Tennis Apr 29, 2026

'London Marathon training is brutal!' Laura Robson's advice: Lots of carbs, electrolytes and 'don't panic' ahead of race on April 26

👤
By Admin
Sports Journalist
'London Marathon training is brutal!' Laura Robson's advice: Lots of carbs, electrolytes and 'don't panic' ahead of race on April 26

Your Site Tennis' Laura Robson has trained from Melbourne, Milan Cortina to Miami but the former British No 1 is tapering down for the London Marathon in April.

The former Junior Wimbledon champion has been busy in her role as television presenter and analyst since the start of 2026, but she has had to make time for training runs from the heat of Melbourne during the Australian Open, to sub-zero temperatures at the Winter Olympics, and inclement weather at the Miami Open.

Robson is now back in the UK and ready to take on the 26.2-mile (42.2 km) race starting in Greenwich/Blackheath, passing major landmarks like the Cutty Sark, Tower Bridge and Canary Wharf, before finishing on The Mall in front of Buckingham Palace.

"I am training for the London Marathon and it's brutal! I don't know why people do this," said Robson, when she spoke after returning from the Winter Olympics.

"The problem is I keep telling too many people the time I want to get. My Garmin and Strava seem to think I have a sub-3:30 in me, which I'm not sure that I have. I would be very happy with a sub-3:40.

"Somehow, I've managed to keep up with the training in both Australia and Milano Cortina which was a lot of treadmill, running in the snow. I was telling myself I was at altitude and now that I'm back home, I feel like I've actually lost the motivation because it's too easy to not do it.

"I could just sit in my house right now but it's going to creep on me very fast, but I'll be happy when it's over."

We put a few key questions to her after her time in Miami with Your Site:

"There's no special diet, just carbs. I'm trying to eat a lot of rice and I'm having a lot more electrolytes than I usually would to make sure I'm hydrated as well."

"There are a couple of guys I play Padel with who are very, very fast. I've been asking them how you figure out your marathon pace.

"They've been quite reassuring, telling me not to panic if you don't hit certain targets on certain days but I think it's about consistency more than anything else."

"I wish I was running with more people but unfortunately with work, that hasn't panned out very well, so a lot of runs by myself.

"When I'm at home it's a lot easier, so I've got a couple of people joining me with my long runs, but I wish in Miami when I did my 35km that someone had joined me."

"I would say the atmosphere. I went to watch it in person last year to support my friend and it was such good vibes. So many emotions, highs and lows but so much good morale. I'm looking forward to that.

"In general I'll be looking forward to the last kilometre just to know that's it's almost done and then I won't have to do any more training but no specific landmarks specifically.

"I'm just excited to be over and done with now. It's my biggest week of training before I start to taper."

The charity is Give It Your Max, a small tennis charity that do free lessons in schools as well as breakfast and after school clubs for kids picking up the sport for the first time.

Watch the ATP and WTA Tours, live on Your Site or and the , giving Your Site customers access to over 50 per cent more live sport this year at no extra cost.

Tags:

tennis news

Share this article

Related Posts

Madrid Open: Clinical Jannik Sinner holds off 'incredible' Spanish teenager Rafael Jodar to reach semi-finals

Madrid Open: Clinical Jannik Sinner holds off 'incredible' Spanish teenager Rafael Jodar to reach semi-finals

World No 1 Jannik Sinner held off 19-year-old ‌wild card Rafael Jodar to win 6-2 7-6 (7-0) in the Madrid Open quarter-finals on ‌Wednesday, becoming t...

Emma Raducanu returns to US Open winning coach Andrew Richardson ahead of Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome

Emma Raducanu returns to US Open winning coach Andrew Richardson ahead of Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome

Emma Raducanu has returned working with Andrew Richardson, the coach she won her US Open title with in 2021, as she looks set to begin her clay-court...

Emma Raducanu returns to US Open winning coach Andrew Richardson ahead of Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome

Emma Raducanu returns to US Open winning coach Andrew Richardson ahead of Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome

Emma Raducanu has returned working with Andrew Richardson, the coach she won her US Open title with in 2021, as she looks set to begin her clay-court...

Jannik Sinner on course to win five straight Masters 1000 titles after swatting aside Arthur Fils to reach Mutua Madrid Open final

Jannik Sinner on course to win five straight Masters 1000 titles after swatting aside Arthur Fils to reach Mutua Madrid Open final

World No 1 Jannik Sinner remains on course to win five straight Masters 1000 titles after swatting aside Arthur Fils to reach the Mutua Madrid Open fi...

Jannik Sinner on course to win five straight Masters 1000 titles after swatting aside Arthur Fils to reach Mutua Madrid Open final

Jannik Sinner on course to win five straight Masters 1000 titles after swatting aside Arthur Fils to reach Mutua Madrid Open final

World No 1 Jannik Sinner remains on course to win five straight Masters 1000 titles after swatting aside Arthur Fils to reach the Mutua Madrid Open fi...

Jack Draper: With injured Brit out of French Open and top 100 rankings, what next ahead of Wimbledon?

Jack Draper: With injured Brit out of French Open and top 100 rankings, what next ahead of Wimbledon?

Out of the French Open and out of the top 100, Jack Draper has suffered with an arm and now a knee injury, leaving the wounded Brit in line to face th...