Cramp while running

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boyse7en

Original Poster:

6,730 posts

165 months

Monday 29th September 2014
quotequote all
Nearly completed my first marathon yesterday. Cramp started tweaking my calves at 18 miles and got progressively worse, resulting in run/walk, then walk with occasional hobble, then just walk. I drank at every water station (small plastic cup) and had a couple of gels along the way, but that was all. Can't eat while running.

At mile 25 the cramp was kicking in even while walking and the last mile took me over 30 minutes to complete.
Then to add insult to injury, 100m from the finish line I had to step up a curb - this resulted in both calves, and then both quads seizing absolutely solid. Absolutely agonising pain. I fell over and couldn't move... frown

I got cramp a few times while training - always around 18 mile (about 2hrs:45) but then it was only ever another couple of miles to the finish and was painful rather than debilitating.

What can I do? I'd like to be able to tick off a marathon just so I can say I've completed it. But Am I destined to always get cramp at 18 miles?