even make it to the start of the race. Fancy dress galoreWith everyone crammed onto the main street, the pre-race entertainment began. There were upside-down tightrope walkers, dancing girls on plinths and the opportunity to have a good look

. For the best pre-race carbo-loading in the world and architecture to die for – we’re thinking of the Romeo and Juliet Half – Italy has a wealth of breath-taking races. Here’s our top 10, selected by Runner’s World Italy’s Deputy Editor Vittorio Nava, to whet

-wheat pasta before your next big race.Skimmed milk You'll only perform at your peak if you're able to train regularly, and that's where skimmed milk comes in. It's an easy way to include plenty of calcium in your diet – one of the most important nutrients

on my pre-race diet. Too much fibre in my diet can make me feel sluggish when I race so I try to cut some out a couple of days before a big race. I have white rice instead of brown, that kind of thing.What’s the best advice you’ve been given

is to turn up at the start and just ‘see how you feel’ or ‘hope it goes well on the day’, you are unlikely to hit your target time. With the benefit of your pre-race research you can formulate a plan that – just as you have done with training – leads you

Leading the field: Paula RadcliffeThe Athens Olympic Marathon in 2004 was meant to be Paula Radcliffe's race. Since her marathon debut in London in 2002 the British world record holder had never been defeated over the distance. Certainly the Kenyans

.The next step is to build a performance plan related to Matt's goals. Each race will have a goal, so we might use an event to focus purely on pre-race preparation. We would assess what went well, what didn't go so well and needs changing and that would