Race-Ready Check: Get Your Niggles Sorted Before the Sydney Marathon

If you’ve been quietly ignoring a tight calf, a niggly Achilles, or a knee that “only talks on the downhills” since your last long run, you’re not alone — and you’re not out of time. But you are close to it.

Most runners in a standard Sydney Marathon training program are now tapering their running. Training load is dropping, and that’s exactly the window where a running physio can look at what’s been niggling, help you understand what’s actually going on, and give you a clear plan for race day — usually without asking you to change anything about your training this close to the start line.

Why Now Is the Time to Get Your Running Niggle Checked

There’s a simple reason physios talk about “sorting niggles” specifically in the last two weeks before a marathon: it’s the one point in your training block where you have spare capacity to actually address something. Earlier in your block, every session matters and you can’t afford downtime. In the final fortnight, your long runs are done, your volume is dropping, and your body has room to settle.

The goal of a Race-Ready Check isn’t to fix a deep-seated issue in one session two weeks out — that’s not realistic, and we won’t pretend otherwise. The goal is to help you understand what you’re dealing with, make sure it’s ok to continue running on, settle it as much as possible before race day, and give you a clear, confident plan for how to manage it on the day itself. Plus, if needed, we can give you a plan for how to fix it properly after the race.

What’s Included in a Race-Ready Check

This a targeted assessment session with one of our running physios, built for exactly this part of your training and race day preparation:

• A history of your niggle — when it started, how it responds as you run, is it getting worse or better, any previous injury, and your race-day goals
• A hands-on assessment of the area to understand what’s actually going on
• Clear guidance on whether to keep running through it, modify your final sessions, or manage it differently
• Taping, strapping or other race-day management advice if it’s relevant
• A simple and clear plan so you can go into race day with clarity and confidence, not just hope
• If necessary, a plan of what may be needed now or after the race to properly fix the issue

Frequently Asked Questions: Race-Ready Marathon Check

1. Is it too late to see a physio if the Sydney marathon is only two weeks away?

No — we can often achieve a lot in the lead-up to race day. There’s still enough time to settle a niggle, adjust training if needed, and build a race-day plan, even though there isn’t time for a major rehab overhaul. The sooner you get things checked out, the more options you have.

2. Will this fix my niggle before race day?

We’ll do everything we can to help you settle it and manage it well, but we can’t promise a guaranteed fix just a few days out — that wouldn’t be realistic or honest. What you will get is a clear understanding of what’s going on, if you need to adjust your training until the event, and a specific plan for race day. Importantly we will keep you training as normally as possible.

3. Do I need a referral?

No referral is needed to our running physios. You can book directly online or call the clinic on 9280 2322, and we process health fund claims on the spot with HICAPS.

4. Can I keep running in the meantime?

In most cases, yes. We always try to keep you running using your planned training program, or modify it as little as we can. But unfortunately sometimes we have to advise you to stop running, for example if we think you have an early bone stress injury, which may feel like a niggle but can increase rapidly if not managed correctly. But one thing we can guarantee — if we need you to modify your program or stop running we’ll thoroughly explain why, so you really understand not just what to do but why it’s important.

5. What if it turns out to be more than a niggle?

We really know how frustrating it is if you’ve trained hard for months and something stops you running just before race day — our running physios have all been there, we understand. But if it is something more serious it’s far better to find out now, with two weeks to plan around it and prevent further injury, rather than finding out at kilometre 30 and having to pull out with a more significant injury, which may need a much longer and intensive rehab program. If we think this is the case we’ll thoroughly explain our concerns to you and discuss management options. You’ll leave with a clear picture of what’s going on, and a plan of how to manage it..