The incredible evolution of the marathon majors +
A bonus progressive run session

Hi Reader,

The autumn marathon season is in full swing, and it feels like a whirlwind! No sooner had I recovered from the jet lag from Sydney than I was off again to the Berlin Marathon. Meanwhile, my colleagues are getting ready for Cape Town and Chicago, before we all head to our biggest tour of the year, the TCS New York City Marathon.

On my travels, something struck me. On the way to Sydney, we stopped in Singapore as they were setting up for the F1 Grand Prix. On the way back, Dubai was advertising the Abu Dhabi GP. It felt for the first time that the Abbott World Marathon Majors have reached the status of a Grand Prix series, complete with a travelling circus of expos, corporate branding, and major TV exposure.

But there’s a crucial difference.

While the F1 Grand Prix and Tennis Grand Slams are spectacles for the elite, the World Marathon Majors are for everyone. The boom in running has made these events about the mass marathon runner. An ordinary person can’t drive in an F1 race, but they can run the same course as the world’s best marathoners (if they can navigate the ballots and entry systems, of course).

This is a unique and wonderful thing. It’s a world away from my early days in the sport, where I ran the UK national marathon champs in 1981 with fewer than 100 qualified runners. The growth, driven by events like the New York and London marathons, and now the entire Majors series, has broadened running’s appeal immensely. That can only be a good thing for all of us.

Good luck to everyone running the Berlin Marathon this weekend; it's always a special day over here. There are 31 weeks (7 months) until the London Marathon in 2026. We've had a surge of runners interested in joining our monthly online coaching. If you would like to have a free 20-minute chat with me before signing up, please drop us a message by replying to this email.

If you're looking to try a marathon for the first time, there are still places in many other UK marathons, such as Milton Keynes and Brighton, so start planning your autumn/winter training soon.

Read more about the best UK Marathons here.

Speaking of training, here is a simple but effective session you can add to your plan to build up some endurance speed.

Read on for my bonus workout 👇

Here’s an extra workout session to power up your weekend:

This session teaches you to control your pace and finish strong. The goal is to gradually increase your speed in stages throughout the run.

'Progressive runs' are key for building endurance, improving speed, and enhancing overall running performance. By gradually increasing your pace, you train your body to handle fatigue and boost mental toughness.

The 1-hour progressive run:

The run is broken into three 20-minute blocks, with each one getting progressively faster.

• First 20 minutes: Start at a very easy, comfortable pace. You should be able to hold a full conversation.
• Next 20 minutes: Increase to a steady, marathon-type effort. You can still talk, but in shorter sentences.
• Final 20 minutes: Lift the effort again to a tempo pace, similar to your half marathon or 10k effort. This should feel comfortably hard.
• Cool down: Jog in heart rate Zone 1 for 5 minutes. Aim to have a protein snack or drink as soon as possible.

Give this session a go on your next run. It’s a great way to build fitness and practice your pacing strategy.

Enjoy your run this weekend!

Mike Gratton (Head Coach, Coach the Run) & the team.

p.s. Read my latest Ask the Coach blog:
​Is 18 miles on a long run enough in marathon training?​