The Marine Corps Marathon is a 26.2-mile test, but Tessa Barrett’s message for runners taking on Marine Corps Marathon 2026 is refreshingly simple: don’t leave the basics to chance. For a race that draws many first-timers, the final days are less about proving fitness and more about avoiding small mistakes that can snowball into a much longer morning.
Barrett, the reigning women’s division champion and an Arlington, Virginia resident, said hydration comes first. Her advice is not just to drink water, but to think more broadly about fluids and electrolytes. “Not just water. Try and have water, Gatorade, electrolytes, liquid IV, whatever electrolyte of your choice. Hydration is number one,” she said.
The final days matter
In the couple of days before a marathon, Barrett said she tries to get 400 or 500 grams of carbs a day. That is a large number, but the point is practical rather than flashy: the race is long, and runners need fuel before they ever reach the start line. Her own frame of reference is notable too. At 5-foot-2 and 100 pounds, she still follows the same carb-loading approach because the marathon demands it.
Sleep also becomes a major part of the equation. Barrett said the Friday night before the race is especially important, while the Saturday before can be tricky because nerves often interfere with rest. That is a familiar marathon problem. The night before a race rarely feels normal, which is exactly why the preparation has to begin earlier than that.
Eat early, fuel early
On race day, Barrett’s guidance is clear: eat something at least three hours before the start if possible. She added that some runners do better with two hours, but the larger point is not to go out empty. “You need to eat something,” she said. “That’s really the key thing.”
Once the race starts, the fueling plan should continue. Barrett recommends taking in fluids and carbohydrates every 20 to 30 minutes, even if that means not getting a full gel down each time. “Partial is better than zero,” she said, which is probably the most useful marathon advice of all. The goal is not perfection; it is consistency.
She also pointed to a simple in-race rhythm: take fuel at 5k, 10k and halfway. That structure matters because the later miles are where many first-time marathoners begin to lose pace, lose focus or both. If the front half is about discipline, the back half is about survival.
The last hard stretch
Barrett also highlighted one part of the course that runners should know about in advance: the Interstate 395 bridge around mile 20, which has a reputation for cramping runners. That is not the kind of detail that sounds dramatic on a course map, but in a marathon, mile 20 is often where the race starts to tell the truth.
The Marine Corps Marathon is often described as a fair course, with its biggest elevation change coming in the first few miles. That should be encouraging for runners, but it does not make the race easy. It simply means the challenge shifts from terrain to execution, especially once fatigue starts to build.
And Barrett’s final reminder fits that logic. “Run the first 20 and then, but race the last 10k,” she said. In other words, survive the early grind, keep the fueling plan intact and trust that the final stretch is where the real race begins.
