26.2 Marathon Board Game - Design and Development Update #2

Welcome to our latest development blog and progress update for 26.2 and the first images of a printed board, although don't get too familiar with it as it's just the first upgrade from our hand-drawn version but not the final design!

First of all, a huge thank you to everyone who has subscribed to our page, and an especially big thank you to all those people who have played the game over the last few months at the various conventions we have attended. Every subscriber is appreciated, and every play of the game has informed us on what elements of the game should stay the same, and what elements of the game have needed some tweaking.

We first revealed 26.2 to the world at Tabletop Scotland in 2025, and the response was amazing. We then spent several months analysing the results of those plays, and the feedback we received, to refine, adapt, and improve the game. These changes fell into two categories: gameplay and graphic design. We felt that both areas needed improvement, and our focus was on one question: how do we make the game a better experience for players? Every change we considered had to answer one question: does this improve the game?

In March this year we attended AireCon which was another highly successful event, with some more fabulous feedback for us to ponder over. More changes followed, and we took those changes to UK Games Expo in May. I'm fairly certain you can guess what comes next! Amongst game designers, the advice is often "iterate, iterate, iterate", which basically means "Keep changing things until it works and until the game is where you want it to be and where players need it to be"!

So off we went to Leeds Board Game Convention, Norwich Games Convention, and most recently full circle back to Tabletop Scotland 2026, almost exactly one year after the first reveal of 26.2! Each time we've been to a convention the game has had changes, some minor, some major, but all significant and all contributing to that vital question: we are confident that they have all made the game better.

So in those 12 months what has changed from the original version of 26.2, and what has remained the same?

The core concepts of the game have never really changed: Train your athlete, build your Fitness, then Race. These elements of the game were non-negotiable! We have always felt that this was essential to the theme of the game and to the immersion of players in the theme. But it is also what differentiates 26.2 from some of the other fantastic racing games out there. While 26.2 shares some similar concepts to such great games as say, Heat: Pedal to the Metal, or Flamme Rouge, we always wanted to make use of a Fitness Tracker that is built through training, and allows the use of the Fitness gained to modify and enhance movement, and ultimately be the key to victory in the game.

After early playtesting, we quickly realised that during the Training Phase, which is play and pass card drafting, the decisions weren't meaningful enough. We weren't making players face tough decisions about which cards they wanted to add to their Training Plan. If the choice was obvious, it wasn't a choice at all. This became a process of changing one thing at a time until we are now satisfied that the choices made during the Training Phase are meaningful and impactful.

No longer can players simply build their Stamina to the point that it isn't a precious attribute! The amount of each Fitness attribute a player can have for their athlete is capped. Go over that value through careless planning in Training and you start the Race with a hand limiting 'Overtrained' card. So choices have to be made: "Do I want to increase my runner's Stamina or Speed? Do I need to gain Hydration or Energy Gels? If I choose this Training Card am I going to gain too much Strength and have Overtrained?"

However, the most impactful change to Training was the introduction of Training Goals. Yet even these developed and changed through the course of the plays we had. Originally completing a Training Goal allowed players to improve certain Fitness attributes, but the most significant change was the introduction of 'Elite' Pace (movement) cards. Completing a Training Goal now allows a player to choose one of their own personal deck of powerful 'Elite' cards to utilise at an opportune moment in the Race. And each completed goal allows the selection of one Elite card.

With 6 Training Goals available each game, 5 of which reward players with an Elite card, that is potentially 5 game changing cards players can have in their hand each game. With 8 Elite cards to choose from, players can play differently each game, and customise the hand they play with to suit their game. Each game will always have two of the Training Goals: Trust the Taper and Mental Toughness will be part of every game.

The Mental Toughness goal doesn't earn an Elite Pace card, it gives players the Mental Toughness medal, which can be used once during the race to either overcome a potentially negative Event outcome, or increase the reward of a positive Event. It's the player's choice if and when to use their Mental Strength!

The other 4 goals will be drawn randomly from a deck of 16, so each play of the game will have players adapting their Training Plan to try to achieve these different goals, in addition to building the Fitness attributes of their runner. This again leads to more choices and potential dilemmas for a player: do I want to achieve a goal to gain an Elite card, or do I want to take a Training Card that makes sure I have enough Fitness to be consistent throughout the race?

In addition to these significant gameplay changes, we have also been working on the graphic design to make everything clearer for players to understand. We have streamlined the Fitness Trackers, adding icons to show players how the fitness can be 'refilled' during the race. Even in the last few days we have reflected on the layout of the Training Plans, and made the decision to redesign them to make the flow of the card placement easier for players to follow.

There is much still to do in terms of finalising art and design, and we are working closely with our artist to bring everything to life. The box art is the starting place for the rest of the art in the game. We want the overall look of everything in the game from the box, to the board, the cards, and the rulebook to have a feel and connectitvity that runs through it all. There will be opportunities in the coming months to see how it is all coming along.

The events we are attending in the coming weeks and months include Tyneside Games Expo in October, London Board Games Show in January next year, Tabletop Gaming Live in February, the final AireCon in March, and we hope (exhibitor applications haven't opened yet!) UK Games Expo next June.

We're also visiting Spiel Essen in a few weeks as business visitors but won't be exhibiting this year.

If you are interested in learning more about 26.2 and following the journey as we ready to launch next year, you can subscribe here.

Please like, comment, and share this blog with any gamers or runners you know who might be interested!