8 Race Day Tricks for Making It to the New York City Marathon Finish Line

You’ve logged countless training miles, hydrated for months, and you can practically hear the steady rhythm made by thousands of soles hitting the New York City streets as marathon Sunday approaches. Now that race day is nearly here, what should you do to prep your body and mind to stay calm, injury-free, and psyched-up for the 26.2-mile race culminating in Central Park? To find out, we turned to the trio of super-siblings behind Santa Monica’s Altus Sports Institute. Together, Dr. Christopher Vincent, a chiropractor and sports physician; his trainer brother, Paul; and his hypnotherapist sister, Kim, keep an impressive list of pro athletes in top form, including the runners they’ve guided through the five boroughs each year. Here, they share their tips for sleeping, stretching, visualizing the course, and, of course, crossing the New York City Marathon’s finish line.

Early to Bed, Early to Rise
Get good sleep days before the race—the night before the start isn’t as crucial as the nights leading up to it. “Your body works in rhythms and cycles, so set up your nights so that you’re resting early and getting up early,” says Christopher. Imagine you’re traveling to a new time zone and acclimate to the race day time frame accordingly. “Do whatever winds you down each night,” says Kim of getting yourself into a sleep-ready frame of mind. “Take a bath, drink herbal tea, meditate, and visualize yourself waking up refreshed.”

Eat Breakfast When the Sun Comes Up
On race day, plan to have a normal breakfast near the start line at 8:00 a.m., rather than eating at 5:00 a.m., the ungodly hour when you wake up to trek there. You’ll avoid an extra meal that you don’t need. Also, ditch the water and energy gel belts, there will be plenty to eat and drink on the course. Christopher cautions, “Avoid sugar, in Halloween candy, energy gel, and sports drinks, before the race starts. It triggers the body to take sugar out of the blood and store it, and muscles do the same as you start to run, so you risk getting hypoglycemic. Your sugar stores will be depleted before you even start the race.”

Make Time for a Proper Warm-Up
Once you arrive on Staten Island for the race’s start, spend 10 minutes jogging nearby. “This is your chance to let your body get alert, turn on your muscles, and make sure any injured areas are getting warm,” says Paul. The key here is to warm up everything around a joint that’s tender, rather than doing static stretches that can harm it even further. Do ankle circles, heel-to-toe walking, and relax shoulders and arms. Get ready to race.

Loosen Up
Start dynamic flexibility stretches, which are moves that engage multiple body parts and stretch your muscles while they’re warm and in motion (rather than when they’re inert and cold, which can cause injuries). Butt-kicks, high knees, and walking lunges are all great options. Finally, do 10 one-minute sprints. Start slow, build up speed, then slow down during each rep. “Timing is important,” says Paul. “Do all of this before you line up in the corral. But don’t start doing static stretches in the corral, even if others are,” warns Paul. “Stick to what you’ve done the whole time you’ve been training,” he adds. Make friends in the corral to collectively carve out space for last-minute dynamic stretches (knees to chest, heel raises) to stay warm.

Feel the Adrenaline Rush—But Be Sure to Pace Yourself
Take a look around before the gun goes off. “You’re out with thousands of people—let yourself feel their energy push you through the start,” Kim says. But don’t forget to pace yourself. Even pros get caught up in the adrenaline rush at the start line. Sticking to your pace is key to finishing the race. “Let your footsteps set the rhythm in your head,” adds Kim.

Set Small Goals
Even pro runners need to reach little victories along the way by setting landmarks for themselves. “Just get to the next lamppost,” says Paul. Pro runners follow rabbits to keep a certain pace, but every marathoner can find someone who is running a similar speed and mentally hook into them. “Imagine there’s a rope between you, and the other person is pulling you along,” says Kim. Christopher reminds runners to mentally check in at each mile marker. “Ask yourself, ‘Am I running tall? Are my shoulders, jaw, and cheeks relaxed?’ ” Shake your arms out after hills, loosen your neck, and use the crowd when you get to Central Park to pull you along.

Visualize Your Post-Race Plans
“Plan how to celebrate your success,” says Kim. The idea here is that you’ll finish the race if you set your post-race intentions. “Most endurance athletes that lose sight of the finish line don’t realize what a key component visualizing finishing and recovering can be,” she adds.

Don’t Forget to Cool Down
Once you run across the finish line, don’t forget to cool down. Drink water, walk, work through sore spots with static stretches (this is the time to sit and stretch, you’ve spent 26.2 miles warming up), and draw a bath with Epsom salts once you’re home. Keep up short runs, massages, and yoga for the next couple of weeks to evaluate your body and see how everything feels. You’ll recover from the marathon healthy and fit for the next race.

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