Over the last couple of weeks it has been genuinely encouraging to hear from a number of our 2027 World Marathon Challenge participants. The questions coming in are thoughtful, and one in particular stood out — is it wiser to focus first on miles, or on "time on feet"?
It's a great question, and the tension behind it is real. Our goal is ultimately defined by both distance and time. But our training journey is something different. It's a process designed to deliver us to the start line more cardiovascularly efficient and physically stronger than we are today. With that destination in mind, my answer is clear: focus first on time on feet.
The First Long Run Is About Learning, Not Performing
The first time any athlete I work with attempts a two-hour, two-and-a-half-hour, or three-hour run, my standard recommendation is the same: run it steady and easy. In some cases, walking breaks are part of the plan . The goal of that new long effort challenge is primarily to gather information.
How does your body respond to that new stimulus? Where do things start to feel hard? What holds up, and what needs work? Once we understand those reactions, we have something to work with. That data shapes how we introduce new challenges within that time window and how we start asking for more distance within the same framework.
The confidence gained from a dry run leaves room for a willingness to push the pace, or to recognize an overall quicker pace as a genuine sign of progress.
— Dena Evans
We Don't Need to Recreate the Challenge in Training
Not unlike a first-time marathoner, none of us is going to fully simulate the World Marathon Challenge in training before January 30. What we're building toward is a cluster of data points that together make a compelling case that we're ready to make that final jump when it matters.
- Consistent long efforts that build your tolerance for time on your feet
- A body that recovers well and shows up ready for the next session
- Growing confidence from completing durations you haven't hit before
- Gradually more miles accumulated within those same time windows as fitness improves
Both mileage and duration matter, but if you're trying to prioritize, durability is job one. It is the foundation on which everything else is built. Efficiency — doing more miles within a given time period — is the layer that comes next, once that foundation is solid.