Running and training for a marathon are great ways to improve your physical and mental health – but there are things you need to do to ensure you stay healthy for the big day.

Get checked by your doctor

Before you begin training for the TCS London Marathon, we recommend visiting your doctor for a check-up. They will be able to offer advice tailored to you, taking your medical history into account.

If you have a serious medical condition, we’ll need your doctor’s agreement and details of your condition and treatment before you can enter the TCS London Marathon. So, please check with your doctor before you consider taking part. Then, if you secure a place, be sure to send your medical details and doctor’s note to:

TCS London Marathon Medical Director
PO Box 1234
London
SE1 8RZ

Please mark the envelope as confidential and include your bib number if you have it.

If there’s a risk you may blackout during the event (for example, if you have seizures), please mark your bib number in the following ways:

• put a red cross on the front of your bib number
• write the details of your condition and treatment on the back of your bib number

Healthy heart checklist

A fitness test isn’t always enough to detect heart problems, so if anything in the list below applies to you, please see your doctor and get a full cardiac assessment before taking up or continuing running.

• You suffer chest pains or discomfort when you exert yourself
• There’s a history of heart disease or sudden death in your family
• You experience sudden shortness of breath
• You have rapid heart palpitations

What if I’m ill on Marathon Day?

If you feel ill on Marathon Day, it’s important that you withdraw from the event – no matter how much you want to plough on. Most medical emergencies happen because people who aren’t well enough to take part try to continue. Even if you make it to the Finish Line, you’re unlikely to enjoy the event or give your best performance, and you may feel even worse afterwards.

There’s no need to feel under pressure to run because you’ve spent a long time building up to it in training or raising money for charity – you may be able to defer your place to another year if you follow our event withdrawal and deferral procedure.

You should also withdraw if you’re not fully prepared for the 26.2-mile distance. It’s time to be honest with yourself! You should have a good indication of your fitness from your training, but, as a benchmark, if you can’t comfortably run 15 miles a month before the event then you probably won’t be able to safely complete the TCS London Marathon.

So, as much as you’d like to take part in the event, if circumstances dictate otherwise please remember that it’s better to be safe than sorry – and all is not lost! You can achieve your marathon goal another time.