24/04/2026
The standalone marathon for triathletes:
Running a marathon might be the single best thing you can do in your off season. Here are 3 things that happen that will help your Ironman PB.
1. Running economy improves - strip away the bike volume and fatigue and then you see where your running really is. Then you raise it.
2. Pacing discipline - Running a stand alone marathon is far harder than running an IM marathon. Running even splits (or better still negative splitting) in a marathon will teach you this valuable skill that will stop your IM run from being a 30km death shuffle.
3. Gut training improves - fuelling at marathon pace is also harder than fuelling at Ironman pace. 16 weeks of marathon prep will solve most issues you have.
Some nuances to consider:
Ramp the volume very conservatively. Your Vo2 responds in weeks but your connective tissue does not.
Keep the swimming and biking ticking over with no peaks. The swimming is incredible.active recovery and can even replace 1 easy run per week.
Strength training is a non negotiable and becomes a priority.
Big shout out to these 2 above:
Maarten De Bakker - 2:47 at Boston Marathon
Laura Brown - 2:59 at Newcastle Marathon
