The race-day checklist

Every mistake on this page has been made by thousands of runners, usually exactly once. Read it the night before your race and you get to skip the tuition.

The night before

• ☐ Pin your bib to your shirt

  Four pins, flat, not through the timing strip on the back.

• ☐ Lay out the full kit

  Shoes, socks, shorts, shirt, layers for the start corral. If it's not laid out, it's forgotten.

• ☐ Charge the watch

  And your phone. Obvious, skipped constantly.

• ☐ Plan the drive and parking

  Roads near the start close on race morning. Check the race's parking notes and add 20 minutes.

• ☐ Normal dinner, slightly more carbs

  This is not the night to try the new Thai place.

Race morning

• ☐ Eat 2–3 hours before the gun

  Whatever you've eaten before long runs. Toast and peanut butter is the classic for a reason.

• ☐ Arrive 60 minutes early

  Bib pickup lines, bathroom lines, bag check lines. There are always lines.

• ☐ Bathroom, then bathroom line again

  Veterans queue twice. You'll understand at your first race.

• ☐ Dress for 10 degrees warmer

  You'll be cold at the start and perfect by kilometre two. A garbage bag over the start line kit is peak runner fashion.

• ☐ Start slower than feels right

  The first kilometre decides your last one. Everyone who sprints past you at the start is a target for later.

The one rule above all: nothing new on race day. Race not booked yet? Find yours in 30 seconds. Missing something from the list? We keep an honest rundown of race-day gear worth owning.