Why do marathoners have longer tapers?

[jamix]

I'm sure the answer lies somewhere in the fact that doing longer runs require longer recovery, however in terms of weekly volume, work, fatigue etc, the most serious athletes would be training just as much for the shorter distance races as they do for the longer ones.......

So if resting / tapering longer benefits a marathoner's fitness even more, than why can't such additional rest also benefit the same runner for a shorter distance race as well???

[MichaelMc]

They don't: assuming the training volume is similar, so is the taper.

Recreational racers are a different story. Your average recreational 10k racer might put int 30-40k per week, whereas a marathoner is hopefully at least double that. Taper should be based on the time it takes to recover (rebound) from the training load, so the only variables are your training load and recovery time, not race distance.

[jamix]

They don't: assuming the training volume is similar, so is the taper.

You sound pretty sure! 3 weeks is a long time for a shorter distance race

[Jwolf]

They don't: assuming the training volume is similar, so is the taper.

You sound pretty sure! 3 weeks is a long time for a shorter distance race

If someone is training at high volume it would make sense to cut back volume before a peak race.

There's nothing magic about three weeks- not all marathoners taper for three weeks.

[MichaelMc]

They don't: assuming the training volume is similar, so is the taper.

You sound pretty sure! 3 weeks is a long time for a shorter distance race

Sounds like you are arguing both sides of the fence.

Many (most) Elites don't taper for three weeks. They vary between 10 and 21 days, depending on their program. Again, the question is the training load and recovery time, not the race distance: the object is to show up for your goal race in peak physical condition. Fully recovered but not de-trained.

[marymac442]

They don't: assuming the training volume is similar, so is the taper.

You sound pretty sure! 3 weeks is a long time for a shorter distance race

Taper does not mean lie on the couch for three weeks, it means lower intensity workouts so your muscles can recover.

[jamix]

Ok, I guess I'm wrong on this one........Perhaps my perception comes from amateurs doing less work for shorter distances, but I thought it was a general rule of thumb even for hard working athletes training for shorter distance races.

Maybe I'll have to consider my 5-6 day taper in the future