Is Durability the Most Important Asset for Marathoners?

Slowing down less—not running faster—may be the key to performance.

I think of durability as the fourth pillar of marathon performance. It’s not just how big your engine is (e.g., VO₂ max), where your lactate threshold sits, or how efficient you are, but how well those things hold up after a few hours of steady running.

A new study on London Marathon finishers put numbers on that idea—both in the lab and on race day—show…