More than 5,400 runners prep for 16th annual Wilmington Marathon
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY-TV) – Thousands of runners from around the U.S. and the world are in the Cape Fear prepping for the 16th annual Wilmington Marathon on Saturday.
“Oh, I’m nervous, I think there’s always the pre-race jitters that happen,” said Alex Fletcher.
Fletcher is one of more than 5,400 runners expected to hit the streets Saturday morning in the annual Wilmington Marathon.
“Ultimately, my wife made me sign up for it, but I’ve always enjoyed running, I’ve done several half marathons before,” Fletcher said.
Fletcher said this is his first full marathon and has worked his way up to running 20 miles before taking on the full 26.2 miles.
“Training for a marathon is a large undertaking,” said Dominic DeFelice, family medicine and sports medicine doctor at Novant Health.
DeFelice said runners like Fletcher don’t need to be training up to the full distance.
“The literature shows clearly that that’s not the case. You don’t want to be training up to 26.2 miles because you risk overtraining,” said Fletcher.
DeFelice said everyone’s body responds differently to long distance running and focus on hydration and electrolyte intake are key.
“Some people are very salty sweaters and some people aren’t, so tailoring your exercise regimen and your training regimen to hour you are as a runner and as athlete will help set you free,” DeFelice said.
The night before and the morning of are critical times for consuming the right kinds of food and liquids.
“Carb loading is a popularized method for getting your body ready for race day, and I think there is science behind that. You don’t want to be doing heavy-duty steak and potatoes,” said DeFelice.
DeFelice said runners should be consuming easily digestible foods like carbs and sugars. DeFelice said they should avoid fibers like spinach, leafy greens and protein that is high in fat which will weigh a runner day the day of the race.
DeFelice said runners should also keep their dress in mind for cooler temperatures.
“We actually had a couple people last year that ran into issues with low body temperature, hypothermia. But this year’s shaping up to be a lot better, 40s to 50s is kind of ideal running temperature,” said DeFelice.
The marathon kicks off tomorrow at 7 a.m. in Wrightsville Beach at the Johnny Mercer Pier and will end in downtown at the Live Oak Bank Pavilion.
