Running the Long Game: Why Crisis Prep Deserves Marathon Training

No one would expect to run a marathon successfully by writing a training plan, putting it in a drawer and opening it again on race day. Yet organizations sometimes take this approach to crisis preparedness.

They build a detailed plan, establish protocols and consider the work complete. But a plan is only a starting point. Success comes from putting it into practice and continuously making adjustments and building a culture of preparedness.

As a long-distance runner and crisis communications practitioner, I often find myself reflecting on how outcomes in these two areas are determined before the defining moment arrives. Marathoners spend months building endurance, testing fueling strategies and learning how their bodies respond to difficult conditions. Crisis management teams need the same kind of preparation.

Train the Plan, Don’t Just Write It

The best marathon training plans are customized to the runner and account for experience, goals, schedules and physical needs. Crisis plans should be equally specific to an organization’s risks, structure and stakeholders.

Training runs reveal problems that may be overlooked during the planning process. Shoes that feel comfortable over five miles may cause problems over 15. A fueling strategy that sounds reasonable may not work in practice. The purpose of training is not simply to complete the scheduled miles but rather to learn what will hold up under pressure.

Crisis exercises such as regularly scheduled tabletops serve the same purpose. They help organizations determine whether responsibilities are clear, approvals can move quickly and prepared materials actually address questions stakeholders are likely to ask.

Practice Creates the Ability to Adapt

Months of training provide the experience and confidence to adjust the plan without panicking, much like the preparation that helps crisis teams operate in unpredictable conditions. Operating environments, including the media landscape, are constantly changing. New facts emerge, stakeholder expectations shift and an issue can quickly move beyond what the organization has planned against.

The value of the plan is not that it can be memorized and executed exactly as written. Rather, it gives teams the foundation to make smart adjustments when conditions change. Just as runners rely on their training to recalibrate around heat or an unexpected setback, crisis teams rely on practice to adapt their response as an issue evolves and the original plan no longer fits perfectly.

The Work Before the Moment Matters Most

Marathoners know that race day does not create fitness. It reveals the preparation that came before it. A live crisis does the same by exposing whether the organization has tested its assumptions, clarified decision-making authority and equipped its people to respond under pressure. Much like a marathon training plan, creating a culture of preparedness can help get organizations ready for the starting line:

• Review plans before circumstances force you to: Just as runners adjust their training plans throughout a training cycle, organizations should regularly revisit crisis plans to account for emerging risks and changes in leadership, operations or stakeholder expectations. A plan should evolve alongside the organization it is designed to protect.

• Train under realistic conditions: Marathoners do not wait until race day to test their equipment, pacing or fueling strategy. Organizations should take the same approach by conducting regular tabletop exercises and simulations that test decision-making, communications and escalation pathways before a real crisis exposes weaknesses.
• Learn from every experience: Every training run provides insights that improve future performance. Crisis teams should conduct reviews following exercises and real-world events to identify gaps, refine processes and strengthen response capabilities over time.

Writing a crisis plan is important, but it is not the finish line. No training cycle can predict exactly how race day will unfold, just as no crisis plan can anticipate every development. But by training against the plan, learning from each exercise or real-world event and continuing to adjust as risks evolve, organizations can better understand what works, where gaps remain and how to respond when the next defining moment arrives.