hard time deciding which events are essential and which you should skip. Ultimately, that will depend on you—but Zapotechne has some helpful advice to keep you from getting too worn out before the starting gun fires: Set a step limit, and stay below it. “Try to keep yourself close to 10,000 steps,” she says. “Maybe 12,000.”

The actual number will depend on the person, but she says that range will still allow you to take plenty of time on your feet for stuff you need to do, like visiting the expo to pick up your bib and even for a short shakeout run, since you will need to loosen up after the flight and get acclimated ahead of the race. Just don’t go overboard, and avoid extraneous steps by taking a cab instead of legging it or standing in long lines at tourist traps. “Danger Zone for sure is when you’re getting close to 20,000. That’s too many steps,” she says.

I was able to go to a Saturday shakeout run within this structure, but skipped out on walking to the Brandenburg Gate before the race when my steps creeped up near the 10K mark. When I wanted to meet a friend for coffee, I rode a bike the mile to the café instead of hoofing it on foot.

If you’re at an impasse and struggling to fit everything you want to do before your race, that might be a sign to plan time for sightseeing after you run. “If you are going to plug in tourist activities, ideally it’s after the race has happened,” she says. “It’s also really good for you after a race to walk around a lot for recovery.”

Google Translate Is Your Friend

Minimize headaches in non-English speaking countries by learning the most common phrases you’ll need through apps like Duolingo and Google Translate. This will be especially important for last-minute fueling emergencies—especially for people like Runz who have dietary restrictions. And remember, speaking is only half the battle.

“For Japan and Germany, I only knew enough to know the key things I can’t eat or drink,” he says. “When you’re talking to a waiter, it’s easy. But if you’re looking at packages in a store and you don’t know what milk is or what it looks like in Japanese, that is a big thing.”

Alongside real-time translation, some apps like Google Translate have features that can use the camera to translate text, so you’ll be able to decipher what exactly is on a nutrition label. You’ll have an easier time getting last-minute fuel without something you can’t eat if you’ve taken the step to download the app (and download your destination’s label for offline use, too) ahead of time.

Read the Forecast, But Plan for Anything

Weather can be a challenge anywhere, but you’ll especially need to be mindful of the conditions ahead of your race. “Make sure to check the weather in the city you are traveling to a few days in advance—and prepare that weather can change when you arrive, so pack clothing for all types of weather,” she says. You can get a decent idea what the conditions will be at three or four days out, but even a rough 10-day forecast will be useful if your itinerary is on the longer side. “Also make sure to put a warm or comfortable change of clothes and slides in your checked back for after the race, as you’ll want something comfortable to change into after running 26.2,” Zapotechne advises.

Don’t get too distracted by high temps, either. You’ll need to also keep an eye on what the lows are slated to be, especially considering that you’ll probably need to leave for the corral early in the morning when the full heat of the day will still be hours in the future. You’ll likely spend more time outside when it’s colder—while trying to conserve your energy ahead of the run and staying still—than in the sun in the afternoon when you’ve already finished the race.

Another pro tip: On race day, most runners show up wearing “throwaway” clothes for the starting corral. These are sweatshirts, pants, jackets, and hats that will help to keep you warm, but will be discarded and left behind once you’re ready to start the race (most event crews collect these clothes for donation afterwards). You probably don’t want to take up space in your baggage for your ratty old sweats—so make some time to hit a thrift store or street vendor for some secondhand gear you won’t be upset parting with once your time comes to run. Exactly what you’ll need will depend on the conditions, but aim to buy a warm top (sweatshirt or jacket), sweatpants, and gloves.

Get to the Race Early

The old maxim that being early is on time, on time is late, and late is unacceptable applies to your marathon. You’ve invested everything in this moment, from the hours spent training and money spent on airline fares, hotel costs, and everything in between—so make sure you don’t ruin the experience with the starting line in sight.

“Race day mornings are so hectic,” Runz says. There are upwards of 50,000 people jockeying to get to their corrals within a few short hours—not to mention spectators and everyone else in a major city trying to live their lives on race day. You’ll need to have your plan before the morning of to get to the right place on time. That could mean learning public transit routes you can take to get to the staging area and even doing a practice run before the event, since roadways will likely be diverted and extra busy with all the people who didn’t plan ahead hailing rides to get to the same place. To be extra safe, budget yourself at least an extra two or three hours before your wave is scheduled to start.

Then, there’s the marathon village itself. These are big, sprawling setups with lots going on, so it can be easy to get distracted. “Get to your corral in a timely fashion,” Runz advises. Again, “timely” here means early—think at least 45 minutes before your start time.

This was especially important in Berlin, and I almost missed my wave because I didn’t heed this advice. The race organizers had worked to make it the biggest marathon of all time—and in doing so, the staging area was a madhouse. People were packed in small areas, and signage wasn’t always clear. I arrived at the crush of people 15 minutes ahead of the gun, and found myself pushing through the crowd and climbing over barriers to get to my proper pace group. That took up a lot more energy and effort than I wanted before I was slated to run for three-plus hours.

Ultimately, it’s up to you to get to the starting line. Runz knows there are no hacks once you near zero hour and everyone is raring to go, especially as running has grown so much over the last few years. “Every race is going to be like this—until the streets get bigger,” he says.