Don't Wing Race Week: Andy Buchanan's Tips for the Melbourne Marathon
Race week is here, and with the Melbourne Marathon just days away, Run2PB coach and Australian marathon record holder Andy Buchanan joined hosts Chris Armstrong and Zac on episode 317 of the Better With Running podcast to share what he's telling his own athletes.
The conversation is full of practical, tried-and-true advice for anyone deep in taper mode.
Andy knows the territory. He's fresh off a hard-fought Sydney Marathon, where he ran around 2:10 and ticked off his goal of being the first Aussie across the line, and he has a crew of athletes lining up on Sunday, most of whom have run Melbourne before. Here are the takeaways that matter most for race week, race day and beyond.
Race Week Is About Doing Less, Not More
Asked what he's hearing from his crew, Andy says the mood is mostly positive. His athletes are experienced and know what's coming: you'll probably feel pretty rubbish this week, things won't quite click and the nerves will creep in. That's normal, not a sign that something is wrong.
His brief is simple. Save your energy and don't try anything new. He's also realistic about it. His runners have full-time jobs and families, and he doesn't want anyone stressing because they skipped playtime with the kids. So the advice is to keep the week ordinary, and if the lawn needs mowing, do it the week before.
"Try to live your normal life like you do. You do really good long runs and good sessions just off living your normal life."
Race week also comes with plenty of hype: shakeout runs, brand events and a packed calendar of activations. Andy's view is that it's worth soaking up some of the atmosphere, but you don't need to be at everything, and nothing should drag you out of your normal routine.
"Don't get too carried away. You don't need to be involved in every shakeout."
Instead, think about how cool it is to run a big marathon in what, for a lot of people, is their home city, and embrace it.
Know the Course: Andy's Sydney Lesson
Looking back on his Sydney build with his coach, the one thing Andy says they could have done better was study the course. They knew the opening 10 to 15K was downhill, but they didn't realise just how much they'd be rolling along. In hindsight, they should have been much stricter on the first 5K and been very clear about what they wanted the pacer to do.
That's a handy prompt for Melbourne, where the course has changed for 2026. Andy is a fan of the updates and says it's great to see the event heading in this direction, though he's a little unsure about the half marathon's later start, as a Victorian who isn't exposed to much heat and knows a hot day is always possible.
For the full course, start times and drinks details, check our
As for the weather, Andy is the one telling his athletes not to look at the forecast. For what it's worth, at the time of recording he was seeing an early start, low temperatures and low wind, and joked that if any of his runners complain about those conditions, nobody should listen to them.
Run to Your Training, Not Your Goal Time
This is the big one for taper week. When Andy talks to his athletes, the conversation is about the training they've actually done and the shape it points to, not the finish time they're hoping for. He works in 5K splits and doesn't even convert them into a finish time. If someone's training is predicting a 3:05, that's what they should be going out for, even if sub-3 is the dream.
"Just because you want to run a certain time doesn't mean you will."
He's already been tempering expectations with one athlete who's started floating a very ambitious number. Shooting for the moon sounds exciting, but more often than not it doesn't work out. Andy also admits that round-number fixation gets the best of all runners, himself included. He was a little disappointed with a 2:10 in Sydney because 2:09 sounded better, then realised it makes no real difference.
The Best Marathon Hack: Break It Into 5Ks
If there's one strategy Andy would hand to every runner on the start line, it's this one.
"The biggest thing is breaking it up into 5K splits. That's the best marathon hack there is out there, and just focusing on each 5K."
Focus on how you're feeling in the moment, take it one 5K at a time, and remember that the real race doesn't begin until late on.
"The marathon starts at 32, 33K. So before then, it's just the warm-up."
Fuelling: Practise It, Then Trust It
Andy shared how he fuels and t he biggest change in his running over the past 12 months has been how many carbohydrates he takes during training. He now fuels his Tuesday and Friday sessions and his Wednesday and Sunday long runs, so race day is something his body has rehearsed over and over.
On race day, he has a caffeine gel after his warm-up and before the start, then sips Maurten 320 caffeine drink mix every 5K. He doesn't rush it, often holding each bottle for three or four minutes and taking small sips, and says he's normally the last in his group still holding a bottle.
Andy has a partnership with Maurten, and he believes advances in fuelling research are just as important as shoe technology in the fast times being run these days.
The takeaway for Sunday isn't to copy Andy's exact plan. It's to stick with what you've practised in training, and know what's on offer on course so there are no surprises.
First-Timers: Make It a Good Experience
Most of Andy's athletes have been around the block, but his advice for first-time marathoners is clear. Go for a safe plan, and accept that this won't be your lifetime best. It'll be a PB anyway, and the goal is to finish feeling good so you stand on the next start line knowing you can run faster. Don't fall into the trap of thinking this is the only marathon you'll ever do and that it has to be perfect.
"The best way to prepare for a marathon is by doing a marathon."
Recovery Reality Check
If your legs are sore in the days after Sunday, you're in good company. Andy's quads were shot by the end of Sydney, and he described his finish-line stop as an old steam engine train slowly grinding to a halt. Two days later he couldn't step down off a gutter, and a week after the race he was running the 10K at Run Port Douglas as an event ambassador, with his quads screaming at him from about 4K.
He puts a lot of it down to a short build and a long gap since his previous marathon, rather than any lasting damage. He ran a 10K on those legs a week later, so be sensible with your own return to running.
Melbourne Predictions
With Eliud Kipchoge as the headline act, Andy loves that the field is mostly Australian and gives plenty of credit to the Melbourne Marathon for the direction it's taking. He's picking Tom Do Canto for the men's win, citing his experience and no-frills approach, and is hoping Sinead Diver takes out the women's race.
"I really would love to see Sinead win. I think she can."
What's Next for Andy
Five weeks after Sydney, Andy is back into marathon training, with a 160-odd kilometre week recently on the board. In between, he spent a week in Alice Springs with ASICS and the Indigenous Marathon Foundation, which included a shoe drive at a remote community where around 50 pairs of shoes were given to kids.
His big goal is Olympic qualification, and he's booked in his next marathon as a stepping stone towards a fast time in 2027. Which race? His lips are sealed, so watch this space.
Good luck to everyone racing on Sunday.
Trust your training, run each 5K as it comes, and enjoy it.
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