If you can avoid the first set of porta-johns on the course, you will save several minutes as that is where the lines are longest. Know your course and how often to expect rest stops.
Strategies to take to heart:
- Reduce the amount of fiber and roughage in your diet the three days preceding the marathon, as well as irritants such as cinnamon or hot spices.
- Bagels and bananas are good carbohydrates and also seem to take a long time to pass through the gut.
- Avoid dairy products in the day before the race if you suspect or know you are lactose-intolerant.
- If you discover on your long or fast walks that you suffer from "runner's trots," take Imodium or other anti-diarrhea medication before the marathon.
- Pack some toilet paper and wipes in your hip pack.
- Cut back on caffeine on the day of the marathon, it is both a stool softener and a diuretic.
- Drink a large glass of water 2 hours before the start, then drink nothing until the first water stop on the course.
- Get in line in time to make a final restroom stop before the start of the walk.
During the marathon, you will discover that most runners have a reduced need for privacy during a race, and walkers follow suit. Every marathon has its areas where people line up and simply do their duty more or less in the open. Even more shocking to the civilized, true competitors often don't even stop, they simply wet themselves. I would never recommend this, but if an accident happens at least you could claim to be a true competitor.
Be a good neighbor, don't use anybody's yard or garden for a toilet.
Next page:> The Finish
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