Should You Get a Massage Before Your Marathon or Race?

You’ve put in the work. The long runs are behind you, your mileage is dropping, and race day is right around the corner. This is the part where things are supposed to feel easier—but in our experience, this is where a lot of runners start to spiral a bit. Runners like to do STUFF. They signed on for doing a lot of STUFF every day.

When you go from doing everything to doing less, it can feel like you’re doing something wrong. You have gone from running or doing some sort of exercise every day, with foam rolling, and stretching, and now you’re told to do NOTHING. You start to notice every little sensation. A slightly tight calf suddenly feels like a major issue. A random ache makes you question your entire training cycle. Suddenly, it is hard to be in your body.

Massage is one of those things you can do before a race or marathon, but you’re not sure because what if it %*$# you up? How do you time it? How do you know who to see? Or what kind to get? And what if it ruins your race? And of course, special concern is taken for special races like the New York Marathon

Let us be clear: getting a massage before your race can absolutely be a good idea. In many cases, we recommend it. You just need to approach it the right way.

Massage Can be a Great Activity During a Taper for Your Marathon

At this point in your training, we are not trying to change your body with massage in fact, change is a bad thing. But you do need to do something. What we, as massage therapists, are trying to do is help you feel ready. One of the biggest benefits we see is stress reduction. Tapering creates a strange kind of mental tension. You’re used to taking action, and now you’re being told to pull back. Massage gives you a way to still take care of your body without adding more load. It helps downregulate your system and quiet some of that “something feels off” energy.

We also see a big shift in how people feel going into race day. When your mind is a little calmer, it’s easier to focus. You feel more prepared—not because something was “fixed,” but because you’re not as caught up in worry. You can actually focus on your race and body in a good way.

There’s also a simple recovery component. Your body is still processing months of training. Massage can help you relax and move into the rest-and-digest state to recover from that. And if you have a small nagging issue, we may be able to help you manage it. We’re not promising to fix it or make it disappear, but sometimes even a small change in how something feels can go a long way heading into a race.

How to Make Sure You Don’t Impact Your Race in a Bad Way: Keep It Moderate

This is where we tend to be very direct with people. Much like with your shoes and gear, DO NOT TRY NEW THINGS. This is not the time. Do not go aggressive right before your marathon or race. This is not the time to chase change, “break things up,” or push your limits in a session. That kind of thinking is exactly what gets people into trouble. Pressure selections for those who are not used to getting a massage should be light to moderate with a focus on relaxing and not changing things.

If you’re an old pro at massage, you have a little more leeway. You likely know exactly what your body likes and dislikes. Your discussions with your therapist should revolve around that, and always tell them you have a race coming up! If you know you’re never sore, go for it…if you sometimes get sore, don’t.

The goal is simple: you should leave feeling better than when you walked in. Not beat up. Not sore. Just better. If you’re looking ot book, our sports massage program, our massage and stretch, and our rest and reset are appropriate for this goal.

Let’s Talk Timing the Massage to Your Race

Timing matters, and we’ll usually talk this through with you based on your history. Some people feel great immediately after a massage. Some people feel a little sore the next day. Neither is “wrong,” but it does affect when you should come in.

If you already know how your body responds, we can plan around that. If you don’t, we generally recommend avoiding the day before your race. You know, just in case:) For first-timers, the day before the day before is your go-to window.

The Exception to All These Suggestions: When We Recommend a “Hail Mary”

There is one situation where you or we may break these rules. If you come in with something that makes you question whether you’ll even be able to run, you’re no longer in a “play it safe” scenario. At that point, the risk of doing nothing is high. This is what we call a Hail Mary situation. It is typically known as the last-ditch effort. In these cases, it might be appropriate to recommend a more targeted approach or even something new. There is risk, and you are the only one who can decide if this is right, and it might be right if you cannot run at all.   It might not go perfectly. You could feel sore. It might not help. But it also might make a meaningful difference.

The Bottom Line on Massage Before a Marathon

We don’t see massage as something that “fixes” you before a race. That’s not how the body works, and it’s not how we practice. What we do see, over and over again, is that the right massage at the right time helps people feel calmer, more prepared, and more confident going into race day. If we keep the work moderate, familiar, and well-timed, it’s a very safe and effective way to support everything you’ve already done.

And at this point, that’s exactly the goal.

Get to the starting line feeling ready. Doesn’t that look nice??