Some of you might remember my first post, https://www.reddit.com/r/Marathon_Training/comments/1k69daa/i_might_have_done_something_bad/ which was quite controversial. (Read for context before reading this)
Im now back with the race report after running the marathon. Did I bonk or dit it go well? Read below to find out.

Race Information

• Name: Copenhagen Marathon
• Date: May 11, 2025
• Distance: 26.2 miles
• Location: Copenhagen, DK
• Website: copenhagenmarathon.dk
• Time: 3:47:01

Goals

Training

As mentioned in my previous post, I signed up for CPH 2 weeks before, having not done any marathon specific training. I was training for a 10k race, which unfortunately didn't go as well as id hoped. A week of heavy drinking (student life) and illness before compromised my performance and I ended up running a 43:17, not a disaster although I knew I was capable of more. After the race, I got very sick and did just one run in the week before the marathon, a 7.5k run at 5:50/k pace when I was still not fully recovered which backfired by making me worse the next day.

Pre-race

Woke up on race morning with a swollen lymph node in the back of my throat, some residual issues from my illness. I decided to race anyway with the reasoning that I would DNF if I started feeling unwell during the race. I arrived at the start around 50 min before the gun, handed in my bag and got ready.

Race

The start was super weird, me and my friend were quite late and so we had to wait for approx 15 min before crossing the line. Then we got going, and I wasn't feeling the best but I had taken a paracetamol 30 min before the start so my throat wasn't bothering me all that much at least. First 10k flew by and we settled into a comfortable rhythm at around 5:15/k pace (my friend wanted to go for sub 3:40 and I thought I could at least try running at that pace. I was fueling by taking a gel every 6k and alternating between water and sports drink at every aid station. Got through the half in 1:51:30 feeling a little more tired then I had anticipated, and was quite worried about hitting the wall at 30k. Although, I must say, the crowds were absolutely amazing and provided me with a surge of energy every time we interacted.

At 25k, my friend suddenly started dropping of the pace (he ended up bonking and running a 4:27 :( ), and I was left running alone for the remainder. In the last km leading up to 30 I decided to take two gels in a short time to avoid the wall, which seemed to work quite well, as I found myself tired but not completely out of steam, allthough I dropped the pace to around 5:20-5:25 to make sure I didn't bonk. At 38k, my lack of long run experience started showing and my legs started to feel completely dead, at which point I had to drop my pace to 5:50-6:00/km to manage the stress. In the end, I ended up running a 3:47:01, with a bit of a positive split, which was way better then I had hoped for and I'm really happy :)

Post-race

Post race my legs were very tired but I was quite fine aerobically which was exciting to see. I had an average HR of 173 (max hr around 205) which was a little higher then I had anticipated, but considering my illness leading up and the max effort race last week it wasn't all that bad, steadily in zone 3 for most of the race. All and all this was a really positive experience, and Im looking forward to returning to the distance in a couple years when I have built up better fitness and raced a few more 10k and HMs.

Until Next Time!

Made with a new race report generator created by u/herumph.