First Marathon for Older Runner

I am 68 years old. I have been a runner for 33 years doing mostly 5 and 10K race with one half marathon. I usually run a 5K in 25-27 minutes and the 10K in 50-55.

I am retiring next month and for the first time in my life I will have the time to train for a marathon.

Is this reasonable and what extra precautions should I take due to my age?

– Ron

Answer by Dom: Hi Ron, congratulations on the retirement, and yes – this is entirely reasonable. Your 5k and 10k times tell me you're still quick, and 33 years of running is a far better predictor of marathon readiness than your age on paper. Here's how I'd build this out.

1. Get the medical green light
2. Train by your running history, not your birth certificate
3. Build a half marathon bridge first
4. Space your long runs every other weekend
5. Make strength training non-negotiable – two sessions a week
6. Cross-train and use run/walk when niggles bite

Get the Medical Green Light

First step, before anything else: book a check-up with your doctor. Running for 33 years has kept your heart and joints in good working order – that's genuinely impressive. But marathon training loads the body differently to 5K and 10K racing. Get cleared first. Then train.

Train by Your Running History, Not Your Birth Certificate

Here's the thing about your situation, Ron: chronological age and training age are two different numbers. You are 68. But you also have three decades of consistent running behind you. That's your real starting point.

What that means practically: you don't need to train like a fragile beginner. But you do need more recovery between hard efforts than you did at 40. The fix isn't fewer sessions – it's quality over quantity. Four runs a week, each with a clear purpose, will get you further than five or six runs where fatigue just piles up. One of those four should be a genuine easy pace run, no exceptions.

Build a Half Marathon Bridge First

You've raced 5Ks and 10Ks and one half marathon – a solid base, but not quite marathon-ready. Rather than jumping straight to 26.2, spend 10-12 weeks building toward a half marathon first. Get your long run comfortably out to 10-12 miles at an easy, conversational pace. That half marathon becomes your springboard into full marathon training.

Space Your Long Runs Every Other Weekend

This is the part most marathon plans get wrong for a runner in your position. The standard advice – a long run every single weekend, stacking mileage week after week – is written for someone with a shorter recovery window than you currently have.

Instead, run your long run every other weekend. On the alternate weekend, cap your longest run at 8-10 miles instead of pushing further. That gives your legs a genuine fortnight between the big efforts. A sample progression once you're into marathon training: 12 – 9 – 14 – 8 – 16 – 10 – 18 – 8 – 20, with three weeks to taper after that final 20-miler. Every fourth week, treat it as a consolidation week and drop the long run back to 8 miles regardless of where you are in the pattern – your body will thank you.

Make Strength Training Non-Negotiable – Two Sessions a Week

Running demands a lot from your body. A great insurance policy against injuries is to incorporate strength training into your routine. Especially later in life strength training becomes more and more important – we lose muscle mass as we age, and strength work is how you fight that. Please check out my page on strength training for runners to learn more.

Aim for two dedicated strength sessions a week, not squeezed in as an afterthought. This isn't about your age – it's about matching the demands of marathon mileage with the strength to support it, whatever your training history looks like. Squats, single-leg work, calf raises and some core work, 25-30 minutes, twice weekly, done consistently.

Cross-Train and Use Run/Walk When Niggles Bite

You may find that pushing every long run to a full non-stop effort brings on niggles that don't shift. If that happens, you've got options. Swap in some cross-training – the exercise bike, swimming, rowing – to keep building endurance while giving your running muscles a break.

And remember: finishing a marathon doesn't mean running every single step. If a long run is getting tough, drop into a run/walk pattern – run 8 minutes, walk 1, repeat. You'll still bank the mileage, and you'll feel considerably fresher doing it.

Ron, changing your mind-set from "can I do this?" to "let me prepare well for this" is the first step, and you've clearly already made it. You've spent 33 years running. Now you're taking on 26.2 miles. That's tenacity, not recklessness – and I'm confident you'll pull it off.

Kind regards and good luck,
Dom

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