NYC Marathon Muscle Cramps: Why They Happen and How to Prevent Them

If you have ever run a marathon, you probably know the feeling. Everything is going well. You are holding your pace, your breathing feels under control, and you are starting to think about the finish line. Then suddenly, your calf tightens. Or your hamstring grabs. Maybe it is your quad.

You try to keep running, hoping it will disappear. Sometimes it does. Sometimes it gets worse.

For runners preparing for the New York City Marathon, muscle cramping can become an especially frustrating problem. You are not only running 26.2 miles. You are dealing with bridges, hills, changes in pace, crowded sections of the course and, depending on the day, weather conditions that can make the final miles even more demanding.

So what actually causes muscle cramps during a marathon? And more importantly, what can you do about them?

There is a lot of advice out there telling runners that cramps are simply caused by dehydration or a lack of electrolytes. Hydration and electrolytes certainly matter, but that explanation is too simple.

In my experience, one of the biggest pieces of the puzzle is how prepared your muscles are for the workload you are asking them to handle.

Research and sports medicine sources point to several possible contributors, including muscular fatigue, excessive effort, inadequate conditioning, pacing, training load and hydration or electrolyte issues.

For the NYC Marathon, that distinction is important. You cannot simply drink your way out of a problem that was created by asking an underprepared muscle to do more work than it can handle.

What Is a Muscle Cramp?

A muscle cramp is a sudden, involuntary contraction of a muscle. It can feel like the muscle has suddenly seized, tightened or locked up.

Runners commonly experience cramps in the:

• Calves

• Hamstrings

• Quadriceps

• Feet

• Inner thighs

These are all muscles working continuously to keep you moving forward.

The problem is that during a marathon, those muscles are being asked to contract thousands of times. As fatigue builds, your ability to maintain the same level of muscular control can deteriorate.

That is one reason cramping often appears later in a race rather than during the first few miles.

You may feel perfectly fine at mile 8 and completely different at mile 20.

The NYC Marathon Creates a Unique Challenge

This is one reason I like to talk about preparation rather than simply prevention.

The New York City Marathon is not a flat, predictable 26.2-mile run. You have bridges and elevation changes throughout the course. You have the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge early, rolling sections through the boroughs, and challenging terrain later in the race.

That means your muscles are constantly adjusting to different demands. Uphill running requires more force, while downhill running requires your muscles to absorb more force.

When you combine those changes with 20-plus miles of accumulated fatigue, your legs can reach a point where they simply cannot maintain the same level of efficiency.

This is particularly important for the quadriceps. Downhill running involves a significant amount of eccentric muscle action, meaning the muscles are producing force while lengthening. That can create substantial muscular stress and contribute to fatigue later in a race.

So when I prepare someone for New York, I don't only think about whether they can run 20 miles.

I want to know whether their legs can still function properly after 20 miles.

That is a very different question.

The Biggest Mistake: Starting Too Fast

If I had to choose one mistake that marathon runners make that can contribute to cramping, this would be high on my list:

Going out too fast.

You are excited. The crowd is incredible. You have trained for months. You feel fresh. And suddenly your marathon pace becomes faster than your marathon pace.

The problem may not show up immediately. You may feel fantastic for the first 10 miles, but you have already spent more of your muscular reserves than you planned.

As fatigue accumulates, your form can change, your stride can become less efficient and individual muscles may have to compensate. Eventually, something can give.

Studies and coaching guidance cited by the sources provided for this article specifically identify aggressive early pacing as a risk factor for marathon cramping.

For New York, patience is a performance strategy.

Don't try to win the marathon in the first five miles.

Train the Muscles That Keep You Running

Running is obviously the most important part of marathon preparation, but strength training has a place in the program.

You don't need to become a bodybuilder to benefit from strength work. You need enough strength and muscular endurance to help your body tolerate the workload of running for several hours.

I like to pay particular attention to the following areas:

Calves

Your calves are working every time you push off the ground.

Calf raises, loaded calf raises and controlled single-leg work can help develop the strength needed for repeated running demands.

Quads

Your quadriceps are especially important for hills and downhill running.

Squats, split squats, step-ups and controlled step-downs can all be useful.

Hamstrings

The hamstrings contribute to hip extension, knee control and running mechanics.

Romanian deadlifts, bridges and other controlled posterior-chain exercises can help strengthen them.

Glutes and hips

Strong glutes help contribute to efficient hip movement and force production. They also matter when you are trying to maintain good mechanics late in a long run.

This doesn't mean strength training guarantees you won't cramp. Nothing can guarantee that.

But building the capacity of the muscles involved in running gives you a better foundation for handling fatigue. Strength training is also recommended by running and sports medicine sources as part of cramp-prevention preparation.

Your Long Run Should Prepare You for Fatigue

One of the biggest mistakes I see is treating every long run like a simple distance workout.

You run the miles, check the box and go home.

But marathon preparation is about more than accumulating mileage. Eventually, you want your training to teach your body what it feels like to continue working when it is already tired.

That can mean incorporating marathon-pace running, hills or controlled changes in effort into appropriate long runs.

For NYC, it also makes sense to include some hill exposure rather than doing every long run on perfectly flat terrain. You want your body to experience the muscular demands that are going to show up on race day.

Don't Ignore the Final Miles

This is where the NYC Marathon can become a completely different race.

At mile 8, a hill is a hill. At mile 22, that same hill can feel enormous.

Your muscles have already been working for hours. Your glycogen stores are being challenged, your concentration is not the same, and your running mechanics may have changed.

This is why I care so much about strength endurance. It isn't enough to have strong legs when you are fresh. You want your legs to remain useful when they are tired.

That is one of the biggest reasons I would rather see a runner build a strong, consistent training base than constantly chase harder workouts.

What Should You Do If a Cramp Starts During the Race?

First, don't panic. Second, don't try to sprint through it.

If you feel a cramp beginning, reduce your pace immediately. Depending on the severity, you may need to walk briefly.

Gently stretching the affected muscle can help relieve an acute cramp. For example, a calf cramp can often be addressed by gently bringing the foot upward toward the shin. Light massage can also be helpful.

Then reassess.

If the muscle relaxes, don't immediately jump back to your previous pace. Ease back into running.

If you sprint away from the cramp because you are frustrated about losing time, you may simply trigger it again.

And if the cramping is severe, persistent or accompanied by other concerning symptoms, stop and seek medical assistance.

Your Race-Day Hydration and Fueling Plan Matters

Even though hydration and electrolytes are not the entire explanation for cramping, they still belong in your marathon plan.

The important word is plan.

Don't experiment with a completely new hydration or fueling strategy on marathon morning. Use your training runs to determine what works for you.

That includes:

• Fluids

• Electrolytes

• Carbohydrate intake

• Timing

• Gels or other race nutrition
  

ASICS also recommends becoming accustomed to the climate in which you will race because environmental conditions can affect sweating and exercise demands.

New York in November can be unpredictable enough that you should be prepared to adjust without completely abandoning the strategy you practiced.

Don't Overtrain Before the Marathon

Another mistake is trying to get one last great workout in during race week.

You cannot create significant marathon fitness in the final few days. But you can absolutely create unnecessary fatigue.

The research reviewed by Samitivej Hospitals found that runners who experienced cramps were more likely to have trained hard in the days immediately before competition. Their recommendation is essentially what good marathon training should already teach us: reduce the workload and arrive at the starting line rested.

The goal of a taper is not to become less fit. The goal is to allow the fitness you already built to show up on race day.

You want fresh legs.

Think About Cramping as a Signal

This is probably the most important point I want runners to take away.

If you consistently cramp at mile 18, mile 20 or mile 22, don't simply say: "I need more electrolytes."

Ask better questions:

• Did I start too fast?

• Did I train enough for the distance?

• Did I practice marathon pace?

• Did I build enough leg strength?

• Did I train hills?

• Did I recover properly?

• Did I increase my mileage or intensity too quickly?

• Am I consistently reaching the same point in the race where my muscles simply run out of capacity?
  

Those questions can tell you much more about the problem.

How I Would Prepare for the NYC Marathon

If I were helping a runner prepare specifically for New York, my approach would be pretty straightforward.

Build the running base.

Give your body enough time to adapt to the mileage instead of trying to make up for lost training.

Strengthen the important muscles.

Calves, quads, hamstrings, glutes and hips all need to be capable of handling repeated work.

Train the course demands.

Don't spend the entire preparation running on flat ground if the race you're preparing for includes hills and bridges.

Practice marathon pace.

Your body needs experience holding the effort you intend to use on race day.

Respect the taper.

You want to arrive at the starting line trained, not exhausted.

Control the first half.

You should feel like you are holding something back early in the race.

Have a fueling and hydration strategy.

Practice it before race day rather than improvising when the marathon is already underway.

And finally, listen to your body.

A cramp isn't something to be ashamed of. It is information.

Sometimes it tells you that you're dehydrated. Sometimes you're fatigued. Sometimes you went out too fast. Sometimes your training simply didn't prepare you for the demand you placed on your body.

The goal isn't to find one magic trick that guarantees you will never cramp.

The goal is to build a body that is prepared to handle the marathon.

Because when you're standing on the Verrazzano Bridge on race morning, the best thing you can have is not another last-minute trick.

It's confidence that you've done the work.

Final Thoughts

The NYC Marathon is an incredible experience, but it is also a serious physical challenge.

Muscle cramps can take a great race and turn it into a struggle very quickly. While hydration and electrolytes deserve attention, I don't believe runners should treat cramping as simply a hydration problem.

Training matters.

Strength matters.

Pacing matters.

Recovery matters.

And preparation matters.

If you train your muscles to handle the distance, expose yourself to the demands of hills and fatigue, build strength through the hips and legs, and resist the temptation to go out too fast, you give yourself a much better chance of reaching Central Park with something left in the tank.

Don't just train to finish 26.2 miles. Train so your muscles can still do their job at mile 22.

That is the difference between hoping your legs hold up and preparing them to hold up.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do my legs cramp during a marathon?

Marathon cramps can have several contributing factors, but muscular fatigue, excessive effort, inadequate conditioning and aggressive pacing are important considerations. Hydration and electrolyte issues can also contribute in some circumstances.

Can electrolytes prevent marathon cramps?

Electrolytes can be an important part of an endurance athlete's hydration and fueling strategy, but they are not a guaranteed solution for exercise-associated cramps. Training, pacing and muscular fatigue also need to be considered.

Should I stretch if I get a cramp during the NYC Marathon?

Gentle stretching can help relax an acutely cramped muscle. Slow down first, gently stretch the affected area and avoid immediately returning to your previous pace.

Does strength training help prevent running cramps?

Strength training can help runners build the muscular capacity needed to tolerate the demands of long-distance running. Calves, quads, hamstrings, glutes and hips are particularly important areas to develop.

Why do cramps often happen late in a marathon?

Late-race cramping can occur as fatigue accumulates and muscles become less capable of maintaining the same workload and neuromuscular control. This is one reason marathon-specific endurance and pacing are so important.

Should I run through a cramp?

No. Slow down and address it rather than trying to force your way through a severe cramp. If it does not improve or keeps returning, stop and seek appropriate medical or sports-medicine assistance.