Tips for race morning

The start line of a race can be a hectic place for a newcomer. There are lines and bags. There are people jogging everywhere and stretching.

We asked two veterans of Canada’s road racing scene for their tips on being prepared for race morning.

Dayna Pidhoresky is a Vancouver-based road runner who trains with the high performance group B.C. Endurance Project. Krista DuChene is the second-fastest female marathoner in Canadian history.

Here is what they had to say:

Get there early

It’s going to be busy and no one likes to feel rushed, so try and get there early.

“I eat a bagel and drink a coffee a few hours before the race start while sipping on eload,” said DuChene. “I stay relaxed and warm with simple stretching after a 20 minute easy warm up run”

You’ll need to find a place to stake out if you have some stuff to set down. Space will be a premium and getting there a bit early will mean you have a selection of the best spots.

“I like to arrive early so I can settle in and find a spot to drop my gear and warm up,” said Pidhoresky “Usually I get my race number pinned before warm up so I feel less rushed when I get back. […] I want to be able to put my energy towards focussing on what I have to do out there on the course. Give yourself enough time before the race so you don’t feel rushed and you can enjoy the race day experience!”

Things will take longer than you expect

Getting anything done is probably going to take longer than you think, so be prepared.

“If driving to the race site, expect to park over a kilometre away and factor that into your warm up,” Pidhoresky suggested. “Expect to wait in line to use the bathroom for over 15 minutes and use this time to do some dynamic drills and stretches. Even getting into your corral can take longer than you initially planned, so it’s important to give yourself extra time.”

Or, you could just skip the bathroom line.

“Find a restroom off-site to avoid long porta potty lines,” said Duchene.

Adjust your expectations to what’s going on

You can’t always have the best race of your life and sometimes circumstances are out of your control.

“Sometimes race day has less than desirable conditions to run your goal time or maybe the weeks or months leading up to the race have made it difficult to train the way you had initially planned,” said Pidhoresky. “It’s important to adjust your goals on race day to give yourself a chance to succeed!”