You’ve heard the saying “nothing new on race day” but what does it really mean?
Here’s why you need to test your kit, shoes, nutrition and pace before race day, plus there’s a few exceptions to the “nothing new on race day” rule.
TL;DR on “Nothing New On Race Day”
“Nothing new on race day” means we practise key elements of a race during training runs including our kit, shoes, nutrition and pace.
Never wear brand new shoes for a race and always go for some runs in a new pair.
Wear all of your kit during long runs to know it fits well and doesn’t cause any issues – if you feel any problems then you can sort them before your race.
Know exactly the food that works the night before a run and know your pre-race meal.
Practise the gels and drink you can take during a run. Do this from early in your training block as it’s also essential to properly fuel all your runs.
These tips are relevant to all races and all distances, but arguably become more important with longer races
Nothing new on race day is one of the best-known pieces of running advice. It means practising everything we can so that we can avoid any nasty surprises on race day.
We want to avoid chafing and blisters, we want to know that our shoes and socks fit perfectly, we want to know that our pre-race meal gives us all the energy we need, we want to avoid a dodgy stomach from a mid-run gel, and we want to know how to pace the race.
It’s way better to experience issues during training runs and then have the time to sort the issues out ahead of the race, rather than having to struggle with something which may impact your race.
“Nothing new on race day” is a great way to make sure that you are training smartly and planning well, and it can help to boost your confidence for race day – it’s not just about avoiding stomach issues or blisters, it’s ultimately about being prepared for your run.
🥯 Know Your Pre-Race Food
Learn the best foods to eat before a run and the foods which sit best in your stomach before running.
If you’re doing a morning race, then practise eating two to three hours before the run. Common breakfasts include bagels, toast, oatmeal, cereal and rice, topped with things like nut butter, jam and honey. Know the amount which works best for you: Is one bagel enough? Is two bagels too many?
If it’s an evening race, then think about the breakfast and lunch choices, and then the snacks which will give you the energy you need for the race without leaving you with a heavy stomach.
You also want to test the best evening meals and learn what works best for you (and the foods you need to avoid). And before your longest long runs you should try a 24-36 hour carb load to learn how that feels. Try to pick foods which you know you’ll be able to get the night before your race.
By the way, this doesn’t mean that you have to stick to just one food and eat it all the time. Just know every type of food that works for you – or more importantly, know all the foods you need to avoid before running!
🥯🥯 Don’t panic and eat extra on race day
On race day it can be common to doubt yourself and what you need to do. For some people that means trying to eat extra breakfast hoping it’ll give them more energy. Don’t do this or you risk feel stomach discomfort on the run.
If you’ve practised your pre-run food then know that if it worked in training, it’ll work in the race.
🧃 Mid-Run Fuelling
In longer runs (half marathon and further) you’ll need to drink and take on extra energy during the race, which can be a challenge for runners. But it’s something that we can train to get better at.
Test different gels, learn how often you can take them (if you’re running a marathon then try to practise taking them every 5-8k / 3-5 miles / 20-40 mins – here’s more on your marathon fuelling strategy), and learn how to carry them.
Gels and energy drink are concentrated sources of carbohydrates and can sit heavy in the stomach, while we each have different preferences for the gels which work for us – if you find a gel which makes you feel nauseous then it’s better to deal with that during training instead of during a race.
If you know your race will have a certain brand of gels and drink on the course then you can practise with these in training, or you can take your own with you.
Taking a new gel or drink in the race might work out fine for you, but it might leave you feeling nauseous or in need of finding a portaloo!
🍌 Fuelling Matters All The Time
This one isn’t a tip, but it’s confirmation of why we plan our nutrition.
Running nutrition doesn’t just mean the race experience. It’s essential that we’re properly fuelling our training runs, especially the long runs. It’ll mean we have more energy for the run and can improve our recovery.
‘Practising’ nutrition really just means fuelling your body correctly for every run, and taking that with you on race day.
👟 Don’t Wear New Shoes On Race Day
It can be tempting to buy a new pair of shoes for your big race, but always test them on a couple of runs before the race.
If it’s a fresh pair of shoes that you’ve trained in before, then it’s probably enough to do one or two short runs to make sure they feel OK.
If it’s a new pair from a different brand, then you’ll want to do several runs in the shoes. The best test will be to wear them while running at the pace you plan to run your race. If you’re doing a half marathon or marathon then it’s always good to do one long run in new shoes to learn if they fit OK, if you need to lace them up in a certain way, and just to make sure they don’t cause you any pains.
🧦 Don’t Wear New Socks On Race Day
You pick up a brand new pair of socks before the race, but it’s really good to wash socks before wearing them for the first time, especially if it’s a long run.
New socks can actually slide around inside your shoe and cause some foot issues, blisters or just a weird sensation of foot slipping. This might be OK on a short easy run, but can cause problems during a long race.
🎽 Run In All Your Kit (AKA The Full Dress Rehearsal Run)
Do a full dress rehearsal run in all your kit.
Put on everything you plan to wear in your race. Head to toe, wear it all. Fill your pockets or pack with everything you think you’ll carry in the race, including all hydration and gels.
If you’re doing an ultramarathon then fill your pack with all the mandatory kit you’ll need on race day to learn how it’ll feel to run with a full hydration vest.
Go for a longer run at race effort and not just a five minute jog around the block. You want to see how this all feels after an hour or two of running.
We do this to learn how all the kit feels when we wear it. We can test if there are any hot spots, any areas that might chafe, any issues with the kit we’ve got. And do it a couple of weeks before the race so there’s time to make changes and fix any issues.
Doing this can also be a confidence boost for your race. It means the race day experience feels familiar as you’ve already done it before and worn all the kit before.
🏃🏼♂️ Don’t Run At An Unfamiliar Pace (And Don’t Start Too Fast)
If you have a goal time for your race, then you should frequently practise running at the pace for extended reps, and you should feel comfortable at that pace.
If you want to run a sub-three hour marathon, then you’ll do a lot of distance at 6:50 per mile or 4:15 per kilometre; you don’t wait until race day to try that pace.
If you don’t have a time goal, then you’ll likely run at your normal easy pace in the race, and you should do most of your training at that pace.
What you shouldn’t do is run at a pace that’s completely different or new. Don’t decide to start running 10 seconds per kilometre faster in the race as your body won’t be used to it, or won’t be able to sustain that pace. It’s fine to speed up late in the race, but don’t start out too quickly.
Here are pace charts for 5k to a marathon to learn your paces and here’s more on how to perfectly pace a marathon.
🕕 Don’t Be Surprised By The Race Start Time
Whether your race begins at 7am or 7pm, you want to do some practise runs at that time. This will allow you to understand what it’s like to eat breakfast at 4am, or to know when to time your pre-race snack for an evening race.
This can help prime your body to run well at certain times, which is great race practice.
⛰️ Ensure You Train Similar Terrain And Elevation
If you’re running a flat road race, then don’t worry about this one.
But if you’ve got a hilly road race then check the course and understand the elevation, then try to find some nearby hills (or go on a treadmill) with similar length and elevation and run up and down at race pace.
If you’re doing a trail run, then do some training runs on similar terrain – or even better, do a recce of different sections of the course to know what it’s like. This will help best prepare you for the race experience, both physically and mentally.
Are There Exceptions to “Nothing New On Race Day”?
There are a few exceptions to the “nothing new on race day” rule.
🏁 Running The Full Race Distance
In shorter races, like 5k and 10k (even half marathons), many runners will complete the full distance before race day, but it’s not essential, especially for newer runners.
In longer races (marathons and ultras), you almost certainly won’t complete the full distance in training, so it will be ‘new’ on race day. All your training builds to be able to deal with this on the day.
With ultra marathons, you may be going much further than you did in your training, but that’s one of the unique challenges of ultra-distance events: trying to figure out how to deal with it as you continue.
💦 When You Need More Nutrition
Sometimes you just need more energy and the only options are what you get on the course.
This might be in a marathon when you have to grab some on-course energy drink. If you are concerned then there’s actually good research that carbohydrate mouth rinsing (basically swilling it around your mouth and then spitting it out) can still give you a benefit.
This could also be common in a trail run where you have an aid station with different foods. Just go with your instinct on the food and drink which you think will work well for you.
🌧️ Running In Difficult Weather Conditions
While it’s good to train through all conditions (safely, of course – always be careful in difficult conditions like snow), it’s not always possible to match the exact race weather. There could be a heat wave or cold spell, and there might be a storm or a hot sun.
It can be hard to know how you’ll feel running with very wet kit and shoes if you’ve only done dry training runs, so it’s something you’ll have to deal with in the race. Just take extra care in difficult conditions and try to prepare with the best kit and precautions – wear extra anti-chafe, wear a rain jacket, put on sunscreen on a hot day and have extra electrolytes.
You can’t practise every simulation of race day, but you can do your best to be prepared for it.
FAQS on Nothing New On Race Day
You shouldn’t wear box fresh brand new shoes in a marathon. Always do a couple of runs in them before the race – do a short run and also a longer run at race pace. You want to make sure the shoes fit well, are comfortable, don’t run or cause hot spots, and can work with your running stride.
If it’s a fresh pair of shoes you trained in, then one or two shorter runs (20-50 minutes) will be enough to know that they fit ok. But if it’s a brand new pair of shoes that you haven’t worn before then you should do a shorter run (30 mins or so) and also do a longer run. If you’ve got them for a marathon then use them in one of your long runs and make sure you run in them at goal race pace to make sure they work for you.
Have something high in easy-to-digest carbohydrates. Common pre-run foods include bagels, toast, oatmeal, rice, energy bars and bananas. Eat a snack 60 minutes before the run or a bigger meal two to three hours before the run.
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