Surefire Way to Shave 17 Minutes Off Your Marathon Time
Lose 20 pounds.
Few things are guaranteed when it comes to racing, but one thing is certain: the less weight you're carrying to the finish line, the faster you will get there. Below is a chart that estimates the effects of weight loss on various finishing times.
Time Reduction From Weight Loss
| Weight Change | 5k (min:s) | 10k | 1/2 Marathon | Marathon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 pounds | 0:12 | 0:25 | 0:52 | 1:45 |
| 5 pounds | 0:31 | 1:02 | 2:11 | 4:22 |
| 10 pounds | 1:02 | 2:04 | 4:22 | 8:44 |
| 20 pounds | 2:04 | 4:08 | 8:44 | 17:28 |
April 3, 2010
8:03 PM
I think that this is an interesting take on how to drop time for your races. I would caution however that many runners already suffer from disordered eating. I have had teamates end up hospitalized from bulimia, or who have decreased their weight and bone density so much that by the end of college they had the bone density of a 60 year old woman. This kind of training advice should only be given by a coach and nutritionist to someone who has weight to lose and the weight loss should be carefully supervised if the athlete has a grueling training schedule as cutting out too much nutrition too quickly could lead to permanent damage.
November 16, 2010
11:12 AM
A brilliant reply Cara. Sound advice.
December 2, 2010
11:48 PM
I think Cara is totally of base here. I am a marathon runner (25 marathons as of this writing)and am well aware of the effects of weight. The more you weigh, the slower you run and that is a fact. When I train for marathons, I routinely get below 5% body fat. Yes, people make comments about how skinny I am. I am 53 now but am the same size and shape I was in high school. People never said I was to skinny in high school, but now I am. I think some folks have problems losing themselves, so in order to rationalize it their mind, they come up with a variety of excuses, such as, it is unhealthy. I am a 2:58 marathoner and definitely weigh less than when I started running at 45. I was about 200 lbs. when I ran my first marathon. My finish time was 5:17 and I now weigh about 160 lbs. By the way I am a coach and have no problem telling my athletes about extra weight and it’s effects on running. I was once with Meb Keflezghi and someone asked him if he had a speacial diet. He said,”No, when you run 125 miles per week, you can eat anything you want.” Long story short, if your not losing weight from your training, your not training hard enough. Hard workouts will alone cause you to lose weight. You do not need a special diet of nutritionist or doctor or whatever. You simply need to work your tail off, literally.
March 9, 2011
11:44 AM
According to this, I would have to weigh 115 pounds to drop 17 minutes. I’m arleady between 4-5 % body fat. I would have to lose muscle.
May 9, 2011
1:59 PM
Castration. That would save about 4:22 in my case.