Tune-up races: untested, may help pacing

Nobody has tested whether a tune-up race makes the marathon itself faster. Runners with more marathon experience tend to hold a steadier pace, and in one large race data set pace changed far more over the marathon (about 10 to 13%) than over 10K (about 3 to 4%). A tune-up may help as pacing rehearsal, but that benefit is untested.

What it means in practice

Present tune-up races and time trials as optional pacing rehearsal, not as a way to run a faster marathon. Do not say they improve or fail to improve finish time, because no study has measured it. Rubric 10b cites this claim with no scoring change.

The evidence

• Swain, P., Biggins, J., Gordon, D. (2020). Marathon pacing ability: Training characteristics and previous experience. European Journal of Sport Science.

  Runners who had run more marathons paced their races more evenly, and so did those who trained with longer runs. The strongest correlates of pacing were finishing time and race personal bests, with experience and training measures weaker but significant. This is a cross-sectional survey (139 respondents, 82 even-pacing runners analysed), so it shows correlation rather than cause. Prior race exposure tracks with pacing skill. It does not show that tune-up races build it.

  n=139

• Cuk, I., Nikolaidis, P.T., Villiger, E. et al. (2021). Pacing in Long-Distance Running: Sex and Age Differences in 10-km Race and Marathon. Medicina.

  In the marathon, women slow by about 9.85% on average and men by 12.70%, a real sex difference. At 10 km the slowing is far smaller (women 3.99%, men 3.38%) and the sex difference seen in the marathon was not present. Pace change is sharpest in the youngest and oldest marathon age groups (12.55% on average) compared with all other age groups (10.96%). The authors recommend rehearsing even or negative splits in shorter races before a marathon, both to run faster and to lower the injury risk of severe positive splits.

  n=25143

Why we call confidence low

No study has tested tune-up races or time trials against marathon finish time or pacing. A survey of marathon runners (Swain 2019, 139 surveyed, 82 analysed) linked more marathon experience and longer training runs to more even pacing, but finishing time and personal bests were the strongest correlates, so fitness is part of the link. Official results from 8,828 Oslo marathoners and 16,315 10K runners (Cuk 2021) showed much larger pace changes in the marathon than the 10K, and the authors recommend rehearsing even pacing in shorter races, which is advice, not a test.

Where it applies

Recreational marathon runners.

Does not apply to: elite athletes where pacing skill is presumed and additional rehearsal yields little marginal benefit.

Plans that respect this

Plans that scored well on the rubric measures informed by this claim.

• 10-Week Advanced 10k Training (5 days)
• 10-Week Run a Faster 10k (3 days)
• 10-Week Run a Faster 10k (4 days)
• 10-Week Run a Faster 10k (5 days)
• 10-Week Run a Faster 10k (6 days)
• 10-Week Run a Faster Half Marathon (3 days)
• 10-Week Run a Faster Half Marathon (4 days)
• 10-Week Run a Faster Half Marathon (5 days)
• 10-Week Run Your First 10k (3 days)
• 10-Week Run Your First Half Marathon (3 days)
• 10-Week Run Your First Half Marathon (4 days)
• 10-Week Sub-1:30 Half Marathon (4 days)