The pack on marathon day

Don’t. How do I put this delicately? The queues at portable loos on startlines are notoriously long. And the number of toilet options on courses is extremely limited.

You do not want to be caught short.

Tip 3: If you’re catching up with friends and family after the race, pre-arrange a meeting point.

Once you cross the finish line, you’ll be zonked and possibly barely capable of remembering your own name, let alone recognising your mates.

The Auckland marathon finish line is chaotic, so even if you’ve had your own cheer squad following you on the course, once you cross the finish line even they won’t be able to spot you as you get swamped in the crowd. Seriously, it’s packed.

Tip 4: If it does go wrong, don’t fret – that happens to the best of them.

Take elite Kiwi trail-runner Scotty Hawker, our guest on the Dirt Church Radio podcast this week.

This year, Scotty had moved his way into fifth place in the world’s most premium mountain trail 100 mile race, the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc – sensational.

Then, just 20 miles from the finish, he had to admit his race was over. A stomach injury meant he could no longer run down hills, and when you’re on a mountain course, that’s pretty important.

But as he tells us on the show, it’s only made him more hungry to get back next year.

If it does go wrong, be like Scotty. There’s always next season.

Wearing new shorts or gear is a sure-fire way to get blisters or chafing in places you don’t even know you can get chafed.

Eugene Bingham and Matt Rayment are hosts of a trail running podcast Dirt Church Radio. Learn more at dirtchurchradio.com or get in touch via email dirtchurchradio@gmail.com