Harry Styles' Sub-3 Marathon Blueprint – How to Train to Break 3 Hours

In case you weren’t aware already, Harry Styles is not only a Grammy-winning, internet-crashing singer-songwriter, but also – a runner.

And as his stunning 2:59:13 performance at the unseasonably hot 2025 Berlin Marathon proves, the One Direction graduate is not someone who simply dabbles in the sport. He trains with consistency, discipline, passion – and it's his savoured, simple, solo outlet beyond the glaring spotlight. ‘No one can run a marathon for you,’ mused Styles in his recent Runner's World interview with author and fellow runner Haruki Murakami. ‘Running is a conversation with myself.’

So how can you follow in Styles’ footsteps and cross the chasm separating a three-something marathon to a two-something one? From adding specificity to your training to preparing your mind for the challenge ahead, here’s what to do to clinch a coveted sub-three finish time.

‘If you want to run a marathon, it takes a lot of discipline,’ acknowledged Styles in his interview – and rightly so. Whether your goal is to smash a sub-three or simply get round, running 26.2 miles should not be treated as a flippant endeavour.

To dip below the three-hour mark, you also need to maintain an average pace of 4:15 min/km, or 6:50 min/mile, which equates to running about 14km, or 8.7 miles, per hour. You’ll also need to put in the miles, with these Runner’s World Club sub-3:00 marathon training plans suggesting up to six runs per week, including easy efforts, speed sessions and long runs, in addition to all-important strength training and rest. Ideally, you’ll also be an experienced runner who already runs at least three times a week.

Is this something that you could realistically work toward over the course of a 12-, 16- or 20-week training block, or is this marathon pace and level of commitment a goal for later down the line? It’s important to honestly assess where you’re at in your running journey and whether you can – and indeed want to – put in the work that’s needed to crack three hours. Push too hard, too soon in training and you could find yourself out of the game with burnout or injury – and completing a marathon in any time is better than having to miss it altogether.

Even ‘Ready, Steady, Go!’ singer Styles (yes, we are all over his new album already) understands that you can’t go full pelt all the time when training for a sub-three marathon. ‘You can’t go too fast too quickly,’ he said, reflecting on his preparations for 26.2 miles – a distance that he’s now run twice.

To get the most from your marathon training, especially if your goal is to dip under three hours, you’ll need to carve out time for plenty of easy running and pepper in some focused speed sessions along the way.

Easy runs – which should be done at a pace where you can comfortably hold a conversation – are the cornerstone of marathon training and should constitute about 80% of your mileage, especially in the build-up phase at the start of your block (more on that below). Easy runs boost endurance, strengthen muscles and tendons, support recovery between higher-intensity sessions – which means that you can go harder and faster when it matters – and, importantly, improve endurance and aerobic capacity, which means that your body becomes more effective at using oxygen during exercise. For a marathon runner particularly, these are big wins.

As you’ll see on your training plan, the higher-intensity sessions – the 20% – that punctuate these foundational easy runs include threshold runs, hill repeats and faster intervals done at your 5k, 10k or half marathon pace, which help to boost your top-end speed, muscular power and running economy. As you nudge closer to race day, you’ll also incorporate more marathon pace sessions – especially in your long runs, which are a pivotal part of 26.2-mile training – to get you comfortable running at your goal speed for extended periods.

Running coach Tom Craggs, World Class Programme endurance performance lead for UK Athletics and co-author of the Runner’s World Club training plans, suggests following this marathon training structure, even if you’re not quite ready to go sub-three:

1. Early Build-Up Phase

At the start of you marathon training block, focus on developing a solid running base – think lots of easy miles complemented by weekly long runs, threshold efforts, some hard intervals and strength work.

2. Specific Phase (8-12 Weeks Out)

Reduce the number of hard intervals that you do at 5k to 10k pace and complete more efforts at marathon pace, first in smaller blocks (like 3 x 15 minutes), then in continuous blocks of 45 to 90 minutes. If you’re eyeing a sub-three marathon, remember that your goal marathon pace is 4:15 min/km (6:50 min/mile) or faster. Retain the easy runs and threshold work from the early build-up phase.

3. Peak Phase (Final 4-6 Weeks)

This is the time when you really lock in – marathon pace should feel familiar and be something that you can hold for 60 to 90 minutes in your long runs, sometimes broken up into segments. This is also a good time to nail down your all-important nutrition and hydration strategy, as well as your preferred race day shoes and kit, before you taper in the final two weeks.

Logging lots of miles, slotting in strength work, banking plenty of sleep, eating enough of the good stuff... At the end of the day, preparing for a marathon can feel full-on, functional and formulaic. While many runners enjoy this kind of rhythm and structure, don’t forget to enjoy your training wherever you can, even if you’re aiming for a punchy finish time.

For Styles, ‘the loneliest part’ of the marathon is the training, so he gets around this by embracing it as a form of meditation – especially with the help of some mesmerising, motivating dance floor beats. ‘When I started listening to more electronic music [while running], the shift felt just very hypnotic,’ he said. ‘It was helpful to my running to get to that place where I felt like I was meditating right there. It makes the time go by in such a different way.’

So perhaps a solid playlist or podcast could be what keeps you accountable and connected during marathon training. Or, make it sociable by clocking miles with a friend, group or club.

Incentives also help, whether that’s planning a fun afternoon with friends after some intervals, trying a scenic new route or finishing your weekend long run at your favourite coffee spot. Styles loves to ‘eat the biggest croissant I can find’ before all his long runs, which isn’t a bad shout on the carbohydrate front. But if you’re a fellow patisserie fan, incentivising yourself with a massive post-long run croissant works well, too.

In addition, an enjoyable training block is one that encompasses some flexibility. There’s no such thing as a perfect marathon build-up, not even for elites – so if you’re feeling under the weather, sense a niggle coming on or simply want to prioritise some time with family and friends, you’re allowed to move sessions around or put training on hold for a little while.

Either way, training for – then accomplishing – a 2:59 or faster marathon is no mean feat. But if this goal is calling you, it’s worth answering as best you can.

The May issue of Runner’s World, featuring cover star Harry Styles, is on sale from 1 April. Secure your copy by pre-ordering today.

Rachel Boswell

Senior Content Writer

Rachel is Runner's World UK's Senior Content Writer, covering all running-related topics from training advice and gear reviews to race reports and elite runner profiles. Formerly a Website Content Editor and Content Manager at London Marathon Events and The Running Channel respectively, Rachel is well-versed in the running scene and understands what it takes to put on some of the biggest running events in the world. A 2:50 marathoner, she would much rather run 26.2 miles than race a 5K and has currently completed 11 marathons, including five of the six Abbott World Marathon Majors in a sub-3 time. She now hopes to run the Tokyo Marathon to complete the set and become a Six Star Finisher.