{"id":48610,"date":"2026-05-06T09:24:44","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T08:24:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/?p=48610"},"modified":"2026-05-06T09:24:49","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T08:24:49","slug":"7-mistakes-runners-make-when-choosing-a-race-and-how-to-avoid-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/en\/7-mistakes-runners-make-when-choosing-a-race-and-how-to-avoid-them\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Mistakes Runners Make When Choosing a Race (and How to Avoid Them)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Choosing a race should be exciting. But a lot of runners end up picking the <em>wrong<\/em> race for the wrong reasons \u2014 and only realize it when it\u2019s too late.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019ve ever signed up for something and thought \u201cwhy did I choose this?\u201d, this is for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Choosing a race just because it\u2019s popular<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Big races look great on Instagram. But that doesn\u2019t mean they\u2019re right for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Crowded starts<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Logistics can be stressful<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Harder to run your own pace<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc49 A smaller or less obvious race can often give you a much better experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, instead of going straight for the biggest events, you could look at something like the<br><a href=\"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/pt\/event\/corrida-de-santiago-de-subarrifana-2026\/\">\ud83d\udc49 Corrida de Santiago de Subarrifana<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>More local, simpler, and often a much smoother race day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Ignoring elevation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A \u201c10K is a 10K\u201d\u2026 until it\u2019s not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Two races with the same distance can feel completely different depending on the course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc49 Trail races like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/pt\/event\/iv-trail-praia-mag8\/\">IV Trail Praia Mag8 (Sintra)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>or<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/pt\/event\/trail-e-caminhada-encostas-do-tamega-2026\/\">Trail Encostas do T\u00e2mega<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>can be way more demanding than expected \u2014 even at shorter distances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Not matching the race with your goal<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If your goal is to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>PB \u2192 don\u2019t pick a technical trail<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Enjoy \u2192 don\u2019t pick a super competitive race<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Train \u2192 don\u2019t pick something too intense<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc49 If you&#8217;re aiming for a smoother, more controlled effort, something like the<br><a href=\"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/pt\/event\/meia-maratona-atlantico-ocidental-2026\/\">Meia Maratona Atl\u00e2ntico Ocidental<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>can make a lot more sense than a highly technical course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Leaving it too late<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Waiting too long =<br>\u274c sold out races<br>\u274c higher prices<br>\u274c limited options<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc49 Popular and unique races like the<br><a href=\"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/pt\/event\/xvii-meia-maratona-na-areia-analice-silva\/\">XVII Meia Maratona na Areia<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>tend to fill up quickly \u2014 especially because of the different experience they offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Underestimating travel and logistics<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You might find the \u201cperfect race\u201d\u2026 4 hours away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ask yourself:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Do I need accommodation?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What time does it start?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How stressful will race morning be?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc49 A Lisbon-based runner might find it much easier to go for something like the<br><a href=\"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/pt\/event\/ix-lisboa-green-trail\/\">IX Lisboa Green Trail<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>instead of dealing with long travel before race day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6. Trying something new on race day<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>New distance, new terrain, new gear\u2026 all at once?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s risky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc49 If you&#8217;re curious about trail, races like<br><a href=\"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/pt\/event\/stepup-trail-nossa-senhora-do-pranto\/\">StepUp Trail Nossa Senhora do Pranto<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>or<br><a href=\"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/pt\/event\/v-belas-cross-trail\/\">V Belas Cross Trail<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>can be a great way to start without going too extreme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">7. Overthinking everything<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This is the biggest one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You compare:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>dates<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>locations<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>distances<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>weather<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>reviews<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026and end up choosing nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc49 The truth: most races will give you a great experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even something more demanding like the<br><a href=\"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/pt\/event\/xix-ultra-maratona-caminhos-do-tejo\/\">XIX Ultra Maratona Caminhos do Tejo<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>can be an incredible goal \u2014 if it matches where you are right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83c\udfc1 So what should you do?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Pick something that:<br>\u2714 Fits your current level<br>\u2714 Matches your goal<br>\u2714 Excites you<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And go for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83d\udc49 Ready to choose your next race?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Explore hundreds of races across Portugal <a href=\"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\">here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Choosing a race should be exciting. But a lot of runners end up picking the wrong race for the wrong reasons \u2014 and only realize it when it\u2019s too late. If you\u2019ve ever signed up for something and thought \u201cwhy did I choose this?\u201d, this is for you. 1. Choosing a race just because it\u2019s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":48611,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48610","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-running"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48610","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48610"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48610\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48613,"href":"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48610\/revisions\/48613"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48611"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48610"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racefinder.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}