Christof Schwiening (physiologist) and Kevin O'Holleran (physicist) take a rational scientific approach to marathon running in this 2-part talk. Neither is a sports scientist; Christof is a cellular neurophysiologist and Kevin is an physicist, but both are competitive runners obsessively concerned with optimizing performance. Some of the ideas presented will challenge current common coaching dogma. Running your best marathon involves starting at the appropriate pace and then following a plan. We will consider how that pace and plan can be calculated using a range of techniques. Some of the...