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From Fellrnr.com, Running tips
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* '''Certified Course.''' If the course is not certified, I would argue it’s not a true marathon. There are some great races out there that are not certified, such as [http://www.hopeformarrow.org/gmminfo.htm Grandfather Mountain Marathon], but I’d argue that their greatness comes from their differences. For a good article on course certificate, check out http://www.hamptonrockfest.com/hamptonhalf-GPS.html
* '''Cold Weather.''' For most runners, warm weather is the biggest barrier to good performance. See [[Impact of Heat on Marathon Performance]] for more details.
* '''Flat or Rolling.''' If a course is hilly, it will be hard to perform well. A sufficiently hilly course can provide a challenge which makes for a great race, but those types of races are sufficiently different to make a comparison with other races meaningless. [http://www.pikespeakmarathon.org/ Pikes Peak Marathon] is one of the most extreme examples. Some people prefer a flat course, others a slightly rolling course which provides variation in [[Muscle|muscle ]] usage. Theoretically I’d argue that flat should be faster, but anecdotal evidence suggests this may be overly simplistic.
* '''Lack of Wind.''' Running in a strong wind is a horrible experience and detracts from performance. Some races are more exposed than others, and it is typically the flatter courses that are prone to wind.
* '''Low Stress Start.''' High stress before the race starts drains a runner both mentally and physically. A race that is easy to travel to, easy to get to the start, and is not too crowded at the start is ideal.
