Making it to the marathon start line

The Wellington Marathon took place at the end of June while the Nelson Marathon and the Taupō Marathon are set to be staged this month and at the start of August respectively.

The North Shore Marathon and Dunedin Marathon will run in September before the big one, the Auckland Marathon, in early November and the Queenstown Marathon a couple of weeks later.

With several of those events now just weeks away, runners need to be wary of undoing months of preparation by pushing too hard in the final stretch.

The advice of Wellington-based physiotherapist Tim Dalman is simple: don’t cram, don’t change what’s working, and trust the work you’ve already done.

“Good long-distance running is all about consistency over time,” Tim says.

“It’s all about the preparation. We see the same trends every year – runners sign up for a big event and then don’t back it up with the training. Then they end up in our physio clinic hoping for a quick fix for race day.”

Tim says the key to success is building gradually and not increasing distance, speed and volume all at once.

His view of marathon running has changed over time. Where he once questioned if it was good for people, he now sees it as something the body can be trained to handle.

“Humans were designed to cover long distances quite efficiently,” he says. “We can certainly condition the body to achieve such a feat.” 

But he says preparation needs to go far beyond simply clocking up kilometres, with strength and conditioning, nutrition, hydration and sleep all shaping whether a runner gets to the start line in good shape.

Keeping the body in balance

Tim’s observed that many runners with overload injuries are dealing with more than one issue at a time, including poor recovery, under-fuelling or lack of sleep.

Old injuries that were never fully rehabilitated can also resurface under marathon training loads.

The result can be a range of injuries, from tendinopathies (overuse strains) to shin splints and stress fractures.

In 2025, ACC accepted 17,419 running-related injury claims, which came at a cost of $16.8 million to help people recover.

Tim believes these injuries happen when the body’s normal cycle of breakdown and rebuilding gets out of balance.

Runners sometimes don’t realise the damage until pain arrives and, by then, the window to safely continue training may already be closing. 

“Having that checked out, having it diagnosed, and putting the right management plan in place is crucial,” Tim says.

‘Race day is not the time to experiment’

During the final lead-in to race day, Tim feels there’s little to be gained by squeezing in extra work – the focus should instead be on keeping routines steady.

“Sleep is important, and the way you fuel yourself is very important,” he says. “And obviously having a good warm-up.” 

His message is the same as what runners often hear: race day is not the time to experiment. That means you should eat what you’ve eaten in training, warm up the way you’ve practised and avoid changing the formula just because the occasion feels bigger.

For those carrying a niggle, Tim says the decision to run should come down to understanding the risks and getting proper advice.

“Just knowing your risks and rewards and talking them over with a health professional is great,” he says.

For all the caution around training loads and injury management, Tim says the reward at the end remains a powerful motivator. 

“Crossing the finish line for a marathon is some achievement,” he says.

“All the hard work that’s gone into that pays off at the finish line with your friends and family. Enjoy that moment because you’ve earned it.” 

Tips for avoiding running injuries

• Seek advice from a professional on a training plan that suits you
• Complete a dynamic warm-up
• Ease into it – going too hard too soon can lead to injuries
• Wear appropriate footwear
• Fuel your body – make sure your nutrition and hydration are right
• Take time to rest and recover