The London Marathon is fast approaching. With longer days and lighter evenings, Spring is the perfect time to challenge yourself. Running isn’t just distance; it’s mindset, resilience and seeing what the body can really do.

Dmytro Moyseyev knows this firsthand. From 50 marathons in 50 days to covering the length of Ireland in 138 hours, he pushes the limits of endurance - and shows what’s possible when discipline meets determination.

As a professional running coach, ultra-endurance athlete and keynote speaker, Dmytro brings the stories, insights and strategies from the world’s top runners to anyone ready to go further - on the road, on the track, or in life.

What inspired you to take on extreme endurance challenges, and how does that influence your approach to marathons?

Honestly, it started as a way to prove something to myself. A few years back I had a serious health scare. I kept getting blood clots and almost died. Growing up I was extremely active and on paper should not have been getting them. Naturally, I felt betrayed by my own body. So I decided to do something so ridiculous to prove to myself that my body and I were still one team, that there would be absolutely no denying it.

Running 570km across Ireland in 138 hours on 7 hours of sleep total was that for me. 50 marathons in 50 consecutive days followed a month later.

After that, a standalone marathon feels almost manageable. That perspective shift is the real gift of extreme endurance. It recalibrates your threshold for discomfort, which makes you a better racer because you stop negotiating with pain and start managing it.

What’s the misconception that tricks most people when running a marathon?

That the marathon is a test of fitness. It isn’t.  It’s a test of preparation. I have seen incredibly fit people blow up at kilometre 30 because they went out 20 seconds per kilometre too fast, skipped their fueling in the first hour, or wore shoes they had never trained in. The fitness was there. The preparation was not.

The marathon is one of the most unforgiving distances because every mistake compounds. It will destroy you at kilometre 35. So the misconception isn’t about training, it’s about respect for the distance. Most people underestimate how precise you need to be.

Long runs, speed work, strength training… what’s the combination that actually works? And what are the training ‘sins’ nobody warns you about?

The combination is simple: one long run, one quality session (tempo or intervals), everything else easy. I recommend at least one strength session per week throughout the marathon block focusing on the lower body (Bulgarian split squats, RDLs, calf raises, and core). Core is especially important, as it will help you maintain your running form once you hit 30km and your posture begins to decline. At the end of the day, there is no one magic workout that will make your marathon. It is staying consistent over the months and weeks leading up to it.

The sin nobody warns you about is running your easy days too fast. Most recreational runners run 80% of their miles too hard to recover from. True easy pace feels embarrassingly slow. There is nothing wrong with using elite runners for inspiration, but unless you are running a marathon in under 2:10 you should not be copying their training paces exactly. Their easy run is your tempo.

Everyone talks about the taper, but what are the sneaky mistakes that destroy performance in the final 2-3 weeks of training?

The biggest one is panic training and adding extra mileage or speed sessions in the final week because you suddenly feel unfit. The fitness is already banked. You cannot gain anything in the last 10 days, but you can absolutely lose everything. Trust the work.

Three weeks out, the aim is to get the body as recovered as possible. If it is your first marathon or your mileage is on the lower side, a three-week taper makes sense. Yes, the elites may only taper for 10 days, but they also run 200km weeks. You would rather show up to the start line over-recovered than over-trained. And know this: feeling flat, heavy and sluggish during taper is completely normal. That feeling is not a signal to train more. It is a signal that your body is doing exactly what it should.

The other killer is sleep debt. People get anxious, stop sleeping well, and arrive at the start line already running on empty. The night before the race matters far less than the two weeks before it. Prioritise sleep from week three of taper, not just the night before.

What are the three unglamorous, almost invisible habits that keep you injury-free and consistent?

One: strength training year round, and especially prioritising it in the off-season. Many people skip it because it is not running, or because they worry about putting on extra muscle weight. Firstly, I wish putting on muscle was as easy as that. Secondly, strength training is exactly what allows you to tolerate bigger mileage and stay injury-free as you progress. You do not have to live in the gym — two 40-minute sessions per week will carry you a long way.

Two: eating enough. Under-fuelling is the silent injury risk nobody talks about. Runners chronically under-eat relative to training load, which compromises bone density, hormone function, and tissue repair. If you are always tired and always niggled, eat more before you try anything else.

Three: ignoring recovery trends. Too many people obsess over the 0.1% differentiators: supplements, ice baths, recovery gadgets, etc. While these may help at the margins, consistently getting 8 hours of sleep, hitting your protein intake, not under-fuelling, and actually resting on rest days is what makes a noticeable difference. Unglamorous. Effective.

What’s one race-day routine or habit that saved you from disaster or drastically improved your run?

Laying out all your kit and fueling the night before, both your pre-race morning meal and your race-day fuel. Treat it like packing for a flight: race bib, pins, shoes, socks, kit, gels, breakfast. You want as little stress as possible on race morning. The last thing you need is to wake up and discover you are missing something.

Beyond that: a short 10-minute shakeout jog before the gun. Most runners stand in the start pen completely cold, then spend the first 5km getting their body moving, which often means going out too fast and burning matches early. A few minutes of easy movement before you reach the start line means you cross it already running, not warming up.

Runners obsess over fancy energy gels, but do you actually need them? What simple tweaks actually prevent hitting the wall?

You need carbohydrates, the form is less important. Gels are just a convenient way to get them, but a carb mix or even jellies can get the job done. The key factor is what you can digest most easily at the pace you are planning to run. The recommended intake is 70-110g of carbs per hour. Test what amount and in what form works for you during your long runs. You do not want any surprises on race day.

On timing: you want to be fuelling 20-30 minutes before you actually need it. Same goes for hydration. If you are feeling hungry or thirsty during the race, you are already playing catch-up.

How do you mentally push through the low points when your body wants to quit?

I break it down to the next landmark, the next kilometre marker, the next turn, the next water station. The full distance is too abstract when you are suffering. What is manageable is the next 1km. You have run hundreds of those during your training block. You completed every single one. The one you are facing now is no different.

The deeper shift that came from ultra-endurance is learning to separate discomfort from danger. Most of the time when your body wants to quit, it is uncomfortable, not injured. Recognising that difference, and being honest with yourself about which one it is, is the real mental skill.

Are there small gear or clothing adjustments - socks, shoes, tapes - that have a big impact on performance? Which ones have you learned the hard way?

Body Glide or anti-chafe cream everywhere you did not think you needed it. Trust me, your body will thank you for it.

On shoes: there is no magic shoe that will make you run a 2-hour marathon. As a general rule, if you are running slower than 3:30 I recommend a non-carbon shoe. Get something you will be comfortable running in for 4 hours - that comfort will give you a bigger boost than a carbon plate.  If you are aiming for sub-3:30, carbon makes sense. Either way, never wear anything on race day that has fewer than 50km on it. The instinct to save them fresh is wrong, you want race shoes that are broken in, not brand new.

Same rule applies to the rest of your kit. Trial everything at least once before race day.

Post ultra-endurance events, what are the most valuable behind-the-scenes recovery or injury prevention routines that nobody talks about, but actually make a difference?

Taking time off after an ultra or a marathon is just as important as the training itself. These distances place enormous stress on the body and central nervous system. Going back to training too quickly leads to injury and burnout. There is a reason the top elites take a full off-season after racing a marathon.

Focus on sleep, aim for 8 hours minimum. On nutrition: keep it simple. Hit your protein goal (roughly 1g per lb of bodyweight) and do not go into a significant caloric deficit. Looking to shed a few pounds immediately post-race is one of the surest ways to prolong fatigue and delay recovery. 

All of this is very simple and boring, but very often simple and boring is what moves the needle in training, race day and recovery.

Running the London Marathon?
26.2 miles deserves more than just a medal.
Bring yours to Earls Court and enjoy a complimentary Crodino Spritz 0.0%.
On us.
Sunday 26th April.