The specter of a wall haunts the marathon runner.
"The race begins at the 30th km", say the most experienced, when beginners imagine an impassable rampart after more than three hours of racing.
Does the famous marathon wall really exist?
How to face it?
Answers.
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Depletion of energy reserves
“The wall does not exist”, loose Bruno Heubi, trainer and former high-level athlete.
However, long Internet pages try to explain it and every marathon runner hears about it as soon as he registers for the event.
“The wall, as we understand it, is only for elite marathon runners who are going to finish the race in less than three hours.
Due to their very high speed, they consume a large amount of glycogen, until they suddenly run out of fuel,” explains the coach.
Glycogen, the store of sugars in the liver and muscles, is a rapidly available source of energy.
Thus, the higher the speed, the more the runner will use these reserves until they are exhausted.
“It must then switch to another source of energy: fats.
These are less efficient and available”, explains Bruno Heubi.
In the absence of "super fuel", the runner is then forced to reduce his speed until sometimes he can no longer move forward.
According to the trainer, those who run the marathon in more than four hours are not going to use as much glycogen as the champions.
What some call "wall" would therefore in reality be a mixture of several factors forcing them to slow down.
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According to Jean-Pierre Monciaux, trainer and former athlete, the effects of the wall are amplified by muscle fatigue after several hours of running.
"Because of this exhaustion, the microtraumas caused by the stride, and the absence of energy reserves, the brain makes a circuit breaker to preserve the body", he explains.
It is often said that this difficulty in advancing happens at the 30th kilometer, but this extreme fatigue can very well happen before or after, depending on the level of training but also on its management of the race.
For example, a marathon runner who starts too fast will quickly use carbohydrates and be without energy in a short time.
“It can even happen after 1 hour 30 minutes of racing if you haven't prepared well or if you've started too quickly,” says Jean-Pierre Monciaux.
Train rigorously
A good preparation makes it possible to manage the use of its energy resources and not to be paralyzed at the moment of the "wall" of the marathon.
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Marathon does not necessarily rhyme with wall.
A suitable training and diet will allow you to maintain a regular pace for 42.195 kilometres.
"The preparation allows you to learn how to use your energy reserves well, have an efficient stride and therefore limit muscle fatigue", underlines Jean-Pierre Monciaux.
The idea is to push back the wall so that it appears as late as possible, ideally after the finish line if at all.
Muscle strengthening, long outings, split or hill sessions, each phase of the training plan is important to live the competition as well as possible.
"During certain outings such as a long run at a reduced pace or a race on an empty stomach, we will learn to use the fats", indicates Bruno Heubi.
By knowing how to mobilize different sources of energy, the body will be able to preserve carbohydrate stocks for as long as possible.
A good preparation plan should last at least ten weeks for seasoned runners, while beginners should plan an initial period of eight weeks to prepare the body before starting a specific marathon plan of at least twelve weeks.
Focus on nutrition and hydration
Stock up five days before and not the day beforeChristophe Parguel, sports nutritionist
To cross the wall of the marathon without difficulty, it is also necessary to bet on a diet based on complex carbohydrates which will constitute the stock of glycogen necessary on the day of the race.
“Those who are going to rely on the
pasta party
the day before to have the necessary energy are mistaken, we start to stock up five days before and not the day before”, underlines Christophe Parguel, sports nutritionist.
If the race takes place on Sunday, you must start eating starchy foods such as rice, pasta, quinoa or bulgur with every meal starting on Wednesday.
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Hydration is also essential to limit muscle fatigue and cross the finish line almost fresh.
Whether during the training phase or a few days before the race, the marathon runner must consume between 2.5 and 3 liters of water per day.
Then during the event, you will have to stop at each refueling point.
"I recommend drinking between 500 ml and 1 liter of water per hour, but 95% of runners are content with just one cup," says Bruno Heubi.
Respect your race strategy
Euphoria and stress overwhelm the runner at the start, a moment expected and dreaded for several months.
Driven by these emotions and the speed of others, the marathon runner starts faster than expected.
Some say to themselves that by gaining a few minutes at the start, they can afford to walk towards the end.
Bad calculation, because often it is because we run too fast at the beginning that we walk afterwards.
“They will use a lot of sugars at the beginning and end up without fuel at the end”, explains Bruno Heubi.
According to Jean-Pierre Monciaux, during the first hour of the race you have to be in the economy, "run in a relaxed way, respect your pace and concentrate on your stride".
And everything should be fine.
* This article, originally published in March 2019, has been updated.
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