The late start time and hot weather at the race in Tuy Hoa on March 31 require runners to prepare carefully in terms of clothing, nutrition, cooling and psychology.
Tien Phong Marathon is a long-standing running race with its own characteristics, making it traditionally a challenging race. This year's tournament - the 65th in history - taking place this weekend is no exception. According to the announcement from the organizers, the FM distance (42,195km) will start at 4:34 am, 3 hours later than the usual 21,0975 hours for this distance in other tournaments. The fact that two distances with many athletes - FM and HM (XNUMXkm) - starting at the same time also creates a crowded scene, easily causing overload at the first water stations. That reality requires careful preparation according to the following items.
National player and current Vietnamese women's marathon record holder Hoang Thi Ngoc Hoa practices in Tuy Hoa on March 28. Image: Pioneer Marathon
Costume
When it comes to clothing, the first thing many runners often think of is being ready to aggressively buy "super shoes" - these carbon-soled shoes have elasticity that helps "bond your feet" to easily achieve KPIs when entering the race. However, other costume elements cannot be neglected. The more difficult the race, the better the support "tool" must be, so that you can enter the race most comfortably.
One piece running hat Having an adjustable waistband to help protect your head from direct sunlight and keep your head cool is essential. Runners should choose specialized running hats that are light, close to the head, and still provide ventilation.
Sunglasses is an indispensable part. In addition to helping runners take beautiful photos, this accessory also helps protect eyes from UV rays and reduce glare. When the eyes are relaxed, the body is also comfortable, limiting the risk of heatstroke and hallucinations after many hours of continuous high-intensity exercise in the hot sun.
Gloves Bundles along the tube and biceps help protect against the sun and reduce the effects of harsh weather. In fact, runners often tire their arm muscles and there are cases of hand muscle cramps before the calf or thigh muscles, so wearing gloves is extremely necessary.
Running clothes, in addition to being beautiful when photographed, must be specialized running clothes, breathable, lightweight, to help the body feel comfortable and not overheat while running. There's nothing worse than a soggy race shirt or chafing pants that hinder your stride to the finish line.
Sports
According to the forecast of AccuWeather, the temperature in Tuy Hoa on March 31 fluctuated from 3-24 degrees Celsius. With this temperature plus the early sunshine, supplementing enough water and electrolytes more important. You need to remember the "rehydration" and electrolyte refill milestones, for example every 2 km or a certain time point, to avoid missing out. Lack of water and electrolyte intake may not have obvious consequences at first, but it is likely to make you miserable, even "collapse" at the end of the race. In addition, runners also need to avoid drinking too much water at the same water station at the same time, because this will cause you to bump your hips while running. A small tip that runners can remember is to take small sips of water or wet the mouth with water and then spit it out to trick the body from feeling thirsty.
Runners also need to bring energy-containing drinks or foods such as energy gels and protein bars to replenish the body's energy during the run. Like water and electrolytes, you need to replenish energy regularly. You can alternately supplement fresh energy such as watermelon and bananas from stations so that your body does not run out of energy.
Cool
According to the organizers, Tien Phong Marathon 2024 will have 22 water stations and 4 shower cooling stations along the way. This density will help reduce the risk of lack of water during the race. However, runners still need to note the following points.
First, you need to create a scenario for getting water and cooling down during the race. Before arriving at the water station, the organizers will place a notice sign 100m to 200m in advance, so athletes need to actively observe and avoid having to rush to get water or worse, skip the water station.
How to get water at the station is also important. If you are running at a high pace or in a group, it is important to get water without wasting time. Water stations at current tournaments rarely provide a sufficient number of small water bottles, so you need to practice getting water from paper or plastic cups. A popular technique today is to gradually slow down when reaching the station, use your fingers to pick up the cup, take small sips and gradually run faster again. But you need to remember to throw away used cups in the right place to assist the organizers in the process of cleaning up and cleaning the streets after the race.
Runners also need to proactively bring cold foam or wet towels to cool their bodies while running and keep their bodies from overheating. A multi-purpose towel will be very useful in this case. You can wrap it around your hand, neck or carry it in a water belt and dip it in cooling water when passing through the organizers' watering stations.
Runners need to take advantage of water stations and rain spray stations to cool down on the race track, to cope with hot weather. Image: VnExpress Marathon
Race mentality
This year's tournament will gather more than 12.000 athletes, with the FM and HM distances starting together. With such a large number of participants, it will be a big challenge for runners who want to have good results this time. Therefore, you need to prepare yourself with a good strategy in the race. Keep a calm mind when starting, warm up the first 1-2 km of the race to gradually pass the runners in front and run to the target pace. Get to the starting line early, at least 30 minutes to have time to warm up thoroughly and avoid a rush mentality that leads to nervousness and high heart rate before the race.
Regarding altitude, the route of this year's FM distance has a total altitude of 137 meters, the HM distance is 91 meters, and the 10km distance is 47 meters, according to the announcement from the organizing committee. The main steep points are located on two bridges spanning the Da Rang River at Hung Vuong Street and Nguyen Tat Thanh Avenue. According to the runners present here, these bridges are relatively long and comfortable, so they will not be too big of a challenge during the race.
The challenge this time mainly lies in... high temperatures and strong winds of the coastal city. According to forecasts, the temperature on the day of the competition will be 32 degrees Celsius with a wind speed of 23km/h. The relatively late starting time of the race will also be an unpleasant experience for the athletes in this race, when the sun has risen since 5:30 a.m. Besides, with the FM distance, the race track will have to go through Tuy Hoa airport and the outskirts of the city with relatively empty terrain. The sea breeze will definitely drain your energy more than expected.
Therefore, Runner needs to control the race well. You can choose negative (faster and steady) or positive (slowly) strategies depending on your ability, but it's important to be really flexible. With rising temperatures, blazing sunlight and whipping sea breezes, discomfort increases rapidly with each kilometer, so trying to stick to your plan is not necessarily a good thing. You should also use the strategy of hiding from the wind, to ensure you can go through open running distances without spending too much effort. Or you can also join the group and change the pacer continuously so that you can reach the finish line safely and reach your goal together.
A bright spot in the running route is the 3km section before the finish line, which the advance runners said had flat terrain and smooth roads, very suitable for reaching the finish line. This is an opportunity for the runner to "burn" with all his might, trying to speed up to the finish line to reach the finish line. be targeted.
Thorough preparation before a race is never redundant. Remember to always listen to your body and adjust the most suitable running method. You have trained hard for many months, arranged your work and traveled a long way to stand in front of the starting line, race calmly, fully enjoy the race distance and the moment of the finish line.
Cream Ly
