Run a Faster Marathon with This Simple Strategy

Elite runners set records by running the second half of a race faster than the first. Here's why it works.

Marathon success is rarely about how fast you run the first half of the race, but rather, how you execute the second half (or really, that final 6.2 miles). One of the most effective ways to make that happen is by using a negative split strategy—running the second half faster than the first.

Elite runners have long used this approach to set records, but …