How to Taper for a Marathon: The 3-Week Plan That Keeps Your Legs Fresh

Quick summary

• Length: taper for 2–3 weeks. Three weeks suits most runners on 50 km or more a week; two weeks suits lower mileage.
• Cut volume, not intensity: reduce weekly distance by roughly 40–60% by race week, but keep some short marathon-pace and faster running.
• Keep your routine: run on the same days as usual, just shorter.
• Carb load: eat about 8–10 g of carbohydrate per kg of body weight per day for the last 36–48 hours.
• Expect to feel strange: heavy legs and restlessness in taper week are normal and don't mean you've lost fitness.

The taper is the easiest part of marathon training to get wrong, because it feels like doing less should be simple. Runners either cut too little and arrive tired, or cut everything and arrive flat and sluggish. A good taper does one job: it clears the fatigue from months of training while keeping the fitness you built.

Why tapering works

Hard training creates two things at once: fitness and fatigue. Fitness fades slowly, over weeks. Fatigue clears much faster, over days. A taper exploits that difference. By cutting volume for two to three weeks, fatigue drops away while fitness barely changes, so you start the race with fresh legs and full energy stores.

Research reviews of endurance athletes have found that the most effective tapers last about two weeks or a little longer, cut training volume by roughly 40–60%, and keep training intensity and frequency largely unchanged. In plain terms: run less, but don't stop running fast and don't skip days.

How much to cut: the 3-week taper

Use your peak training week as the reference. If your biggest week was 64 km, that's 100%.

If you're on a lower mileage plan (under about 45 km a week), a two-week taper is usually enough: start at the "2 weeks out" row.

Our sub-4 hour marathon training plan builds this exact taper into weeks 14–16.

What to keep, and what to drop

Keep:

• Your running days. If you normally run five days a week, keep running five days, just shorter. Dropping days makes legs feel stale.
• Some marathon-pace running. Short blocks at goal pace keep the rhythm familiar. Our marathon pace chart gives the number for your goal time.
• Strides. Four to eight 20-second relaxed accelerations after easy runs keep your legs feeling quick.

Drop:

• Long runs over about 22 km in the last three weeks.
• New workouts. The taper is not the time to test anything new.
• Heavy strength training in the final 10 days. Light mobility and bodyweight work is fine.
• Extra cross-training to "make up" for lost miles. Rest is the point.

Race week, day by day

This assumes a Sunday race. Shift it to match your race day.

Carb loading without the bloat

Your muscles store carbohydrate as glycogen, and a marathon will use most of it. Carb loading tops those stores up so you start with a full tank.

• When: the last 36–48 hours before the race.
• How much: about 8–10 g of carbohydrate per kg of body weight per day. For a 70 kg runner, that's 560–700 g a day.
• What: easy-to-digest carbohydrate: rice, pasta, bread, potatoes, oats, bananas, juice and sports drinks. Liquid carbohydrate is a useful way to hit the number without feeling stuffed.
• What to cut back on: high-fibre foods, rich sauces and large amounts of fat in the final day, which can upset your stomach on race morning.

Expect your weight to rise by 1–2 kg. Glycogen is stored with water, and that's a sign the loading worked.

Why you'll feel worse before you feel better

Most runners feel odd during a taper: heavy legs, niggles that appear from nowhere, restlessness and doubt. This is so common it has a name among runners: "taper madness".

The heaviness comes partly from fuller glycogen stores and water, and partly from your body repairing itself. It does not mean you've lost fitness. Two or three weeks of reduced training is far too short to lose meaningful aerobic fitness.

Resist the urge to "test" your fitness with a hard run in the last 10 days. Nothing you do in race week will make you fitter, but a hard run can make you more tired.

Common taper mistakes

1. Cutting too little. Running 90% of peak until a week out leaves you carrying fatigue to the start line.
2. Cutting everything. Several days off in a row usually leaves legs flat, not fresh.
3. Last-minute long run. A 30 km run two weeks out to "make sure" eats into your recovery.
4. Overdrinking. Drinking large amounts of plain water in race week doesn't help and can dilute your blood sodium. Drink normally and to thirst.
5. Trying new food, shoes or gear. Everything on race day should have been tested on a long run first.

FAQ

How long should a marathon taper be?

Most runners do best with a two- to three-week taper. Use three weeks if your peak weeks were above about 50 km; two weeks is enough for lower-mileage plans or experienced runners who recover quickly.

Should I run the week before a marathon?

Yes. Keep running on your usual days, but much shorter: about 30–40% of your peak weekly distance before race day, with one short marathon-pace session early in the week and some strides.

What should my last long run be before a marathon?

Most plans schedule the last long run of 28–32 km (or about 3 hours) three weeks before the race. In the final two weeks, long runs drop to around 14–22 km.

Is it normal to feel sluggish during a taper?

Yes. Heavy legs and low energy are common in the first week of a taper and during race week. They're caused by fuller energy stores, water retention and recovery, not lost fitness, and usually disappear on race day.

Do I need to carb load for a half marathon?

Usually not to the same extent. For a half marathon, eating a normal, carbohydrate-rich diet the day before and a good breakfast is generally enough. Full carb loading matters most for races over about 90 minutes.

This article is general training information, not medical or nutrition advice. If you have a medical condition, check with a doctor or registered dietitian before changing your diet or training.