The Oct. 5 Maine Marathon, and half-marathon and relay, filled its 3,500 spots a couple of weeks ago, and of the 1,270 marathoners, approximately 400 are first-timers. On behalf of these virgins, and possibly also for the edification of the more experienced but not necessarily any wiser racers embarking on the 26.2-mile course from Portland’s Back Cove to Yarmouth and back, here are some tips from those who have been there and back again.

“My best advice: Do not change anything the morning of the race. Nothing new. Food, clothing, anything. New shoes? You’d better not put them on.”

So says Bonnie Hoag, a nurse who lives in Falmouth and at age 61 ran her 13th marathon at Maine last fall and won her age division in 3:47. “That ‘nothing new’ is set in stone because you cannot know what to expect. Introducing something midrace (e.g.: previously untried energy gel) is also gonna do ya.”

Katie McMahon of Brunswick was 19 last year when she ran 3:08:15 in her marathon debut to finish as fourth woman, and the UMaine premed student is still 19 for a week as you read this. Busy academically (she aims to graduate as a junior) and with volunteer work, she’s not racing this year, but her first-timer’s story is illuminating and encouraging for runners of any speed.

McMahon doesn’t run with a watch (high school competition with the Dragons helped train her in pace-judging), didn’t go longer than 15 miles in training (but did get up to 70-mile weeks), registered in late August (“last-minute thing”) and started with “no time expectations.”

But when the clock halfway showed her well on Boston-qualifying pace, she got psyched and ran the second half faster, by how much she’s not sure.

“The whole time I’ve been a runner, I’ve focused on the mental piece,” McMahon said. “You’ve trained; you know your body’s ready. Focus on the experience and on making it to the next mile marker. That’s how I manage long races. One step at a time.”

Mental focus is also a key for Erin Whipple, for whom Maine 2013 was “technically, my first ‘stand-alone’ marathon,” because she’d done the Ironman Lake Placid triathlon in 2012.

A personal trainer and coach who owns Main Street Energy Lab in Yarmouth, Whipple, 42, ran Maine in step with husband Michael. Parents of four children, they shared a 3:50:23 finish as they had training runs of as long as 22 miles. This year she will run with friend Tari Advani, a first-marathoner and mom of three who ran Maine’s half in 1:49:21 last year.

Whipple notes the value of the social element.

“Having a running partner can be critical,” she said. “When you hit the wall, you can help each other get over it. And when you talk to and encourage the people around you, everyone has a better marathon experience and more fun. Smile and enjoy the moment. And thank the volunteers along the way.”

For a strategic tip that will not only enhance your marathon-culminating experience but also may help you nail a time goal, here is Rob Gomez of Portland, who won the race last year in 2:24:22.

“Nearing the finish, the course winds back onto Baxter Boulevard before mile 25, and at this point you can literally see the finish across Back Cove. Combine that with the steep shoulder (a bit better now after last year’s construction project but still very noticeable) and the need to go around a number of half-marathon finishers (for anyone running under four hours), and it’s pretty easy to lose concentration and/or get discouraged,” Gomez, 31, commented.

“My advice is to try to stay near the crown of the road on the boulevard, don’t look toward the finish until you see it right in front of you, and chase the half-marathon finishers one by one to keep you running hard (while being courteous to them at the same time, of course).

“That should help a runner’s concentration and motivation at that late stage in the race. It certainly helped me last year.”

John Rolfe writes about road racing for the Maine Sunday Telegram. He can be contacted at 791-6429 or at:

jrolfe@pressherald.com