Importance of Strong Hip Abductors, upcoming marathons, race recaps, marathon spotlight & more

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Welcome to this week's MarathonGuide newsletter.

If you are new here, welcome! A few times per month we bring you running news, upcoming races, race recaps, plus some great original content produced by our team. If you don't find this newsletter valuable, you can unsubscribe using the link in the email footer below.

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Training Tips by Coach Joe McConkey

This week, Coach Joe is educating us on the Importance of Strong Hip Abductors.

Many health professionals who work with runners are convinced the majority of running injuries are derived from weak hip abductors, i.e. the muscles that lift your leg out to your side. 'Your not activating your glutes!', being a common refrain.

The thinking is that distance running, which focuses on muscles that work in the sagittal plane (forward and backward movements), cause an imbalance and deconditioning of the hip abductors (which work more in the frontal plane - i.e. side to side movements), which then causes instability in the pelvis and a pulling in of the knee while running.

With the knee now drawing inward, common injuries start to surface, such as:

• patellofemoral syndrome and general pain around the knee
• patellar tendonitis
• IT band syndrome

With the now altered pattern of the gait cycle, where the leg is pulling excessively inward with each step, the foot and ankle are now forced to try to absorb force at oblique angles. This results in the arch of the foot to stretch, weaken and collapse, which then results in over-pronation (rolling in of the ankle). Now we have the following gems of running injuries:

• achilles tendonitis
• plantar fasciitis
• shin splints

With there being no negative side-effect of strengthening your hip abductors, there's no reason not to get started! If not to help a reoccurring injury then to at least help to prevent one.

Here are a few exercises to add to your cross-training routine, twice per week, with 1-2 sets of 12-20 reps per side:

Side plank w/ knee to chest:

Firehydrants:

Clams:

Marathon Spotlight

This week we’re featuring the Dune Marathon.

From the sponsors "The Merzouga dune is a place full of exoticism, but with all the services and the best hotels to make it an unforgettable experience. Recognized events such as the Paris Dacar, the Titan Desert or Desert des sables have started from this enclave and we will have the logistics that support these competitions for the Dune marathon, half marathon and 10k."

Register here and save €25 using code mg25 at checkout.

Early bird pricing is good until December 31!

Marathon News

Here is a roundup of some of the top stories from this week:

Hellen Obiri confirms next race as she gears up for the Olympic Games

Thomas Kibet stripped off Tallinn Marathon podium place after doping offense

Eliud Kipchoge and Sifan Hassan will headline 2024 Tokyo Marathon

The tens of millions on offer for elite Kenyan athletes in Dubai Marathon

Madison Marathon runner reunites with EMS team that saved his life

2024 Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon returns to South Louisville

Boston Marathon finisher receives three-year doping suspension

For more news, check out our website.

Recent Results

Did you recently complete a marathon? You can see full results for hundreds of races on the MarathonGuide results directory.

Here are some recent races we have updated results for:

Hawai'i Bird Conservation Marathon

Otter Creek Trail Marathon

Antarctic Ice Marathon

Bryan/College Station Marathon

Honolulu Marathon

Palm Beaches Marathon Festival

Four Corners Quad Keyah Marathon - Day 4

Run Barbados Marathon Weekend

From our sponsors & partners

The MAD Marathon has a special promotion running for MarathonGuide readers. Save $10 on any race using the promotion code mg24.

Last chance at some late January Marathons:

Oceanfront: Maui Oceanfront Marathon.

Looking for a warm weather and scenic marathon? Check out the Seaside Marathon.

Marathon Calendar

Full coverage of all upcoming races can be found on the MarathonGuide Race Calendar.

2/3/24 - 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Men's Marathon (Orlando, FL)

2/3/24 - 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Women's Marathon (Orlando, FL)

2/3/24 - Envirosports Death Valley Borax Marathon (Death Valley, CA)

2/3/24 - Golden Gate Trail Run Marathon (Rodeo Beach, CA)

2/3/24 - Groundhog Marathon (Grand Rapids, MI)

2/3/24 - Mississippi River Marathon (Greenville, MS)

2/4/24 - 26.2 with Donna: The National Marathon to Finish Breast Cancer (Jacksonville Beach, FL)

2/4/24 - Surf City Marathon (prev. Pacific Shoreline Marathon) (Huntington Beach, CA)

2/4/24 - Warm up Columbus Marathon (Dublin, OH)

2/4/24 - Yukon Arctic Ultra (Whitehorse, YT)

2/10/24 - Alpha Win Ave Maria Marathon (Ave Maria, FL)

2/10/24 - Hilton Head Marathon (Bluffton, SC)

2/10/24 - Outlaw 100 (Tulsa, OK)

2/10/24 - Mountain Vista Medical Center Phoenix Marathon (Mesa, AZ)

2/10/24 - Surfside Beach Marathon (Surfside Beach, TX)

2/11/24 - Publix Florida Marathon & 1/2 Marathon (Melbourne, FL)

And for inspiration...

Runners are a compassionate bunch: Spanish runner helps a rival across the line to ensure he keeps his 5th place finish.

Thank you for reading, and if you have any feedback for how to improve this newsletter, please fill out our survey for a chance to win a $100 gift card to Road Runner Sports.

- The MarathonGuide team

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