Thru-hiking to participating in a marathon. A relatively easy transition. This is not a unique phenomena to me. I have seen it over and over again with thru-hiking friends that they continue to “level up” and add running to their repertoire. A lot of folks go directly into trail running as it merges hiking and running, but I chose to do a road race first. I believe this is because there are many principles that are applicable from one endurance activity to the next.

Prior to the Pacific Crest Trail, I had been told to believe that the only way to truly be “in shape” was to be a runner. Like, a marathon runner. The rhetoric that I heard over and over again was that people who did weekend 5ks weren’t actually “runners” but rather they were just people who ran. As a musician, this did not make sense to me. In my mind, if someone plays an instrument, then they are a musician. It should be the same for other hobbies; including running. If you run, you are therefore a runner.

I was never an endurance athlete. When I completed my first 5k in 2014, I was shocked that I completed it at all. I went on to participate in a Sprint Triathlon in 2015 and although it was entertaining, I remember leaving the race saying, “I am just not an endurance person”. For over a decade, it was engrained in me that unless my body/cardiovascular system could support running consistently 5-6 days a week, I was out of shape. But I liked lifting weights, yoga, biking, hiking, going on walks… was I always out of shape then?

Thru-hiking completely changed my mind and my body.

I now believe that though running is a fantastic way to improve your cardiovascular health and overall body tone, that there is more to fitness (and life) than running. It is a component of my active lifestyle rather than the focus. I use it as a tool in my overall training toolbox, but it isn’t the main driver.

I completed my first half marathon in October 2024 with little training and (just) hit my time goal of sub-2 hours. It was an obvious next step in 2025 after another thru-hike to therefore sign up for another race - this time a full marathon in October 2025.

So.. how did it go?

Race Day

Truthfully, I didn’t know what to expect from my first marathon. My training window was short (four weeks), my summer was full, and my focus was… scattered. But with a few long runs and steady consistency, I showed up on race day with cautious confidence and completed the marathon with my goal time.

Original goal: 4:44
Revised goal: 4:30
Actual finish: 4:07 😱

Race day delivered cold rain and zero mercy. But there was never a moment that I thought I would quit or needed to stop. I ran the entirety of the race - a goal I did not know that I had but it was sweet! To be able to run 4+ hours without stopping was a testament to the endurance that thru-hiking trained into me. It was a treat as well to be on the same course I was the year prior completing the half marathon and rather than turning around at a specific point, continuing on into the unknown.

Translated Well from Thru-Hike to Marathon:

Distance
- A runninng shoe-store salesman warned me that the hardest part for many runners is simply knowing they’ll be out there for 26 miles. But thanks to thru-hiking, I have lived many 26-mile days. Even many back to back 26-mile+ days. This was not intimidating to me, it was just another day.
Time on feet
- Though I had previously completed 26-mile days, running them would actually be much less time on feet. On an average quick hiking pace day, 26 miles would take nearly 9 hours. 9 hours of walking with a weighted pack on, on uneven surfaces. With my original goal being less than 4:30, this would be half the time.
Nutrition
- At the beginning of my running journey, I was unable to consume anything (water or food) within 45 minutes - 1 hour prior. But with thru-hiking, I became used to eating and drinking while walking or climbing which made my stomach stronger. This helped with one of my biggest concerns; fueling.
- Fueling properly during actviity was initial hard to wrap my head around because running had always been a way to lose weight. So consuming calories seemed counterintuitive. But you cannot properly perform if you are completely empty of calories. And over the course of 4+ hours that I would be running and burning an insane amount of calories, I had to replace them. This was a huge mental shift. I am running a marathon to perform … not to lose weight.
Mental Game
- Already knowing that I was capable of running/walking 26 miles was a huge relief. I kept saying that though I would like to continuously run, who would that actually impress? Who would I be running constantly for? If I needed to walk for a bit (or for a lot), who would care?
- I giggled my way through the final mile, especially when I spotted my mom, aunt, and uncle cheering in ponchos near the finish. And as I crossed the line, I felt overwhelming gratitude for the support around me, and most of all, for my body. She continues to show up for me, even when I ask a lot of her.
Muscle Recovery
- Because thru-hiking is constant daily activity with often few breaks or days off WHILE eating generally inappropriately, my muscles were trained to deal with what I gave them. Hey, even flowers can grow through cracks in the sidewalk.
- This quick muscle recovery was helpful during my training regimen because I was then able to be consistent. Day over day, week over week.
No Additional Weight:
- Without a backpack on, I felt free as a bird! Light as a feather! Like I was missing something or some part of my body!
Elevation:
- Thru-hiking incorporates an obscene amount of elevation gain and loss (looking at you, Appalachian Trail) and as a road race runner, this was not the case. When I saw that my race was going to be roughly 500-750ft of gain over 26.2 miles, it felt completely doable.

Did Not Translate Well from Thru-Hike to Marathon:

Bathroom Breaks:
- One of my favorite parts about long distance hiking is that I can pee whenever/wherever I want (typically). I was nervous that within a 4+ hour timeframe I was going to be in desperate need of a bathroom - any kind of use…
- My long runs included bathroom breaks, but my actual marathon did not. I’m not sure if this was a good thing or not as it probably indicated that I was dehydrated but ya know.
Consistent Pacing:
- My hiking pace varies wildly depending on the terrain type, steepness, time of day, etc. I attempted to be as consistent as possible but struggled a bit during training to keep it consistent.
Different Muscles:
- Yes, I had good muscle recovery but the initial runs during my transition from hiking to running were a bit painful. Thankfully I have no joint pain, but it was my underutilized quads from hiking that were really awoken on my running journey.

Nutrition Plan

Considering I had never truly fueled on a run before, I was lost. For my half marathon, I did not use anything. I mean… anything. I didn’t drink any water provided nor any other items. I could push my way (fake it?) through a half marathon, but not a full marathon. A runner friend with a sensitive stomach recommended Maurten gels and they worked perfectly. To supplement, I also used SaltStick tabs, which are electrolyte tabs, to chew on as well recommended to me by my Aunt (who was running her first 5k simultaneously)! I tested out these gels and tabs on a few of my long runs and it went smoothly, so I committed to them for the race.

My race nutrition by mileage:

Pre-race: Maurten 160 drink mix
3: tab
6: gel
8: tab
10: caffeine gel
12: tab
14: gel
15.5: tab
17: gel
18.5: tab
20: caffeine gel
21.5: tab
23: gel
24.5: tab
26.2: whatever I want!

I never cramped, bonked, or felt weak. I drank a few cups of water but kept liquids to a minimum as that hurts my stomach worst of all of anything I consume. This plan completely worked for me, but test out what may work for you!

Gear

My gear did not differ from my regular running kit too much. Pictured below is my marathon kit for the day.

Shoes: I trained with my regular Nike Pegasus and then switched to a “super shoe” for race day with New Balance SuperComp. Though folks at the running store tried to talk me out of super shoes because I “wasn’t fast enough to see a difference in time” - they made a huge difference for my knees. I wouldn’t train too much in these, but a few runs beforehand is okay. There was a total of 8 miles on my New Balance SuperComps prior to race day.
- I would recommend going to a run specialty store and trying on different shoes with a sales associate. Every foot and body has different needs!
Vest/Belt: I brought my usual running belt to the marathon with me and I was able to fit all of my nutrition in there and my short pockets. Some folks had running vests on, but I wanted to run as free as possible after thru-hiking with my backpack. I felt so light!

Training Plan

As previously stated, I did not have much to properly train for running a race. I had four weeks to get running mileage in prior to the marathon but primarily used my thru-hiking shape. I did several long run/hikes on trails - which lead to a Michigan FKT (fastest known time), but more on that in a different post.

I ran consistently for those four weeks integrating in running 5 days a week; one long run, one fast run, and three moderately pace/distance runs.

Longest long run: 21 miles followed by 15 miles the following week
Fastest run: 5k time trial (3.1 miles)
Typical moderate pace/distance run: 6 miles

As a way to make myself feel more comfortable, I KNEW I could walk 26 miles so I would get through it. Everything else is just fun.

Will I be completing another marathon in the future? Yes. I said it the day of my marathon, yes I will complete another. This was my first marathon but not my best.

Consider a thru-hike though, it will change your fitness. It would be an understatement to say that thru-hiking turned me into one. I now cannot imagine my life without having some endurance effort on the calendar.

xoxo,

Leeann