- Two weeks out — the early preparation
- What to pack — the complete kit list
- Packing if you're flying
- Expo day — what to do and check
- The night before — the routine that works
- Race morning — hour by hour
- Event-specific notes — Syd, Melb, GC, Brisbane & NZ
- Post-race — what to have ready
- Frequently asked questions
Two Weeks Out — The Early Preparation
Most runners think marathon preparation ends with the taper. The runners who have the smoothest race weekends know that logistics preparation starts two weeks out, not two days out.
Check your accommodation booking, confirm check-in times, and map the route from your accommodation to the expo and to the start line. If you're flying, check your flight times against the expo opening hours — see our bib pickup guide for event-specific expo windows.
Lay out everything you plan to race in. Check your shoes for wear, check your shorts and top for chafe points you may have forgotten from your last long run, replace anything that's borderline. Order replacements now — not race week.
Decide what you're eating the night before and the morning of the race. Buy the groceries now so it's not a decision you're making in a unfamiliar city. Confirm your gel or nutrition strategy is packed and matches what you trained with.
Don't pack the night before departure. Pack three to four days out so you have time to notice what's missing. Use the checklist below as your guide.
If flying, allow buffer time for delays. If driving, leave earlier than you think you need to — Friday afternoon traffic into Sydney, Melbourne, or Brisbane regularly doubles drive times. The goal for travel day is to arrive, check in, eat something familiar, and rest.
What to Pack — The Complete Kit List
Organised into categories so you can work through it systematically. Print it out or screenshot it — don't try to do this from memory.
Packing If You're Flying
One rule that experienced racing travellers never break: your race kit never goes in checked luggage. Everything you need to actually run the marathon goes in your carry-on. Everything else — post-race clothes, toiletries, extras — can be checked.
Airlines lose bags. They delay bags. A delayed bag that arrives at your hotel at 11pm the night before race day is a stress you do not need. Your shoes, race kit, gels, and documents are carry-on items, full stop.
Race gels are fine in carry-on. Energy drinks and liquid nutrition over 100ml must go in checked luggage or be purchased at the destination. Sunscreen over 100ml also needs to be checked. Decant into a 100ml container or buy at the destination — don't discover this at security on race weekend.
Expo Day — What to Do and Check
The expo is not just bib pickup — it's the chance to fix every problem before it becomes a race morning disaster. Go early, go calmly, and don't rush.
- Collect your bib and check it immediately — name, distance, wave, timing chip. See our full bib pickup guide for what to look for and what to do if something's wrong.
- Walk the expo methodically — pick up any included merchandise, check the course map, note the bag drop location and process for race morning.
- Buy anything you're short on — gels, sunscreen, safety pins, anti-chafe. Expo prices are higher than normal but it beats not having it on race morning.
- Don't buy anything new to race in — the expo is full of tempting new shoes, socks, and shorts. None of them go on your body on race day.
- Note the bag drop process — where it is, when it opens, what bag is acceptable. Some events require their official bag.
- Leave with enough time to rest — standing at an expo for 3 hours the day before a marathon is tiring. Get what you need and go. Your legs need to be on a couch, not wandering around exhibition halls.
The Night Before — The Routine That Works
The night before a marathon is not the time to try anything new. Every decision should be boring, familiar, and done early.
Dinner
Eat at 5:30–6pm — earlier than feels natural. Simple carbohydrates: pasta, rice, bread. Nothing high in fibre, nothing very fatty, nothing you haven't eaten before a long run. Eat until comfortably full, not stuffed. Drink steadily through the day and with dinner — don't try to hydrate aggressively at dinner.
Pre-race dinner at a restaurant in Sydney, Melbourne, or Gold Coast the night before the marathon is a logistical gamble — queues, slow service, unknown portion sizes, and the risk of something that disagrees with you. Cooking at your accommodation or staying with a local runner who knows the area removes all of this. It's another reason runner-to-runner stays work better than hotels for race weekend.
Evening preparation
- Pin your bib to your race top — do this at 7pm, not at 5am. Four pins, all four corners, centred on the front of your top.
- Lay out every item you're wearing and carrying — shoes, socks, shorts, top (with bib), watch, sunglasses, gels, sunscreen, anti-chafe. Everything visible on the floor or bed.
- Charge your watch and phone — overnight, confirmed before you sleep.
- Set two alarms — on separate devices if possible. One failure is enough to ruin everything.
- Prepare breakfast ingredients — if you're making oats or toast in the morning, set it up so you're not thinking at 4:30am.
- Know your transport plan — mapped, confirmed, with buffer time built in.
- Sleep — aim for 9pm or earlier. You won't sleep well, that's normal. Lying horizontal with your eyes closed still helps.
Race Morning — Hour by Hour
The biggest mistake on race morning is not leaving enough time. The second biggest mistake is trying to solve a problem that should have been solved at the expo.
Familiar breakfast — oats, toast, banana, whatever you trained with. Eat the full amount even if you're not hungry. Your body will need it. Coffee if you use it. Start sipping water.
Sunscreen first (before you put kit on), then anti-chafe, then dress. Tape anything that needs taping. Double-check your bib is pinned correctly and your watch is charged. Take your throwaway warm layer.
Earlier than this if you're far from the start or relying on public transport. Sydney and Melbourne train services get very busy from 5am on race morning — stand well clear of the platform edge and expect crowds.
Drop your bag early — queues build significantly in the 45 minutes before the gun. Know exactly where bag drop is before you arrive. Gold Coast and Sydney bag drop areas are large and can be confusing in the dark.
Toilet queues at major events are long. At Sydney Marathon, Melbourne Marathon, and Gold Coast, 45-minute toilet queues are common at the 30-minute mark. Join the queue at 60 minutes — you will likely use the facilities twice before the gun.
Light dynamic warm-up — leg swings, easy jog if possible, nothing that tires you. Take your first gel if that's your protocol. Get into your corral or start zone — popular corrals fill and it's difficult to move forward once they're set.
The first kilometre of a major marathon is almost always faster than it should be. The crowd, the atmosphere, the taper legs — everything conspires to make you go out too fast. Stick to your plan.
Event-Specific Notes
Each major event has its own quirks. Here's what to know for the biggest races in Australia and NZ.
Post-Race — What to Have Ready
You will finish your marathon in a state somewhere between euphoric and destroyed. Either way, your ability to make good decisions will be low. Have these sorted in advance so you don't have to think.
- Dry, warm clothes in your gear bag — you will get cold within 10 minutes of stopping. Change as soon as you collect your bag.
- Food beyond the finish line offering — the banana and muesli bar in your gear bag is the best post-race meal you'll have
- A meeting point pre-agreed with supporters — finish line areas at Sydney, Melbourne, and Gold Coast are huge and phone signal is often overloaded. Agree on a specific landmark before race morning, not after.
- Transport plan for getting back — your legs will not want to walk far. Know exactly where you're going and how.
- Accommodation close enough to walk or easily reach — this is the real advantage of race weekend accommodation sorted in advance. A 5-minute walk to your bed beats a 40-minute commute when you can barely move.
Sort your race weekend accommodation first
The accommodation decision is the one that shapes everything else — your pre-race dinner, your sleep, your race morning logistics, and your post-race recovery. BibBuddy connects you with local runners who know the race, know the area, and have a spare room.
Join the Waitlist — Be First to Know →Launching soon · Built by runners, for runners
Frequently Asked Questions
What time should I wake up on marathon morning?
Three hours before your gun time is the target. For a 7am start that's 4am. For a 6am start like Gold Coast, that's 3am. It feels brutal but it works — your body has time to digest breakfast, you're not rushing, and you arrive at the start calm rather than stressed. Runners who wake up 90 minutes before the gun are always the ones you see sprinting to the bag drop.
Should I wear new shoes or kit on race day?
No. Nothing new on race day is one of the few genuine rules of marathon running. New shoes cause blisters. New shorts chafe. New tops rub. Even if your regular kit feels old and worn — wear it. The exception is replacing like-for-like when your regular kit is genuinely falling apart, but only if you've had time to run in the new version first.
How much should I eat the night before?
More than a normal dinner, less than you think. Top up your glycogen without overfilling your stomach. The classic mistake is eating an enormous pasta dinner at 8pm and then lying awake feeling full. Eat a generous but not excessive carbohydrate meal at 5:30–6pm and let it digest before you sleep.
I can't sleep the night before — is that a problem?
Almost universal and largely fine. Pre-race adrenaline makes proper sleep difficult regardless of how tired you are. The sleep that matters most is the night before the night before — two nights before race day. If you've slept well Thursday night and reasonably Friday night, a restless Saturday night won't ruin your race. Lie still, keep your eyes closed, and don't look at your phone.
How early should I get to the start line?
At least 75–90 minutes before your wave. At major events — Sydney, Melbourne, Gold Coast — the queues for bag drop and toilets are genuinely long. Runners who arrive 30 minutes before the gun are often still in the toilet queue when their wave starts. Arriving early means you can warm up, settle your nerves, and start the race the way you planned.