Marathon by Higdon, Hal 4th (fourth) Edition

by Hal Higdon

Paperback

About the author

Hal Higdon is an American writer and runner. He has contributed to Runner's World magazine longer than any other writer. He is the author of 34 books, including the best-selling Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide. He has worked as a freelance writer since 1959, and has written a variety of subjects including a children's book that was made into an animated feature. He ran eight times in the United States Olympic Trials and won four World Masters Championships. He is one of the founders of the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA).

Reviews

[Jillian Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

what am I getting myself into
will add stars october 26, 2025

10/27 update: thank you, hal

[seth · Rating 4 out of 5]

i’ve been reading hal higdon’s stuff forever in runners world but never a book. since i’m thinking of doing a half i grabbed this from a free stack of books. it’s def a little outdated, but i always find his approach refreshing and practical, especially when you compare it to the wild stuff on social media these days that really focuses on overtraining and nutrition that makes zero sense. some of the sections are def products of their time (he still talks about dieting and running to lose weight but doesn’t focus on it), but overall the advice is great for a new runner or someone wanting reminders about the basics (don’t workout when you are sick or tired; too many miles is doing more harm than good).

[Sevval · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started reading this book after decided to run a full marathon. I knew his website that has all the training programs. But reading the book gave me an extra motivation as well as tips. Also learning about mistakes was super helpful. It is an easy read.

[Trent S · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish there was a little less fluff… but otherwise I learned a lot !

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two stars because I highlighted a few nuggets but I thought this was mostly shallow advice and an annoying read.

[Catie Siegling · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was WAY too long but overall good to get me in the mindset. It also contradicted itself a lot and was kind of all over the place but still luv u king Hal

[Roberts Smitins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the 3rd edition of “Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide” (published in 2005) by Hal Higdon two years ago. Today I finished reading the 5th edition of this book (published in 2020).

I consider this book more of an encouragement to start marathon training as such. Hal Higdon doesn’t get bogged down in tiny details. The idea is that you read the book carefully, and if you find some aspects worth further exploration (e.g. types of runs, pacing strategy, fuelling, recovery, running gear, and what to do between training cycles) then you can seek out the detailed information somewhere else (online, in other specialised books, etc.).

I find Hal Higdon’s books fascinating also due to the fact that, when he started running more than 70 years ago, there were virtually no sources on endurance events. This means that he had to conduct running, training, and recovery experiments on himself. By doing this immense work, he helped create and boost the whole running scene and culture.

Does Hal Higdon approach work today? Yes. His running philosophy is built on principles that remain relevant in 2025 (the easy-hard-easy weekly schedule, emphasis on long runs, threshold training, running on tired legs (optional), and interval training (not mandatory), etc.).

Hal Higdon’s book teaches that the main pillars of marathon training are consistency (showing up for your runs week after week after week after week) and finding the right balance between running and resting which highly reduces the risks of overtraining and overuse.

This is an excellent book that will motivate you to run regularly while prioritising rest and recovery!

[Jamie Newman · Rating 2 out of 5]

0 star for writing: Reads like a bad blog post.
0 star for research quality: Outdated and boils down to the advice from a nutritionist named Nancy (I can't make this up) and word of mouth from his Twitter fan base. He also uses his experience as a research point...uh, no. Sorry, "in my experience" doesn't count for squat.
1 star for premise: I love running and was excited to learn more about how to run better.
.5 star for impact: Do yourself a solid-skip most of this book, and take pics of the running plan suggestions in the back. Buy good shoes, eat good food, drink water, and have fun.
0 star for personal taste: 50 percent talking about how running is fun and his followers agree, 25 percent a pitch for his website, 10 percent of him giving outdated advice, 15 percent of useful information.

[Ryan Vilano · Rating 3 out of 5]

5.0

Cool intro and some sensible advice from an experienced runner and coach, but almost stubbornly rejects sound science in favor of survivorship bias (aka if it works for him then it must be good advice). Reads like a collection of running magazine articles.

Only giving it 3 stars because the first handful of chapters were enlightening and inspiring and his Novice marathon programs are iconic.

For newer runners that aren't too concerned with the nuances of training philosophy, this could be a worthwhile read.

[Delaney Graves · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally got around to finishing this book…. With 3 weeks to go til my first marathon! I’ve been following one of the training plans at the end of the book for the past 16 weeks and have enjoyed that. Overall most of the chapters read like blog posts that don’t flow very well but definitely some good info. Would recommend to someone starting their running career.

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have no particular urge to run a marathon--the half-marathon in May sounds like plenty to me--but this book was interesting and educational all the same. Hal covers everything from training and preparation to diet and recovery, which is helpful for anyone running any kind of significant distance.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helped me learn so much leading up to my first marathon! A few chapters I didn’t need (such as Boston qualifier info).