Your first race: 10K or half marathon

What's inside

1. Nothing new on race day

   Don't debut new shoes, clothes, food, or gels on race day — test everything on training runs first. New gear at the start line is the fastest way to a blister or a stomach disaster instead of a finish time.

2. Check the race's entry requirements

   Many races require a signed waiver or liability release before you can collect your bib — check the organizer's site now. Some also require proof of a medical check for longer distances.

3. Pick up your race pack at the expo, not race morning

   Expo pickup skips the huge race-morning queues that can make you miss the gun entirely. Grab your bib, timing chip, and shirt the day before and lay everything out that evening.

4. Wear shoes with 50+ km already on them

   Shoes need to be broken in but not worn out: brand-new pairs cause blisters, and a pair past 500+ km has lost its cushioning and raises your injury risk.

5. Dress like it's 5–10°C warmer than it is

   Dress as if it's 5–10°C (10–18°F) warmer than the forecast: running heats you up fast, and you'll only feel cold in the first few minutes at the start line.

6. Protect your skin from chafing

   Apply petroleum jelly or an anti-chafe stick anywhere fabric, seams, or shoes rub: underarms, nipples, inner thighs. Over 21 km, chafing shows up in places that never bothered you in training.

7. Pin your bib to your shirt the night before

   Safety pins are usually already in your race pack. Pin the bib on the night before — race morning is no time to fumble with pins in a crowd.

8. Check how your timing chip attaches

   Chips attach differently — a shoelace tag, a velcro strap, or built into the bib itself. Confirm the method at the expo: no working chip means no official time.

9. Eat a tested breakfast 2–3 hours before

   Eat exactly what you've eaten before your long training runs. Experimenting with new food on race morning is asking for stomach trouble mid-race.

10. Use the bathroom before the gun goes off

    Portable toilet lines at the start village get huge — budget at least 30 minutes. Your options get a lot worse once the race begins.

11. Plan your pacing before the gun

    Run the first kilometers slower than your target pace. Start-line adrenaline fools almost every first-timer, and going out too fast catches up with you in the second half.

12. Drink small sips at every water station

    A couple of sips at each station is enough. In hot weather don't skip a single one — dehydration creeps up before you notice it.

13. Bring only gels you've tested in training

    For a half marathon, gels help — but only ones you've already tried in training. Your stomach on the run behaves like a completely different, much fussier organ.

14. Pack warm clothes for right after the finish

    You cool down within minutes once you stop moving. Drop a bag with warm clothes at the start's baggage check — you'll collect it in the finish area.

15. Agree on a meeting point after the finish

    Agree with your supporters both where they'll cheer on the course and, separately, where you'll meet after the finish. It's easy to lose each other in the finish crowd, and phone signal is often patchy there.

16. Lay out everything from your list the night before

    Gear, bib, gels, ID — lay it all out in one row the evening before. Race morning becomes a matter of getting dressed, not a frantic search.

17. Get real sleep two nights before the race

    Almost nobody sleeps well the night right before a race — that's normal and barely affects performance. The sleep two nights out is the one that actually matters, so protect it.

18. Leave extra time for traffic and parking

    The gun doesn't wait for latecomers. Budget extra time for traffic, finding parking, and the walk from there to the start village.

19. Don't sit down right after finishing

    Keep walking for a few minutes so your muscles cool down gradually, and eat within an hour of finishing — it speeds up recovery.

20. Enjoy your medal

    You did it — your first race is behind you. Soak up the moment, it doesn't come around twice 🎉