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Research

A half marathon first may help new marathoners

Low confidence

First-time marathoners who had already raced a half marathon had lower odds of reporting an injury during training (an odds ratio of 0.40) than those who had not. Because more than half of the runners reported some injury, the drop in actual risk is smaller than that number suggests. It comes from a single cohort of New York City Marathon runners, so treat it as a lead, not a rule.

Why it works

A plausible explanation is that training for a half raises weekly running and conditions the legs, so the marathon block starts from a higher base. The study did not test why.

What it means in practice

For a first-time marathoner, suggest training for and racing a half before the marathon block when time allows. Frame it as a sensible step that one study linked to fewer injuries, not as a requirement.

The evidence

  • Toresdahl, B.G., McElheny, K., Metzl, J. et al. (2022). Factors associated with injuries in first-time marathon runners from the New York City marathon. Physician and Sportsmedicine.

    Of 675 first-time marathoners who finished the study, 64 (9.5%) sustained a major injury that stopped a race start or finish; another 332 (49.2%) reported a minor injury affecting training or performance. Prior half-marathon experience was associated with lower odds of reporting an injury (multivariable OR 0.40, 95% CI 0.22-0.76, p=0.005), and averaging four or more runs a week was associated with higher risk than fewer sessions (RR 1.36, 95% CI 1.13-1.63, p=0.001). A longer longest training run was associated with a lower incidence of race-day injuries specifically (OR 0.87 per unit, 95% CI 0.81-0.94, p<0.001). Age and sex made no significant difference. Injuries were self-reported and the design is observational, so treat these as associations rather than causes.

    n=720

Why we call confidence low

Low: one unreplicated observational study. Toresdahl 2021 followed 675 first-time New York City Marathon runners and found that those who had already run a half marathon had lower odds of reporting an injury (multivariable OR 0.40). Injuries were self-reported and more than half of the runners reported one, so the drop in actual risk is smaller than the odds ratio suggests.

Where it applies

First-time marathoners.

Does not apply to: experienced marathoners adding distance.

Last reviewed Oct 14, 2026. See how we score.