Study: One extra quality session per week could make your marathon 16 minutes faster

On October 1, 2026, Runner's World reported on a study published in Sports Medicine: researchers analyzed the training logs and finish times of 917 participants in the 2022 Boston Marathon and found that for each additional weekly quality session (interval runs, tempo runs, etc.) during the year before the race, marathon finish times were on average 16 to 17 minutes shorter. The study also found that adding one day per week of cross-training during the final four months before the race improved performance by about 6 minutes; those who reduced their weekly number of runs compared with the base period were on average 3 minutes faster. The study authors noted that training volume matters most during the base period, from 12 to 4 months before the race, and that a moderate reduction in volume during the final four months before the race is instead beneficial to performance. This study's conclusion is currently the latest development, with no follow-up reports or controversy so far.