Hansons Marathon Method: A Renegade Path to Your Fastest Marathon

In Hansons Marathon Method, the coaches of the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project reveal the methods they’ve used to turn their runners into race winners, national champions, and Olympians. Hansons Marathon Method offers a radical overhaul of marathon training that promises to turn any runner into a true marathoner and help experienced marathoners set new personal bests.

Hansons Marathon Method does away with mega-long runs and high-mileage weekends―two outdated traditions that make most runners miserable. Instead, runners using the Hansons method will gradually build up to the moderate-high mileage required for marathon success, spreading those miles more sensibly throughout the week. Running easy days mixed with precisely paced speed, strength, and tempo workouts, runners will steel their bodies and minds to run the hardest miles of the marathon.

Both Beginner and Advanced training programs feature the unique Hansons 16-mile long run which, as part of the Hansons program, is ideal for preparing the body for the marathon. Humphrey explains how runners should set their goal race pace and shows how to customize the Hansons method to their own needs, like adding extra racing, running more miles, and handling training interruptions.

Detailed nutrition and hydration chapters help runners pinpoint their personal energy and hydration needs so they know precisely how much to eat and drink during workouts, race week, race day, and for recovery. The Hansons approach to pacing and nutrition means marathoners will never hit the wall.

Hansons Marathon Method lays out the smartest marathon training program available from one of the most accomplished running groups in the nation. Using this innovative approach, runners will mold real marathon muscles, train their body to never hit the wall, and prepare to run their fastest marathon.

Hansons Marathon Method: A Renegade Path to Your Fastest Marathon Review

“Keith and Kevin Hanson have been training professional and amateur distance runners for over 20 years. Last year the brothers, along with Luke Humphrey, an exercise physiologist and one of their coaches, published Hansons Marathon Method. In it, they’ve thrown out just about every standard of the marathon training program…Unlike other marathon training programs, which typically have runs of 20 miles or longer, the Hansons method tops out at 16 miles, an appealing draw.” ― New York Times

“You might expect a training program devised by the Hanson brothers, Keith and Kevin, to be a little different than the usual rehashing of principles and schedules. Given the success of athletes from the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project, you wouldn’t be surprised if it was effective, too.” ― Runner’s World

“Whether you’re a first-time half-marathoner or want to improve your PR, this book is worth a read.” ― Competitor magazine

“Hansons Half-Marathon Method lays out an approach that can work for anyone from a runner who’s doing a charity run with the goal of just finishing to a highly competitive runner trying to PR.” ― The Runivore

“Kevin and Keith Hanson have years of experience coaching athletes at many levels. Their knowledge of the sport is evident in their ability to continually develop athletes and take them to the next level. In addition, Luke Humphrey's science background coupled with being a top-tier marathoner brings a unique and beneficial perspective to training. Not only can Luke provide the scientific approach to the training methods, but he's done the workouts and had successful results. The results have been proven at every level, from the beginner to the elite, the Hanson's training system works. With the coaching experience of Kevin and Keith and the science background Luke brings to the table, you have an incredible wealth of knowledge, and arguably one of the best marathon coaching teams in the country.” ― Desiree Linden, Olympic marathoner

“Keith and Kevin Hanson, through their passion for the sport of distance running, have developed an amazing history of successful coaching with the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project. Their insights into their individual athletes and coaching philosophies have enabled athletes like Desi Davila and Brian Sell to successfully compete on the world’s greatest running stages. Even more impressive is the development of what many elite coaches would call “marginally talented runners” who the Hansons have coached up to being national-caliber competitors. Many coaches have systems, but the key to success is the athlete’s belief in that system. That comes with trust. The athletes trust the process and the people directing that process. Luke Humphrey adds the science behind the process, but the implementation of the process is an art perfected one athlete at a time.” ― Greg Meyer, American distance runner and winner of the Boston and Chicago Marathons

From the Back Cover

Break free of outdated training traditions to run your fastest marathon!

The Hansons-Brooks Distance Project has taken American running by storm, becoming one of the nation’s most successful running groups. Known for upstart talent and an unconventional 16-mile long run, the group has earned spots on podiums at the biggest U.S. marathons and on the U.S. Olympic team.

Now you can learn the team’s secrets for a PR-busting performance in your next marathon. Combining smart science with proven practice, Hansons Marathon Method starts with the end in mind, preparing your body for a marathon’s toughest final miles through:

• Lower-mileage long runs that emphasize quality over quantity
• Speed, strength, and tempo workouts focused tightly on goal pace
• Crucial nutrition and hydration guidance to avoid hitting the wall
• Detailed training plans for both beginners and advanced runners

Coaches Keith and Kevin Hanson break old rules and new ground, combining science and strategy to cultivate the very best race in any runner. Their method, laid out in clear, easy-to-understand terms, arms you with the knowledge, tools, and training plans you need to run your best marathon and achieve the personal record you’ve dreamed of.

Luke Humphrey is head coach of Hansons Coaching Services and a runner with the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project.

Keith & Kevin Hanson are elite running coaches and founders of the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project.

About Hansons Marathon Method: A Renegade Path to Your Fastest Marathon Author

I used the simple, easy to follow (but not easy shortcut!) program and ran a 30 minute, 40 second improvement one year later at the same marathon, from 3:57 down to 3:26.

While that was the goal I had set, I was able to achieve it feeling strong and without hitting the dreaded wall where one just wants to give up especially mentally and start walking. My paces for the 10K segments through 30K were nearly perfectly even: 7:55, 7:53, 7:55, and final average pace for the whole marathon was 7:53. I was even able to run Mile 26, the last full mile, at 7:21 pace, meaning I was doing a speed workout and finish strong at the end of 25 miles already run at goal pace.

I attribute my improvement to the features of this program: more than most others, many of the miles in the program are run at race goal pace, so the goal pace seemed not only easy but also well-ingrained (cadence, stride lengths, feel of the pace in the legs and the lungs). There were also plenty of weekly runs that gave me confidence I could run at the goal pace.

The longest runs in this program are done after the runner has gone through a challenging Thursday - Saturday section, and those runs are definitely not started on fresh legs as many other programs will have you do. This means on race day, when you are actually starting on fresh legs for once, the marathon distance is not that big a deal any more.

It is important to remember this program is NOT A SHORTCUT, despite the misleading notoriety of its "only 16 mile as longest run!" feature.

Thanks to my impulse buying and Amazon Prime membership, I had a copy of Hansons Marathon Method: A Renegade Path To Your Fastest Marathon in my hands just two days after learning about it. Written by Luke Humphrey, an elite Hansons runner who also has a master's degree in exercise science, with Kevin and Keith Hanson, the book outlines their philosophy and program for a successful marathon covering every aspect from training to strategy to recovery. In just a couple of days I'd read the book from cover to cover and I was sold. I'm going to give their program a shot for my next marathon.

Most marathon training programs are fairly similar. For beginners you usually run three shorter runs during the week and a long run on the weekend peaking around 20 or 22 miles. As you get more advanced, speed workouts and higher mileage are added to the training schedule, but the long run - still peaking at 20 or 22 miles - remains a staple of most programs. The Hansons method takes a different approach. It "teaches a strategic and scientifically grounded approach to everything from the long run to speed workouts to pacing," writes Kevin Hanson in the book's foreword. The Hansons method has evolved over the years helping runners of all levels to marathon success since the 1990s.

The biggest difference in the Hansons program is the long run. Rather that the typical 20-miler, the longest training run in the standard Hansons program is 16 miles. The reason this works, Humphrey writes, is that the long run should simulate the last 16 miles of the marathon, not the first 16. It's all based on experiencing the cumulative fatigue you experience in a marathon without completely zapping your energy for the next week of training.