A marathon begins long before the starting signal. Training prepares your legs, heart and lungs, but during the race itself, there may come a moment when you need to rely on something else as well – your mental resilience.

Whether you have chosen the 5K, 10K, half marathon, marathon or the 2 × 21K relay at Wizz Air Sofia Marathon 2026, there may be a point when your mind starts asking the uncomfortable question: “Why am I even doing this?”

This is a completely normal part of running. What matters is what you do next.

When your body can keep going, but your mind says “stop”

A mental slump during a race can take many forms. Your pace suddenly feels impossible to maintain. The remaining kilometres seem endless. You start comparing yourself with runners passing you. Thoughts appear: “I can’t do this”, “I started too fast”, “I’m never going to make it to the finish”.

Fatigue can change the way we perceive effort. That is why one of the most useful strategies is not to turn a temporary feeling into a prediction about the rest of your race.

“This feels hard right now” does not mean “I’m not going to make it.”

Break the distance into smaller goals

At kilometre 32 of a marathon, thinking about more than 10 kilometres still to go can feel overwhelming. The next kilometre, however, is a much more manageable task.

Instead of focusing on the finish line, direct your attention towards the next small goal: the next kilometre marker, aid station, turn or familiar point on the course.

Once you reach it, set another one.

This technique is particularly useful in the marathon and half marathon, but it works at every distance. In a 5K, for example, you can divide the race into the start, the middle section and the final kilometre instead of thinking about the entire distance from the first few minutes.

Bring your attention back to the present

When a mental slump begins, your thoughts often move backwards – “I should have started more slowly” – or too far ahead – “How am I going to keep this up for so much longer?”

Try to bring your attention back to what you can control right now.

Check your breathing. Relax your shoulders and arms. Feel the rhythm of your steps. Ask yourself whether you are maintaining a sensible pace. On longer distances, think about when you last took in fluids or fuel.

Instead of asking, “Can I really run another 15 kilometres?”, change the question to: “What do I need for the next five minutes?”

Choose a short phrase

Short, repeated phrases can help you regain focus, especially when fatigue makes more complicated mental strategies difficult.

Choose something that feels natural to you: “Just this kilometre”, “Steady and forward”, “Keep the rhythm”, “One step at a time”.

Try using your chosen phrase during training as well. By race day, it will already be associated with a familiar rhythm and effort.

Don’t fight the difficult moment

Constantly telling yourself that “everything is great” when you are clearly struggling does not always help.

It may be more useful simply to acknowledge what is happening: “Yes, this is hard. And right now, I’m still moving forward.”

Mental resilience does not mean never experiencing fatigue, doubt or the urge to stop. It means continuing to make sensible decisions despite those feelings.

There is, of course, an important distinction. Sharp pain, dizziness, confusion, coordination problems or other unusual physical symptoms are not mental barriers that need to be “pushed through”. In such situations, your health always comes first.

Use the people around you

One of the special things about a major city race is that even if you arrive alone, you are rarely truly running alone.

Other runners can help you maintain your rhythm. Spectators can give you a boost just as your energy begins to fade. Encourage another runner, thank a volunteer or simply allow yourself to respond to the people cheering along the course.

And in the final metres before the finish, the ASICS Cheering Zone will be waiting for you. On both race days – October 10 and 11 – the area around the intersections of Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd. and Rakovski Blvd. will welcome runners with cheers, emotion and creative signs. Just when your energy is running low, the crowd may provide that final push towards the finish line.

At Wizz Air Sofia Marathon 2026, thousands of strangers become one community for a few hours. Let yourself draw energy from it.

5K: Control your enthusiasm

In the 5K, the mental challenge often comes from the high intensity of the race. The excitement at the start can easily tempt you into running much faster than planned.

Don’t run the first kilometre as if it were the last. Find your rhythm and save something for the finish. When things get difficult, think in short sections – even 500 metres at a time.

Five kilometres is short enough to tempt you to give everything from the start, but long enough to make you pay for going out too fast.

10K: Stay in your own race

The 10K requires more patience. With faster runners all around you, it can be easy to get pulled into someone else’s pace.

Don’t let another runner’s race determine yours. Use the first half to stay controlled, then gradually increase your effort in the second half if you are feeling strong.

When things get difficult, bring your attention back to your own pace, breathing and goal instead of focusing on the runners around you.

21K Half Marathon: Don’t run kilometre 18 at kilometre 5

In the half marathon, the mental side of racing becomes even more important.

Don’t spend the entire race thinking about how far you still have to go. Divide the distance into sections and give yourself a different task for each one: a controlled start, settling into your rhythm, maintaining your pace and then focusing on the finish.

When a difficult moment comes, don’t make conclusions about the entire race based on it. One tough kilometre or briefly slowing your pace does not mean you have failed.

42K Marathon: Expect the difficult moment

Over the classic marathon distance, mental resilience becomes part of the challenge itself.

Instead of hoping that the race will never become difficult, accept beforehand that there will probably be a tough moment. When it arrives, you will be less likely to interpret it automatically as a sign that something has gone wrong.

During the later stages of the marathon, don’t keep negotiating with yourself about all the kilometres still ahead. Get to the next aid station. Then the next kilometre marker. Then one more.

42.195 kilometres are covered all at once only on the map. In reality, they are covered one step at a time.

And when the finish line is finally close, the cheers from the ASICS Cheering Zone will be there to give you a little extra energy for those final metres.

2 × 21K Relay: You run your leg, but the challenge is shared

The 2 × 21K relay presents a different kind of psychological challenge.

When you are racing with a partner, additional pressure can easily appear: “I can’t let them down”, “I need to make up time”, “They’re relying on me”.

Try to turn that pressure into support. Your task is not necessarily to run the perfect race, but to give the best you can on that particular day and hand over the relay.

For the second runner, the psychological challenge begins before their own run – with the wait. Keep your focus on your own preparation rather than anxiously watching every minute of your partner’s progress.

And if one of you is having a difficult day, remember the point of the discipline itself: this is a shared challenge. The relay is also a reminder of something important about running in general – we don’t have to do everything alone.

Train your mind before October 10 and 11

Mental resilience can be trained too. Use your remaining training sessions to practise the techniques you may need on race day. Break your route into smaller sections, work on your inner dialogue, notice how you respond to fatigue and discover what helps you regain your rhythm.

And remember: a difficult moment is not necessarily a reason to give up. Sometimes it is simply the part of the race after which you discover just how much you are capable of.

On October 10 and 11, everyone will stand on the starting line of Wizz Air Sofia Marathon 2026 with their own goal. And when things get tough, the next step is a good enough goal.