Whether they’ve spent years working to qualify or are knocking out an Abbott World Marathon Major First Boston Marathon? Heres What to Know Boston Marathon is a bucket-list goal for many recreational runners. Some arrive at the starting line in Hopkinton with the bar set high to run another personal record, while others consider it the reward and victory lap to celebrate the hard work it took to get there.
Regardless of your racing history, setting any specific time or execution goal for Boston will require specific preparation and planning, says professional marathoner and coach Nell Rojas, who was the top American at the 2021 and 2022 races, where she also placed fifth and 10th, respectively. In fact, Rojas—who set her current personal best of 2:24:51 at the 2023 race—will go as far as to say that she wishes she’d experienced racing it herself before she started coaching other runners for it.
“I think everyone needs to experience Boston for themselves once to truly understand what needs to happen in training and how to execute the race,” Rojas tells Runner’s World. “moment for me ‘ohhhhh’ Advertisement - Continue Reading Below.”
Sarah King Cherington, a Boston native and Houston-based RRCA-certified coach, who set her current personal best of 3:04:07 at the 2023 race and will be lining up for her 10th consecutive Boston Marathon this year, agrees, noting that it’s key to be honest with yourself about the way you prepared for the race So You Didnt Make the Boston Marathon Cutoff.
“I tell everyone it’s not marathon pace for Boston unless it’s on hills—you cannot train on flat and expect it to translate on race day,” Cherington tells Runner’s World. “Fewer Spots Open for Time Qualifiers at Boston tired legs How to Figure Out Your Race Paces.”
To help you run your best race on Patriots Day, here are the best tips on how to pace the Boston Marathon from coaches who have conquered the undulating course.
Break Up the Course Into Segments and Look for Checkpoints
Preparing yourself for the makeup of Boston’s terrain won’t only help your execution game, but it can do wonders for your mental game as well. Daniela Espino, a Miami-based USATF-certified run coach, emphasizes the importance of not getting too caught up in the hype and excitement once you finally cross the starting line and are running alongside people cheering from their yards.
“If you don’t pay enough attention to your pacing and strategy, it’s easy to get very carried away, which will lead to suffering later,” Espino says. “It’s important to gain control of your emotions and not let it affect your running too much at this point.”
According to Cherington, the first five miles from Hopkinton to Ashland tend to be crowded and are a good opportunity to focus on getting into your groove and not expending too much energy trying to get around people (which can also sabotage any attempts to correctly run the tangents). Espino agrees, noting that her second time racing Boston she went into it strategically, being conscious of simply moving forward at their intended pace rather than weaving around other runners.
Once you get past the 10K mark, the next section from Framingham to Natick, where you’ll also cross over Lake Cochituate, can be pretty quiet, Cherington says.
“This section is usually very quiet because it’s hard for spectators to get to it,” she says. “But it’s also an opportunity to be calm and passionate and settle into your marathon [goal] pace as you enjoy the quiet time before you reach points like the Wellesley College Scream Tunnel and Lasell University, where the crowds start to get younger and louder,” she says.
Cherington also recommends looking at mile 16 as the true halfway point, as it’s where the Newton Hills begin, which are famous for being the toughest part of the course.
“This part of the course really needs no introduction—I joke that I train for the Boston Marathon, but I’m really only training to survive miles 16 to 21,” she says. “Know that you will be passed on Heartbreak Hill, but it will feel really good if you’re able to pass them back again on the downhill. I don’t attach myself to one person; I’ll just try to reel people in.”
Cherington describes what comes after mile 21 and Boston College as “the hardest but most exciting 8K of your life.” She notes there is a bridge that comes as a surprise to many runners, which you’ll cross right before you hit mile 26, as you run over the Massachusetts Turnpike right before passing Fenway Park.
“If you run it on a normal day, it’s really not a hill, but at that point of the Boston Marathon, I like to prepare myself for it mentally once I get through Brookline and enter Boston, letting myself know it’s the last one and can really let ‘er rip from there,” she says.
Espino also highlights some of the famous points of the final stretches of the course, including the Citgo sign, which you’ll see in the distance for a good mile before finally passing it at around 25.5. If you’re feeling good, you’ll probably already be pushing your pace by this point, but don’t be fooled into thinking you’ll be ready to sprint after that famous “right on Hereford, left on Boylston.”
“That last part is flat, but you still have about half a mile left when you turn onto Boylston [with the finish line in sight], so it’s good to be mentally prepared for that,” she says.
Know Weather Can Be a Factor
Yes, the Boston Marathon is arguably the most famous “spring” marathon, but race veterans and locals alike know the weather can go all kinds of ways, from the torrential downpour and freezing temperatures that gave way to Des Linden’s 2018 victory, to extreme heat nearing 90 degrees during How to Run/Walk Your Way to a Boston Qualifier.
The 2018 race was the first go for Espino, and she’s quick to tell her athletes that just like with any race, it’s important to respect the conditions when facing Boston’s 26.2.
“The weather that year pretty much made a turn for the worse the day before, so I went into it with the strategy of being done as quickly as possible, which in hindsight, was a mistake because I also didn’t pay as close attention to my nutrition and hydration,” Espino tells Runner’s World. “It quickly turned into a game of survival where I couldn’t feel my legs by mile 20. I wished I’d still paid more attention to controlling my pace in the beginning because I still ended up shocking my quads from the downhills and having to really tough it out [in Newton, where runners conquer tough uphills].”
While you certainly don’t want to obsess about the weather and let it overly affect your headspace, it’s key to pay close enough attention to be able to adjust your race plan accordingly. While PRs certainly aren’t impossible in adverse conditions, if you know certain elements tend to impact your performance, it’ll likely be in your best interest to do whatever it takes to ensure a more enjoyable (or at least comfortable) race.
Don’t Break on Downhills
Many runners are afraid to go out too fast on Boston’s famously downhill start, and with good reason, Cherington says, as bombing downhill can easily set you up for an epic blow up. However, there’s a fine line between running smart and trying to run controlled to the point that it will backfire on you and you’ll still trash your quads well before you reach the finish line, she says.
To make sure you’re riding that line, Its very difficult for anyone, including the elites, to run a to stabilize your hips and lean perpendicular to the road into the downhill, making sure you’re landing solid as you descend down steeper declines like the hill before the halfway point in Wellesley, she says. Cherington advises not heel striking and instead, with each midfoot strike, envisioning pulling the road back with your feet, allowing your stride to open up with less effort, while also using your arms for balance.
“I always advise myself and my athletes that, yes, you may be hitting a hotter pace than you would like in the first couple of miles, but you need to tune into how you feel, and your pace is going to come so much easier because you’re going downhill,” she explains. “But if you try to break that, then you’re just sending all these forces through your quads and you’re beating yourself up more.”
Nevertheless, “just going with it” is still an art, Cherington says. Be conscious about not exceeding 10 seconds faster than your true marathon goal pace.
Avoid Attacking Uphills
Once you reach the uphills, around mile 16 (after you descend the steep downhill into Newton Lower Falls) you’ll start to fall back on that pace—and that’s okay. Once you hit those inclines, Sales & Deals.
“The hills are not to be attacked, they are to be survived,” she says. “Once you get to the top of a hill, you should feel relieved and ready to get back to cruising down [the other side]. If you try to attack the hills, you’ll be dead come Newton.”
According to Cherington, you should go by the same rate of perceived exertion, or RPE, on the hills as you have on the flats at whatever point of the marathon you are at. This means you may be at a a 7 out of 10 by the time you reach Newton, which you should stick to on the hills, she says. In the earlier parts of the race, however, you may be at a 4 out of 10, which you also keep on those smaller and shorter hills.
“Your heart rate and breathing should be similar to or just a hair harder on the hills than on the flats, if not you are pushing too hard,” she says.
Let Go of Negative Splits
It’s very difficult for anyone, including the elites, to run a negative split at Boston, Cherington says. That definitely checks out if you manage to execute the race in a way that the course won’t chew you up and spit you out on Boylston, and why Cherington now knows not to panic when she finds herself cruising at slightly faster than her goal pace before the halfway point.
“The way I look at it is, if you approach it like a negative split in terms of effort, the first half should feel easy and you should be going easy,” she explains. “But because the second half of the marathon is so much more challenging, your time is usually much slower even though you’re at a much higher effort. It’s not that you’re banking time, but rather letting it happen.”
Have a Healthy Fear of Newton
In most marathons (besides Boston), Cherington settles into her actual goal marathon pace around miles 10 to 13. However, at Boston, she notes that with the significant downhill that comes before the halfway point in Wellesley, she is conscious of still holding back a bit.
“I’m trying to hit my marathon pace but I’m not pushing it until I get over Heartbreak Hill [at mile 21], to be honest, to really be able to race that last five miles or 8K to the end,” she says. “Again, don’t brake on that steep downhill in Wellesley. In Newton, what goes up must come down, and there are still quite a few downhills, and while I wouldn’t surge on them, I wouldn’t hold back, either.”
According to Cherington, nailing this section of the course comes down to having a healthy fear of the Newton hills, which are a series of climbs that begin at mile 17.5 and end with Heartbreak Hill at around mile 21.
“You’ll know when you’re coming down from Heartbreak into Coolidge Corner if you can surge on that final downhill [of that famously challenging section],” Cherington says. “If you don’t have the legs at that point, you may have overdone it.”
Enjoy the Course
Even if you put in a lot of hard work and want to reap the rewards at the finish line, don’t overthink it once you get going. Remember to be kind to yourself and soak in the experience of running the Boston Marathon, Cherington says.
“Boston is net downhill, which people tend to forget because it is still a very difficult marathon,” Cherington says. “However, proper training specific to the course, and being able to trust your intuition serves people well to have a successful race in Boston.”
Emilia Benton is a Houston-based freelance writer and editor. In addition to Runner's World, she has contributed health, fitness and wellness content to Women's Health, SELF, Prevention, Healthline, and the Houston Chronicle, among other publications. She is also an 11-time marathoner, a USATF Level 1-certified running coach, and an avid traveler.
