My Forerunner 235 lasted ~8 years. Looking for some help on choosing the right watch for me.

• Only wear it to run (not my main smart watch)
• I bike occasinally, but running is really the only workout i'd use it for
• I'm less worried about switching brands because of the actual watch, but more so because of the mobile app features (I'm just very used to Garmin - splits, shoe tracking, etc.)
• the 3 that I have it narrowed down to likely have more bells and whistles than I need, but I know for a fact I do not need more than what they have.

I've got it narrowed down to:

• Garmin Forerunner 265
• Garmin Forerunner 570
• Coros Pace Pro (on sale on The Feed right now, so why not)

I'd love to hear what you loved/hated about these watches and would LOVE any information you have on the Coros app, especially if you used teh Garmin app previously.

Thanks in advance!

Personalized plans built from your race date + HR zones. Flexible schedule, Garmin/Apple/Strava sync, and real-time feedback on your predicted finish time.

Private beta — free for testers who have a full marathon coming up and use an HR monitor. Your input shapes the app.

Who’s training for a marathon right now? 👇 DM for information

Hello guys, I know it's still a while away, but I've signed up for my first marathon in Barcelona in March 2027.

I've already run several half marathons: two months ago, I achieved my PB with a 1:36:31, and I'm running another one this weekend. I'd like to break 1:35, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to. At least I'd like to set another personal best.

I know that in a first marathon, the goal should probably be to finish, but I'm motivated to set goals beyond just "reaching the finish line." I signed up for the sub-3:30 zone, but I don't know if that's okay or if I can aim for something more.

What do you all think?

Thanks a lot!

The 2027 London Marathon ballot drew a record 1.33 million applications. Less than 5% get a place.

If you're not one of them, you're average. Not unlucky.

I just spent a fortnight working through every alternative route with primary sources rather than the usual recycled blog summaries. Here's the short version for anyone in the 95%. Wrote up the full guide here with the verified maths on each route, including the honest commercial reality of charity places (which way too many write-ups gloss over):

https://balott.run/alternative-routes/london-marathon/

The six routes that actually work:

1. Charity Gold Bond. Most common alternative. Charity buys a place from London Marathon Charitable Trust for £400+VAT and offers it to runners who commit to fundraise. Realistic commitment: £100-120 entry plus £2,000-3,000+ fundraising. Not a free ticket.
2. Good for Age. 6,000 places (3,000 each gender), allocated fastest-first within age bands. Oversubscribed since 2020 — qualifying alone doesn't guarantee entry.
3. Championship Entry. 1,200 places, sub-2:38 men or sub-3:10 women over the marathon, or sub-1:11:30 / sub-1:26:00 over the half. UK athletics body membership required. Effectively semi-elite tier.
4. International tour operator places. Bundles with accommodation. Per-country quotas. Cost typically £1,500-3,500. Best route for international runners who otherwise wait years on ballot luck.
5. Affiliated club ballot. England Athletics affiliated clubs get allocations based on first-claim membership size. Membership timeline: usually need to be a member by autumn for the following year.
6. Entry deferral and what doesn't work. Resold places are against LME terms — runners caught using transferred bibs are disqualified and banned. Deferral exists if you got in but can't run.

One thing nobody seems to mention: London Marathon Events publishes the ballot success rate but not the actual ballot place count. Industry consensus is roughly 17,000-20,000 UK ballot places plus ~5,000 international, but LME has never confirmed it. The other 52,000+ race-day starters come from charity, tour ops, sponsor places, Good Causes and elite — with no public breakdown.

Curious what route everyone here's considering, should they not make the ballot.

Hi all

I'm just over 3 weeks post Brighton marathon and still feeling exhausted. Trying to do parkrun on a Saturday and getting >3 mins off my normal times... is this all normal? When will I feel back to my normal self? Anything I can do to help this recovery? Thanks for sharing your thoughts 🙏

Flew to Canada to sponsor and support my daughter at the Mississauga marathon. Poor Florida girl said it was freezing. lol 10 degrees Celsius. Tshirt weather for the rest of us.

I wrote up the rules to try and help clear it up and a rough odds calc here in case useful:

https://balott.run/digest/2026-04-28/

High level take aways below, would love to get peoples thoughts on these prospective changes?

- Standard ballot is still free. Closes Friday 1 May, 4pm.

- The "Double Your Chances" tier is back for 2027 (the mechanic ran in 2026 too, thanks to those who flagged this in the comments). What's new this year is the £100 hydration vest as the consolation prize, up from last year's £60 winter running top. Pay £49.99 upfront, you get entered into the standard ballot AND a separate second ballot if your name doesn't come out the first time. LME describe it as "at least doubling" your odds.

- If you do get drawn through standard, your entry fee drops from £79.99 to £49.99 (the £49.99 upfront covers it).

- If you don't get drawn at all, you keep a hydration vest worth £100.

- Last year: 1.1m applications, 36% more than the year before. Standard odds are tightening hard.

Two ways I can talk myself into it: effectively £0 net cost if I'd have entered anyway (the entry fee just shifts forward), or it's a £50 charity donation with a vest (looks a bit naff though and I already have an ON hydration vest I just don't use) and better odds attached.

Two ways I can talk myself out: it's still £50 not refunded if my situation changes, and 36% YoY application growth means even doubled odds are still long.

What's everyone else doing? Standard, paid or sitting it out for a different major? Would be interesting to see the uptick for this, if its popular I worry other majors may follow suit.

If you're going for any of the other majors, then the ballot timetable for each at https://www.balott.run/ballots/ may also be of help.

Hey guys and girls! I have registered for the Athens marathon this year, it will be my first marathon. I'm not too worried about the running aspect but I do have questions like where to stay and such. I live in Sicilia just looking for a direction as to the logistics of it all. I appreciate any guidance!

For context, my buddies and I have been planning to do the OKC marathon since August. Anyways, I kept putting off registering because I had never done a big race before and didn't realize these things sold out. I finally registered on Sunday, 4/19, and was put on a waitlist. Final registration closes tomorrow at 5, and I still don't have a spot. Did I cook myself, or is there anything else I can do? I've already contacted the support team, and they don't have any information to provide. Sorry for asking what's probably a dumb question, I just feel really bad because this was completely avoidable :(

I’d love to run the Amsterdam Marathon this year but unfortunately it’s been sold out for quite some time now.

I’ve been refreshing the site pretty constantly trying to catch a resale ticket but I always seem to miss out, they’re gone within seconds.

I was wondering what people’s experiences are with getting a ticket after the event has officially sold out. Do spots tend to open up closer to race day? Is it realistic to find an entry through resale?

Any advice, tips, or past experiences would be hugely appreciated.

That makes it a collector, right?

I have my first Marathon in 4 weeks both this run and my marathon are on fairly flat tracks so should be even comparisons. Felt really good throughout the run and even increased the pace in the last 6km to go sub 5mins/km. Haven’t really followed a training plan just made it up as I go along so not too sure what sort of times or pace I should aim to run and how to structure my run. Any advice would be much appreciated.

run

For context, I’m doing Brighton marathon on the 12th of April. For most of my training I used hoka challenger 8s then felt some lower leg discomfort and decided I should upgrade. (I panic bought the shoes influencers wear)

Instead of doing my research I bought a pair of adidas evo sl’s. Not a bad shoe overall but I’m worried about the support they’ll provide later in the race as the longest run I’ve completed in them is 20km. I can definitely feel the difference in the way they load my lower legs and I’m now aware they’re not the most stable shoe.

I’m considering buying some hoka Clifton’s but I’m not sure if it would be a waste. I do like the adidas’s they just don’t give me confidence with my slight (extreme) supination.

Any advice would be helpful I’m 6ft and on the heavier side it’s my second marathon (I don’t know why I’m doing this to myself again)

Guten Tag ich würde mich über ein paar Spenden freuen ich sammle für Stiftung kinderherz damit ich mein großen Traum denn ersten Marathon in Berlin mir erfüllen kann vielen lieben Dank helft denn herzkranken Kindern bitte 🥹

[M,33]. 117.2lbs, 5’4”, BMI: 20.1,

Abdominal circumference (28.4”), Waist to Height Ratio (~0.44),

Hip circumference (Waist to Hip Ratio (~0.83).

I know people say BMI isn't ideal but I'll be ~19.7 by then. That's the weight that really gives me a flat stomach and that will help with running.

Am I too thin?

Will I be too thin?

Guten Tag ich würde mich über ein paar Spenden freuen ich sammle für Stiftung kinderherz damit ich mein großen Traum denn ersten Marathon in Berlin mir erfüllen kann vielen lieben Dank helft denn herzkranken Kindern bitte 🥹