For the majority of marathoners, especially nonprofessionals, choosing a 26.2-miler can boil down to something as simple as a favorite city, a low entrance fee, a good chance of acceptance, or another state on the list. For an elite athlete, however, there is much more involved. With but two marathons a year in which to compete, ideally, the selection criteria can involve everything from the time between Olympic Trials, the money, the chance of winning, and even the prestige. And once a marathon is chosen, there is the matter of race-specific training, in-the-race experiences, and even whether a pro while at work can actually enjoy the race itself or the host city and its people.

Selection process “With the marathon, since you can’t do too many of them, you have to look at which time of year you want to do it and then look at which ones are available; and obviously, you always start with the Marathon Majors as the biggest ones,” said Californian Brett Gotcher, who came in fifth at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Men’s Marathon Trials in Houston (2:11:06).

Other factors can include special circumstances, too, which for a lot of marathoners in 2014 led them to the Boston Marathon, the anniversary edition of which honored the victims of the bombing attacks that occurred the previous year. “

I knew I wanted to run a marathon in the spring, and with everything that happened, Boston was the obvious choice, so I did whatever I could to make it,” said Gotcher. “I decided this last September or October that I knew I wanted to do it—and that’s quite a bit in advance for a race—so I was able to map everything out, backwards from Boston.”

For Romanian-born American citizen Adriana (Pirtea) Nelson of Colorado, part of her decision making depends on her progress, especially when it comes

© Paul Clerici

to the big-city marathons. “I race one race and then I pick the next one,” she said. “Mainly, for the major races, usually if I run well, [then I go] to the next. If I don’t run very well, then you might have to pick another one, a smaller race. And in between, for practice, you might have a half-marathon and a 10K just to shake up your legs.”

Echoing that marathon-to-marathon approach based on the previous result is Serena Burla of Virginia. In January 2012, between miles 18 and 19, she dropped out of the U.S. Olympic Women’s Marathon Trials, so she was able to quickly make plans for the Seoul “With the marathon, since you International Dong-A Marathon two months can’t do too many of them, you later in which she came in third (2:28:27). have to look at which time of “

It’s obviously a process my coach and I year you want to do it and always discuss, but it’s always about how much then look at which ones are time there is to recover from the last one to have available.”—Brett Gotcher that proper buildup,” she said. “Usually it’s just what fits timing-wise, and just kind of when you start coming around after the previous marathon. Obviously, a lot of us want long careers, so you have to kind of find that balance of the courses that really beat you up and then one that might be a little bit gentler on your body. It depends on, too, if it’s more of a place-type race or time. It just kind of varies at what you’re looking for.”

Jeffrey Eggleston of Colorado bases his selections on where he is in his career. In the eight-month period from August 2013 to April 2014, for example, he ran the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) World Championships Marathon in Russia, where he was the first American finisher (13th overall at 2:14:23), and then the New York City Marathon (14th at 2:16:35) in November before he ran the Boston Marathon in April. “[

Boston] made the most sense to me because [after] New York City and the World Championships, I wanted to get back out and run a championship-style race with no pacemakers and not really [have an] emphasis on time, and then just kind of measure myself in a championship race against other top Americans and other top internationals, and then maybe focus more on time in the fall marathon. That was kind of my logic in selecting Boston,” said Eggleston, who set his personal record (PR) on Patriots’ Day with an eighth-place 2:11:57.

U.S. National Marathon champion Nicholas “Nick” Arciniaga of Arizona, who earned that title with his 2:13:11 win at the 2013 Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon, has very specific goals when it comes to selecting his marathon schedule.

© Paul Clerici

“My big goals are to make World Championship teams, Olympic teams, U.S. championships—big races—and to perform well,” he said. “I try to pick and choose, try to get one to [get to] the other and just work back from there [to

the big-city races]. I look to races where I can get some good experience with races—not necessarily for time—but races to win.” Arciniaga, who has run in two U.S. Olympic Men’s Marathon Trials, including an eighth-place

2:11:56 PR at the 2012 Houston, also takes into account a marathon’s level of difficulty and “Good thing we have In- competitiveness when he plans to include World ternet now. I go and see the Marathon Majors. “I’ll go to some not-as-tough marathons, like profile of the race or [if] a Grandma’s Marathon or a Twin Cities again in they have [a] course video, the fall, nothing like a big-city marathon where I can see the racecourse.”— they’re going to have an international continAdriana Nelson

gent,” he said. “Just try to build confidence. Not so much [for the] prize money as the drive—if I win, I’ll get the prize money if I run a fast time—but basically just go out there and try to get the experience and build on that.”

Research How much to research a course is up to the individual. Some feel the need to dig deep and learn every hill, turn, and pothole and replicate that in training. Others feel less driven to even see a course before race day. But whatever the choice,

coaches always preach to their athletes to train for the race they are going to run. “That’s incredibly important,” Eggleston said. “I think I learned that last fall when I did the [2013] New York City Marathon. New York and Boston are two

of the World Marathon Majors that are probably the most difficult courses to run, so you really have to be prepared and integrate those elements that are most difficult into your training. I try to simulate what my legs are going to experience in the race.”

Nelson, who has top-10 World Marathon Majors finishes at the 2010 Berlin (sixth at 2:30:15), 2009 Chicago (10th at 2:34:07), 2008 London (10th at 2:28:52), and 2007 Chicago (second at 2:33:52), also pays attention to course details for

her training. And that preparation seems to work. “Good thing we have Internet now,” she said with a laugh at the ease of finding topographic data. “I go and see the profile of the race or [if] they have [a] course

© Paul Clerici

video, I can see the racecourse. Also talk to other athletes who raced in the race and they tell you about the course or what to train for. For example, for [Boston] I have to make sure I know how to train my quads to be strong for the first half and be ready to take the hills the second half.”

There is also the question of the merits of experiencing the course firsthand prior to the race. Some see a visit to the course as unnecessary; others, such as Eggleston—winner of the 2012 The Woodlands Marathon in Texas (2:15:42) and the 2011 Pittsburgh Marathon (2:16:40)—feel it is imperative, and as far as he is concerned, of “You have to be adaptable proven benefits. in the marathon. You have “

I think [the Boston] course plays to a lot of a set race plan, but then my strengths. I train on Boulder, Colorado, hills as it evolves, too, there’re and I’m a pretty strong hill runner. I like how definitely decision-making this course undulates a lot,” said Eggleston, who points—the pack is just traveled to the Bay State the month before the

gone, do I go with them or race. “I ran the entire course over three or four run by myself—all those days and just got to see the Newton hills portion, different issues that you just the downhill portions. And being able to see the course and watching previous race videos, it’s have to be confident in your plan and then your ability in my head.”

Gotcher also recognizes the importance of to make decisions on the seeing and feeling a course. A case in point for go.”—Serena Burla him is how he approached the Boston Marathon and what he learned when he took advantage of the proximity to Massachusetts in 2014 when he ran the New York City Half-Marathon in March. “

I was lucky,” Gotcher said. “John Hancock brought me out and I was able to run every part of the course—and even do a long run where I got to run from the start to the top of Heartbreak Hill—so I got to see everything. I feel like I was able to get a good read on it and just know what to expect, which is, I think, huge for a course like this. “

I went home and I changed my training. I wasn’t doing enough downhill, I wasn’t doing enough transiting from downhill to uphill. It was extremely valuable, and I’m really grateful they brought me out for that. There’s only so much you can learn from an elevation chart or a video or just even from other people telling you. You’ve got to see it for yourself.”

Conversely for Arciniaga, he can point to his victorious 2013 Twin Cities, several podium finishes—including second place at the 2011 Houston (2:11:30)—and top

© Paul Clerici

American honors at the Los Angeles, Houston, Rock ’n’ Roll San Diego, and Boston marathons as proof that his approach of rarely running a course before toeing the line works for him. “I haven’t visited a marathon course before

the actual marathon in a few years,” he said. “I basically look at the course’s profile on the Internet, or if I’ve run it before; and I do try to simulate that in my workouts and training in Flagstaff. Like for Boston, [do] a lot of downhill

repeats, a lot of rolling hills late in my tempo runs, stuff like that. Just try to evaluate the course.” “I think entirely metric. I do Burla, the 2014 U.S. Women’s Half-Marmy training in kilometers and athon champion (1:10:48), finds it beneficial

I found the most effective strat- either way. “I don’t have to be on the course. egy for me, especially running There’s been times that I have and times that the a lot of the larger interna- first time that I’ve seen it is when I’m running

tional marathons, is to have on it that day. But I definitely find out about those checkpoints. It’s really the course to see what will lay ahead. If it’s a easy to think in terms of 5Ks.” hilly course, you want to do a little bit more

hills or if it’s a downhill course, you want to —Jeffrey Eggleston be comfortable running downhill. Nowadays they’re getting pretty good with the course profiles. That’s always helpful.”

Markers Once the marathon selection and training are complete, what follows is the intricate balance to mix all the research, visualization, and planning into the stew that may propel the athlete to success. Part of that process is how to measure oneself throughout the competition. “You have to be adaptable in the marathon,” Burla said. “You have a set race plan, but then as it evolves, too, there’re definitely decision-making points—the pack is just

gone, do I go with them or run by myself—all those different issues that you just have to be confident in your plan and then your ability to make decisions on the go. Sometimes you’re going by 5Ks, sometimes you’re really

hurting and you’re pushing to the next light post. It varies. For me, I have a son, so any time there’s a park, that’s always kind of a mental wake-up and I think of him and keep going. You have to find what motivates you.”

Eggleston has trained himself to be precise in his measuring. The 2012 San Francisco Second Half-Marathon winner (1:03:54) stays true to his markers in order to maintain the consistency on which he depends.

© Paul Clerici

“I think entirely metric,” he said. “I do my training in kilometers and I found the most effective strategy for me, especially running a lot of the larger international marathons, is to have those checkpoints, and you get more constant feedback

with kilometer splits. I like to break it up every 5K. And it’s really easy to think in terms of 5Ks.” Not so for Gotcher. “I check my watch every mile just to kind of know where I’m at. And the entire race I’m constantly taking inventory of my

body. How is this feeling; how is that feeling; do I need to slow down, speed up? It’s a constant cycle of keeping track of how you’re doing, and fuel “I do have A, B, C, D, E, consumption. There are so many more factors that

F plans. I have a million go into it than going out and running a 10K on the plans based on how the roads. You really have to be smart and plan it out.” There is also the case for entering a race with other guys are running.”

varying plans at the ready. The ability to adjust —Nicholas Arciniaga during a marathon is paramount. Having planned for varying scenarios allows a runner to move swiftly from one aspect to another based on anything from adverse weather taking its toll to avoiding on-course

obstacles (a hapless dog, a runner’s elbow, a collision) to competing with and against a top field. “Like I did in Moscow, [sometimes I don’t] worry about time; just focus on running to the best possible place I can finish,” said Eggleston, who also added

his take on running with a stellar field. “There’re going to be so many good guys to run with, there’s plenty of athletes that I can key off of.” Arciniaga, who will stay with other runners as well, also has contingencies

for whatever kind of race develops. He tries to anticipate as many scenarios as possible and have a plan at the ready just in case. “I do have A, B, C, D, E, F plans,” he said with a laugh. “I have a million

plans based on how the other guys are running. I would prefer to run at the back of a front group or run side by side with some of the others. But at some points, I’m going to be falling off, feeling bad, knowing that I’m going to be suffering.

And do I run by myself for a while before I hit that second wind, which I know at some point will come? At that point, I may be running by myself or with somebody else. And [then] evaluate, step by step—not really looking at time or

mile by mile—how I feel.” Gotcher agrees. While the 2009 U.S. National 20K champion (58:57) enters a marathon with his top game plan, he will also store away other possibilities into which he can tap because he understands his own ability compared with that of others.

“It’s hard to have an exact plan because it is such a long race,” he said. “I think you just have an idea of how you want to run and you kind of have to, to a certain extent, do what’s best for you, especially for someone at my level where I’m not going to be able to potentially go out with the elite group if they go out and run 61 minutes for the first half. For guys that can do that, they can just go and run. For me, I have to be very smart.”

Nelson has also learned. She has improved and excelled at nearly every distance, both in Romania—where she was a six-time national champion in the 5,000 and 10,000—and, since becoming a U.S. citizen in 2011, as a two-time half-marathon winner in 2013 (U.S. Women’s HalfMarathon in 1:11:19 and the Las Vegas Rock ‘n’ Roll Half-Marathon in 1:18:10). “

We know the kind of pace we want to go, we want to achieve— don’t want to go too fast or too slow,” she said. “Every 5K, or pretty much every mile, kind of check. And you have to adjust. All the time. Say, for example, I run too fast? I know I have to slow.”

In the race For elite athletes, the two-plus hours of time in a marathon is their workday. They are not on vacation. There is no time to stop and smell the roses, so to speak. But there are times when the hard, focused shell of concentration lets in the local flavor. “Absolutely, absolutely,” said Gotcher. “It’s not often, but every once in a while you’ll spot one person that you know and you’ll connect with them and have a little bit of a moment, and that’s all you

need. And then it’s like, ‘All right, back on it.’ In terms of actually enjoying it, I think maybe the last 10 meters when you’re, like, ‘All right! I’ll be able to finish this.’ It’s a balance. Some just zone out.”

Eggleston must maintain his focus, his energy, to the single goal of racing. He inevitably absorbs the environs, of course, but he will acknowledge that later. “I really just try to keep a lid on all emotions and go to the race knowing I’ve trained to do this—to run a certain pace and to perform at this level—and it’s just turning on a light switch when I’m out there racing,” he said. “There’s going to be so many memories and things going on—and I will take that in—but I think I’ll soak it in a little bit more after the race.”

It’s the same with Arciniaga, who has competed in marathons from South Korea to every region in the United States and has been exposed to all the associated cultures, atmospheres, and customs. “I don’t know if I’ve enjoyed a marathon in the last 5K of any marathon I’ve done, where you’re suffering the most and you’re just, like, ‘Get me to that finish line!’” he says with a laugh. “But that enjoyment—I can feel it early on in the race when I’m just running with groups of people and the crowds are cheering and the people are smiling, I’m smiling. I definitely remember having those experiences. And crossing that finish line and having that euphoric feeling of finally being done, and when you run well in a PR or winning the race, makes it so much better. That’s the enjoyment I really get [that] gets me through to the end of the race.”

For Burla, a cancer survivor who has faced more than her share of adversity, it’s carpe diem for the former University of Missouri All-American. “People find different inspirations. Part of it for me is sometimes you just have to enjoy the moment,” she said. “Enjoy that funny comment someone just yelled at you or that funny sign that you happened to read. Just whatever can keep you focused and awake. You have to focus on different things. Sometimes you’re noticing the way the person’s ponytail in front [of you] swings or something else. It’s a long way. You’re focused, but I think you can” enjoy the race.