Chester Marathon · 11 October 2026
Callum
4:13:55
Over an hour off his marathon time in less than six months of coaching.
The goal
Go under 4:30 at Chester Marathon.
The starting point
Brighton Marathon 2026 recorded 5:15:13 for Callum, bib 40578. Chester recorded 4:13:55: an improvement of 1 hour, 1 minute and 18 seconds between the two race results. Coaching began on 20 April 2026; Chester on 11 October was 24 weeks and 6 days later.
Check the Brighton result →The coaching decisions
A recovery run on 1 September came two days after a half marathon. The review judged it on restraint: 8km in 50:50, average heart rate 148, with kilometres between 6:19 and 6:26/km. The next decision kept Thursday easy and left the planned Sunday long run at 30km without increasing its pace.
The build to Chester
Selected milestones from the coaching record, followed by the official race result.
20 April 2026
Start with a baseline
The marathon programme began with a review of Callum’s training history and a plan for Chester.
15 June 2026
Recheck the assumptions
A running retest changed the heart-rate reference used for the next phase. The plan was revised around the new information.
16 August 2026
Practise the long run
The coaching record logs 25km in 2:34:32, with three gels taken on the move. Clear pace bands gave each section a purpose.
1 September 2026
Protect recovery
Two days after a half marathon, the review valued a controlled 8km recovery run rather than another hard effort.
11 October 2026
Put the block together
Chester: 4:13:55 on chip time. The second half was 9:21 faster than the first.
The result
Callum went into Chester chasing sub 4:30. He ran 4:13:55 on chip time, finishing 16 minutes and 5 seconds inside that goal. His opening 10K took 1:02:44. By the final 5.1km, he was running 5:36/km.
Progress through the race
| Section | Time | Pace |
|---|---|---|
| Start–10K | 1:02:44 | 6:16/km |
| 10K–halfway | 1:08:54 | 6:13/km |
| Halfway–29.67K | 50:41 | 5:55/km |
| 29.67–37.1K | 43:04 | 5:48/km |
| 37.1K–finish | 28:31 | 5:36/km |
The second half was 9:21 quicker than the first. Each recorded section was quicker per kilometre.
Read the feedback through his training block →In Callum’s words
Check the official result →“You just coached someone to an hour off their time in 5/6 months, you should be proud of yourself also mate, genuinely”
Your goal comes next
A marathon goal needs a week you can repeat, with decisions that account for recovery. Online coaching brings the plan, session feedback and weekly adjustments together.
Talk about my training →