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How running tangents can shave minutes off your marathon time

How running tangents can shave minutes off your marathon time

Running a marathon is about covering 42.195 km, not a metre more. Mastering tangents - the straightest legal line through every turn - can save you minutes and make the difference between hitting or missing sub-3.

Do you lose fitness if you take time off after a sub-3 marathon?

Do you lose fitness if you take time off after a sub-3 marathon?

How to run two sub-3 marathons in one training block

How to run two sub-3 marathons in one training block

Sub-3 graphic for Fastest Winter Marathons featuring a -3 medal icon with icy blue motion bars over a pale winter background with light snowflakes.

Fastest Winter Marathons – 2026 edition now live

Injuries in sub-3 training - and how to stay ahead of them

Injuries in sub-3 training - and how to stay ahead of them

Runners crowd a Paris Marathon riverside section along the Seine with a dense field and spectators, illustrating how congestion can disrupt pacing and access to water stations.

Paris Marathon’s cup ban is a step too far

Graphic for 'World’s Fastest Marathons 2026 – March Edition' featuring a stylised medal with a '-3' symbol and bold navy and yellow text blocks.

World’s Fastest Marathons – March 2026 edition released

EXPERIENCES

Jerry Rief running a road race in a yellow Laramie, Wyoming track-club vest and cap, mid-stride on a city street with spectators and buildings blurred in the background.

How Jerry Rief ran sub-3 marathons in every US state

Over 27 years, Jerry Rief completed sub-3 marathons in all 50 US states and Washington, D.C., averaging 2:49 while rarely racing more than three times a year. In this Q&A, he explains how patience, restraint and consistency made the project possible.

Runner in St Albans Striders vest racing mid-marathon at Seville, focused and working hard, with spectators blurred behind during a fast, flat city-centre section.

10 things that finally made sub-2:40 happen in Seville

Richard Ginn running on the track in an England Masters vest, raising both arms as he approaches the finish.

100 marathons. Sub-3 across three decades.

Pete Johnson finishing the 1997 Flora London Marathon in 2:32:49, raising his arms as he crosses the line behind two other runners.

Sub-3 lessons from a lifetime in club running

George Fernandez stands proudly at the Chester Marathon finish area holding a sign showing his time of 2:49:26, wearing his medal and blue finisher’s hoodie.

How the power of positivity got me to 2:49

A 58-year-old runner, Mikael Bask, finishing the 2025 Stockholm Marathon under the red finish arch with a time of 2:59:56, watched by a crowd in the stadium.

My road to breaking sub-3 at 58

Why I decided to quit alcohol for good during sub‑3 training

Why I decided to quit alcohol for good during sub‑3 training

INSIGHTS

Do you lose fitness if you take time off after a sub-3 marathon?

Do you lose fitness if you take time off after a sub-3 marathon?

Worried about losing fitness after a sub-3 marathon? Recovery won’t erase your gains — it helps lock them in. Here’s why time off makes you stronger.

Injuries in sub-3 training - and how to stay ahead of them

Injuries in sub-3 training - and how to stay ahead of them

Male runner racing uphill on wet road in light rain during a road race, with other runners and spectators in background

How wind affects marathon racing (and your sub-3 chances)

Graphic with navy and yellow medal showing “-3” and bold text: “10 ways to stay injury free when training for a sub-3 marathon,” on a beige background, clean and modern style.

10 ways to stay injury free when training for a sub-3 marathon

Graphic with a navy and gold medal icon and bold text reading: "5 hacks for breaking three hours in the marathon" in alternating navy and gold lettering.

5 hacks for breaking three hours in the marathon

What makes a marathon sub-3 friendly?

What makes a marathon sub-3 friendly?

A fit male runner in a SUB-3 t-shirt stands on bathroom scales in a tidy modern home, hands on hips, evaluating his weight as part of his marathon training plan.

How to lose 5kg during a sub-3 marathon training block

STRATEGY

How running tangents can shave minutes off your marathon time

How running tangents can shave minutes off your marathon time

Running a marathon is about covering 42.195 km, not a metre more. Mastering tangents - the straightest legal line through every turn - can save you minutes and make the difference between hitting or missing sub-3.

How to run two sub-3 marathons in one training block

How to run two sub-3 marathons in one training block

5 ways to survive the final 10K of a sub-3 marathon effort

5 ways to survive the final 10K of a sub-3 marathon effort

How to use drafting to run a sub-3 marathon

How to use drafting to run a sub-3 marathon

Marathon pacers: best or worst way to run sub-3?

Marathon pacers: best or worst way to run sub-3?

Runner in SUB-3 shirt studies mileage graph showing 140.23 km, 11h 8m, 457 m elevation for September, with weekly distances plotted between 75–150 km.

Weekly mileage needed to break 3 hours in the marathon

Navigating congestion during marathons when chasing sub-3

Navigating congestion during marathons when chasing sub-3

FUEL

More

5 tips to stay off alcohol as a sub-3 runner

Why Ozempic isn’t for sub-3 runners

Should I run fasted during sub-3 training?

How should I use electrolytes during my sub-3 effort?

Should I carry my own fuel during a sub-3 marathon attempt?

GEAR

More

Five reasons to consider Vaporfly 4 for your next marathon

Are your running shoes good value? Try this simple test

In praise of Shoe Goo

Five reasons sub-3 runners should consider wearing a cap

Five lesser-known items I always carry for sub-3 training

DECISIONS

More

Big city vs small race marathons: which is better for sub-3?

Downhill workouts: boost or risk for sub-3 marathon runners?

Best cross-training options when injured during sub-3 training

When to defer your sub-3 marathon attempt

Should I join a running club to help me go sub-3?