Face the highest risk of injury in their final quarter of training, which is now. Dominic Rae, Physio therapist and Head of Sports Medicine and Performance at Ten Percent Club has provided advice and explained why this is the case for many:
84% of British runners get injured during marathon training — and these are the weeks most damage is done
First-time marathon runners are being urged to take immediate action as they enter the highest-risk window of their entire training cycle, with a leading sports medicine specialist warning that the majority are making preventable mistakes with injury management, nutrition and hydration that could cost them the race.
A major international study of more than 7,600 runners found that British runners have the highest injury rate in the world, with up to 84% sustaining a running-related injury during training. Separate research tracking over 1,000 marathon runners found that overuse injuries nearly triple in prevalence as training progresses, peaking in the final training quarter, which for anyone following a standard plan for the London Marathon on 27 April, falls right now.
Dominic Rae, Head of Sports Medicine and Performance Specialist at Ten Percent Club, says the final weeks are where the most avoidable damage is done. “Runners have put in months of work and they’re so close that they ignore the signals. A niggle becomes an injury, a missed nutrition window becomes a wall at mile 18. The runners who get hurt at this stage are often the ones who’ve trained the hardest,” he says.
What runners must do now to protect their race
Know the warning signs and stop training through them
Runner’s knee, IT band syndrome, shin splints and plantar fasciitis are the most common injuries at this stage of training. Pain that appears at the same point in every run, pain that changes your gait, or pain still present the morning after are not things to push through. “The runners who reach the start line healthy are almost always the ones who respected their warning signs early,” Dom warns.
Stop under-fuelling during your biggest training weeks
Many runners eat the same way at 40 miles per week as they did at 15, creating a calorie and nutrient deficit that directly increases injury risk. Muscles and tendons need the right raw materials to repair. “ The correct nutrition pre, during, and after long runs is essential at this stage” Dom explains.
Don’t miss the recovery window
The period immediately after a long run is the most effective window for glycogen replenishment and muscle repair. Most recreational runners miss it entirely. Consuming protein and carbohydrates promptly after finishing, and continuing to refuel at regular intervals, makes a measurable difference to recovery across the remaining training weeks.
Get your hydration right for your body, not a generic plan
Sweat rate varies enormously between individuals, and sodium loss varies just as much. “In professional sport, hydration is individualised. In recreational running, the advice is almost always generic, and it simply doesn’t work for a significant proportion of runners,” Dom warns. Start electrolyte supplementation on long runs now rather than experimenting on race day.
Trust the taper and prioritise sleep
Reducing mileage in the final two to three weeks is physiologically necessary, not a loss of fitness. Sleep is when repair happens, and sacrificing it during taper negates much of the benefit.
Why acting this week matters
Dominic’s final warning: “Whatever you plan to do on race day, you should have done it on your long runs first. Race day is not the time to experiment. These final training weeks are your last chance to get it right.”
