A well‑planned taper is one of the most important parts of a marathon program. When done properly, it helps you arrive at the start line feeling confident, rested, mentally fresh, physically light, and genuinely excited to race. But a poorly executed taper can leave you feeling flat—fatigued, heavy, bloated, and oddly indifferent to the event despite months of committed training. These five essential taper strategies will ensure you show up in the best possible shape.
Tapering is crucial for optimal performance. Gradually reducing your mileage while maintaining the intensity of your workouts and framework of your training plan is key to a good taper. Maintain consistency and include one controlled marathon‑pace session, but remove anything that creates deep fatigue. As a general rule of thumb, reduce your load by 30% each week over the final weeks. Some athletes prefer a 3 week taper, while others like a more punchy " steep taper" of 10 days. A taper helps the body to adapt to the previous months of effort and ensures you’re in peak condition for race day. Recovery activities such as saunas, yoga and stretching can provide the icing on the cake in the final weeks.
Stick to a balanced diet rather than crash dieting to lose weight in the last three weeks. Avoid trying new gels or sports products you haven't already practiced in training. Obtain supplies for your chosen race day nutrition so you have everything on-hand come race morning. If you like to race "light", reduce processed snacks or high calorie drinks and maintain good size main meals with protein and carbohydrate that promote satiety across the day.
Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night. Establish a relaxing bedtime routine, reduce your caffeine intake and limit screen time before bed to improve sleep quality. Good sleep hygiene can significantly impact your race day performance and "banking" a few extra naps in the weeks leading into the race can make all the difference to how fresh you feel on race morning. A quality magnesium supplement an hour before bedtime may assist with sleep if you have insomnia.
A final long run is typically completed a few weeks out from race day. A portion of marathon specific pacing within this run can build confidence and also highlight any unrealistic expectations. The run should be just enough to reinforce efficiency at steady aerobic output. After this point, long runs shorten significantly to allow full recovery and glycogen restoration.
Develop a solid race day strategy. Know your pacing, plan what and when to fuel and hydrate, and prepare for any unexpected challenges like needing pit stops and possible weather conditions. Familiarise yourself with the course if possible, and consider doing a trial run over a portion of the course. Elite athletes visual their ideal race day repetitively including their target finishing time, pacing, how they will feel and what they want to focus on at each stage of the race. At the very least look at the course map and elevation. A well-thought-out plan can help alleviate race day anxiety.
With these tips, you’ll be well-prepared for your race. Good luck, and enjoy the journey! 🏅✨
Kate Smyth is a sports naturopath, nutritionist and female-centric running coach. She is the founder of the Athlete Sanctuary - a holistic healthcare clinic for athletes of all levels and sporting codes.
Kate has a thirst for knowledge, with two bachelor's and a master’s degree under her belt. She has been involved in sports for many decades and competed for Australia in the Commonwealth Games and Olympic Games marathons with a personal best time of 2 hours 28 minutes.
Kate’s path into high‑performance sport didn’t follow the traditional script. A late bloomer and recreational runner, she found her spark during the Sydney 2000 Olympics, watching her idols surge into the stadium. That moment ignited a commitment that would quietly and profoundly reshape the course of her life.
Eight years later, she realised her own Olympic dream, representing Australia in the women’s marathon at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
Her running career spanned the Commonwealth Games, multiple Australian representative teams, and national‑level competition across cross‑country, track, and road racing. With a marathon personal best of 2:28, Kate was one of Australia’s all time fastest female marathoners.
But her journey was far from linear. Significant health challenges forced her to question conventional medicine, sports nutrition and traditional training models. What felt like setbacks at the time became turning points, pushing her to explore deeper, listen more closely to her body, and ultimately develop a more sustainable, female‑centred approach to performance.
These experiences now form the foundation of the work she shares with other women: how to train smarter, nourish deeply, honour physiology, and build resilience from the inside out.
She holds three degrees including a Masters and Bachelor of Health Science (Naturopathy). Kate is an accredited athletics coach with Athletics Australia and a member of NHAA.
Kate’s expertise is widely recognised, leading to regular invitations to speak on podcasts, at seminars, within industry education forums, and across corporate and women’s health initiatives.
