How Most Runners Get Their Marathon Fuelling Wrong
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- Опубликовано: 8 фев 2025
- Honestly I speak with runners training for marathons all of the time and so many of them hugely underestimate what is actually required to fuel properly for a marathon. From before to during to after. So let's clear that up!
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Today, I paced the 3:10 finish at our local marathon. It was my first time trying high carb fueling in a race, and I averaged 82g carbs/hour. The result: the most fun I’ve ever had in a marathon. No bonk, no wall, barely a minor cramp at mile 24, and a negative split (came in at 3:09:05). Plus, I was able to coach a few runners to new PRs along the way. So, a win-win-win effort.
Way to go!!!
Ok, this is what I needed to hear!
@@SeeChadRun thank you!
@@AuronnBE high carb is definitely worth trying.
What about gummies instead of gells. I am 78 kg and I plan on rumming for 4 hours. How do you carry that many gells?
Watching this video a few hours ago before my Sunday long run, half marathon distance. I took each gel at the 25 minute mark and instead of guzzling it down a sipped it little and often over 5 mins. Waited 25 mins for the next gel and repeated the process. Absolute game changer for me as I felt in control and extremely comfortable throughout run. Managed to skim 90 secs and hit a PB. Note to self, plan the next run without a long hill!! Ty
Maybe, just maybe, you are pushing too hard for a normal weekend long run. Maybe, save it for a race day.
Brilliant. I'm a heavier runner and this really backed up what I've experimentally drifted towards, fuelling more, before and during. Also, the video was a fantastic lesson in coping with the unexpected - slower marathon that usual, so different nutrition plan, glucose monitor slipped off, mic fail. You exuberantly got through it all and still made a vivid and effective video.
Something to keep in mind with a cgm.. 1) due to the way the level is checked (fluid vs blood) expect about a 20min delay for the change to start showing in the numbers. For example, starting number at X, start a trainer ride, wouldn't expect to start seeing a significant drop in the number for approximately 20mins (course have to be diligent as to when/what you last drank also) 2) as you mentioned intensity/fitness should vary due to fat/carb burn ratios, but possibly also hydration/perceived stress by the body (cortisol increase?) 3) take into account all consumed carbs, gels, drinks (gatorade or whatever).. 4) may vary by brands, but would suggest doing the testing after having the sensor on for a couple of days (not first 24hrs at least or last day or 2 before the end as you may get different results) Also even after the event for the next day or two, watch the numbers (assuming eating same things) to see if they are higher or lower than usual.. seems that may help determine fueling needs (aka running low due to the body using available glucose to refill stores and/or repair?? or high due to over fueling/body stressed???).
I can’t wait to give this a go. Thank you so much for the tips! Looking forward to more of your content.
I was particularly interested in this because I also did a video showing my own experience with a continuous glucose monitor -- and my body response was completely different to yours. I found my blood sugar shoots up all by itself and stays that way for many miles, meaning there is no point in me supplementing with gels early in the race. And (with gels) it remained way higher than yours throughout the race. It really does vary between individuals.
"Please subscribe, as we're aiming for 1 million... ish." Haha! Love and support this! Keep up the solid work my friends. I'll be here, as I have been over the years, taking in all that you have to offer. Cheers!
That course and race support are awesome. Good content and video editing.
I run marathons around the 4 hour mark and had previously worked out I would need 12 conventional 20g carb gels if I stuck to the suggested dosage. Forgetting the practicality of carrying that many, simply consuming one gel every 20 mins would leave me gagging way before the finish line. As a result I switched to 40g carb gels and my problems were halved; 6 gels, one every 40 mins. Oh yes and one 20 mins before the start.
What brand do you use? My Gu gels are only 22g.
Sis do a 40 g gel
That marathon looks amazing. Such crowd support 🥳🤩
The amount of light decorations is insane. Awesome course.
Thank you Ben, this has always been a mistery to me but I will implement this in my training before my next race
Love listening to your content. Always honest and insightful. Only point I would make is being conscious of taking any additional carbs in 30mins of the start. Sometimes this can lead to reactive or rebound hypoglycaemia, where your body's insulin levels rise to manage the additional carbs just as you start running and your muscles are also using up the carb. Hence a double whammy of lowering the blood glucose. This can lead to a dip in energy in the early parts of race, brain "fog", and mild dizziness. I have experienced this a couple of times, and then adjusted my fuelling pre race, no additional carbs within 60-30mins of race starting then first gel at around 30mins into the race.
This is a good point, but I wonder how much it applies to everyone or if it only applies to people that are sugar sensitive (like diabetics, etc..).
Another point is that he may have misinterpreted his data. The "dip" he saw may have been CAUSED by the gel rather than solved by the gel.
I wonder if there's more scientific data about this stuff..
@@acasualviewer5861 There has been some scientific studies on this, I've linked to one below if you're interested. In a nutshell having a bolus of glucose, say in the form of a gel within 60mins of commencing exercise results in a suppression of Hepatic (liver) glucose production. So when you start exercising and your muscles start using the available blood glucose (from the gel), there is a lag in the hormonal signalling from the brain to the liver to say "Hey we're running low on glucose, start pumping some out so things are more stable." That lag is when you experience the big dip in blood glucose and reactive hypoglycaemia. I can't speak to the further impact something like diabetes might have on this. For what it's worth, I am not diabetic and still experience this is if I don't get my fuelling times right.
journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/jappl.1998.84.4.1413
this was amazing info. thank you. For someone who has experienced massive cramps my last 2 marathons (don't get them any other time) I hope this helps.
Dietician enjoying your content from Fiji 🇫🇯. Thanks for sharing your experience and insights into running
I ran my first sub-2 half-marathon on Sunday (1:57). I pushed and was chuffed with the result, until I watched you speak through a full marathon and still run a 3:47??! 🤣🤣 I feel so inadequate. Well done
Exactly what I needed right now in preparation for a M in 2 months! Thx
Stunned a bit to see you drinking that less. Also thought I would need something extra to snack on every hour
3:47 while pushing a baby in a stroller? Legend.
Awesome, that race looks amazing. Great content as usual, thanks for the effort to bring this to us
Agree with this. Always cramped on long fell runs and ran out of energy and looked to recover too late. Recently started with tailwind and bars/gels and ran an 8hr fell run with no problem and legs were fine the following week. Took me 20yrs to cotton on to the fact that carbs must be much higher than I was taking and also salts
One thing not mentioned is how much water you need per gel, around 200ml per gel is 800ml per hour. That is a very big challenge over 4 hours. Liquid CHO are the way to to go, some products are now 90g CHO per pouch if your stomach can handle it.. Great content as usual
I've been doing 4k fuelling intervals, I'm going to change to 25min intervals after listening to you. Thank you..
Thank you for such an informative video. I'm hoping to run my first marathon soon, so really trying to nail the fueling down.
As a 6'8" 90kg+ guy I've never been under the misconception that I need less fuelling than someone half my size!
yea who bothered to fund that study 😂😂
@MichaelH1232 I believe the next study they're funding is whether or not bears do indeed shit in the woods.
Simply Awesome 💫
What an amazing experience!! This is the part of the marathon I'm most worried about. I worry I will get it all wrong.
Great informative video and I love and hate in equal measure how you pretty much jogged to a faster marathon time than I’ll ever run 😢
Having IBS I have tried so many different gels and stomach simply cannot tolerate them. Unfortunately the next few days after are hell. Would love to see a video addressing alternative fueling options
also, I'd say its better to think about much glucose to take per unit distance. Faster athletes will take more carbs "per hour" but the amount taken for the whole race should be about the same no matter how long it takes. Athletes finishing in 4 hours don't need 80-100g more carbs than an 3 hour finisher--they need roughly the same. So, instead of taking a gel every 20-30 minutes (or whatever), think about taking a gel roughly every 4 miles (I like to take the first gel at 3 miles, then every 4 miles after that--7,11,15,19,23) and top it off with sports drink at aid stations
Nice to see you run a marathon together.
you don't want to take a gel 30 minutes before the start. Anywhere from 15 mins to just before is ideal. You don't need the glucose right at the start--you have enough to get through the first few minutes
I take my first gel only after 5k. For marathons it is important that you use as much as possible your fat burning engine. If you start your intake of glucose too soon, then that will probably shut down part of the fat burning in favour of glycogen burning.
Gels also work as a way of Reward. Something to look forward to during the hard race, I try to learn what works for me. Usually every 35 minute I take 30g carbon gel. Perhaps I need to take the earlier than that?
after the 4th gel it doesn't feel like a reward.. kind of makes me gag.
Me, a 100kg runner, trying to figure out how the heck I'm gonna eat 1200g of carbs....
With a smile on your face
I’m also 100kg doing my first marathon half in March and first marathon in November. If you figure out the way, please let me know😅
@ Maybe over the course of 2-3 days. But in one day? Not a chance. That's 4800 calories from carbs alone. Now, I can eat 4800 calories, but no way I can get that many calories from carbs in in any way that's even remotely healthy.
I made it last oktober, definately ate a lot of gels but also had 3 bananas
Get yourself fat adapted by doing the right kind of training. Then there is no need for such a big carb intake.
yes, very nice video, great race, useful info.
I’ve been adding Whole Foods during my long runs. Pbjs coke and jelly beans.
It's 100g an hour if you're doing around sub 3 pace or quicker. Anything slower than that is not producing the burn rate to require more than about 50 or 60.
That’s not what the latest science says though. Check out featherstonenutrition it doesn’t matter what pace you go
The legend with a stroller throughout this video is the real mvp. I wish i could do that if we ever have our second baby😂
I can't imagine surviving a run like that.. they are definitely better runners than I am.
What an amazing marathon 👍
I fast for 24-48 hours before the race and then stay in zone 2 so I don't need any gels/carbs 🤣
This is an interesting approach indeed. Because you never exclusively use fats even in zone 2. There are carbs used so you will eventually run low. But I’m assuming if in zone 2 then running your fastest isn’t your priority. And that’s cool too 😊
😂😂😂
Bruh is hyper trolling. Urine would be blood touched if he fasted that long and ran a marathon at any pace.
@ not trolling, I mostly run mountain ultras and for much longer distances, 100km+ with lots of vertical, fasting pre race is not a problem, I train fasted to get fat adapted and I do still take carbs during long races but not gels and my focus is distance not speed and avoiding stomach issues is also good.
I am a newbie runner, i also do fasted run during training and race events. Most of it are in zone 2 when training but during races, zone 3 zone 4, i guess. I only bring salt with me during my longest race ever [half mara]. Btw, i fast usually 23-24 hrs.
This marathon looks awesome! Like one big party! Maybe you could make another video and compare gels to sweets. It depends on the sweets of course but some packages have 84g of Carbohydrates in a 40g package! So, you can just munch on one package per hour. Where I find it hard to get a gel down, with sweets I can't stop eating! Works for me especially on trails as you can eat them walking uphill - would be interesting to know if that works for you as well or if the chewing is too difficult whilst running constantly.
“84g of Carbohydrates in a 40g package”
Which brand is it which is breaking the laws of physics?
@@coachRoome It's just sweets from the 100Yen Shop!
@@coachRoome Thanks for the comment! I rechecked! 45g package. In 100grams there are 81 grams of carbs, that means... 39gram of carbs per 45gram package - it's still a good deal though ;)
I’ve done 80g/h and liked it quite a bit. Didn’t need as much food before hand.
Man I wish I could run a marathon in that time and look that good at the end. just trained for 25 weeks and hit the wall early again at 14 miles even though I did my 20 mile training run without issue. I can't figure out how to not cramp
Crazy easy,very empress
I have a stupid question ... if you are taking gels during the race regularly to keep up energy levels, then why is it necessary to carb-load for days before the start? Is it because you want your glycogen levels to be at maximum on the start line?
Greg McMillan has an interesting article on the history of carb loading. If I link it here YT will probably block my comment, but google around and you should find it. But it’s basically what you said.
Yes, the explanation I've heard is that in a marathon your glycogen stores will be decreasing even while you take gels. But, by both starting the race with maximum glycogen and then taking carbs during the race, hopefully you finish the race before your glycogen gets to zero.
What are your thoughts on sodium during a marathon. Do you use products that contain it, use salt tablets, or feel like its not needed. Anyone have thoughts?
If you are sweating you are losing salt. For me (100kg living in Hong Kong & I sweat a lot) a good electrolyte tablet or drink is essential for hot runs more than 100 mins. Most days I use berocca. I use Pocari sweat on long runs (carbs and electrolytes).
Just in time
Interesting. The subject of carb loading 3 days before is one I can’t get my head around as there is a saturation level of stored glycogen in your muscles then it goes to fat?
You are right.
The original form of carbloading also included a glycogen depletion run to get supercompendation.
Carbs are important without a doubt. Carb loading is often misunderstood. Like you said you simply have storage limit and after a night sleep it allready depletes.
Having said this I agree that focusing on carbs is the way to go. Don't eat more but replace some protein and fat calories with carbs calories.
More important, minimize eating plant fibers the days before the marathon.
@@GTE_Channel I also avoid meat 24 hours before a race.. because meat takes longer to digest and has a way of sticking around the gut. Better to not be carrying that during the race.
I've run my best marathons (and one 50k) with no nutrition before or during. Just a big meal the night before. That was everything is in my system and absorbs over night, no need to stress your gi system during the race. Not saying it's the best approach, but just like you said everyone is different...
Hi guys I read somewhere that we should take our gels with water to make them work better. Would you agree with this?
Doing it by time is no different. If you run different paces you're burning carbs at a different rate as well.
Ben, I have a question. How do you practise having enough gels at marathon pace for a full length marathon… without actually doing a full send marathon? Cos when I practise doing a half or a training run those are never the distances where I come unstuck. Even full length marathon I’m fine when not running at full effort. It’s just when I go for a pb the last few kms are when I can’t stomach any more and run out of energy
I'm bummed that your glucose monitor stopped working. I really wanted to see the whole data.
I need more carbs!!! I bonked at the end of my first marathon because I forgot to take gels after halfway. I was feeling great until I wasn't. I just forgot and ran 21k to 30k with no gels. It was difficult to catch up after.
Awesome marathon it looked like a lot fun! Question by the way I also live in a very warm humid environment myrtle beach sc . I noticed when I do my longer runs for marathons 18-20 milers , I noticed whenever I get up at 5am and start long run around 5-6 I’m able make it through entire long run zone 2-3 and keep heart rate lower at steady pace. But whenever I wake up late start 9-10 suns already out and have harder time keeping heart rate down even on a cooler day like 55-60 degrees the Sun here myrtle beach is brutal. Sometimes I don’t wake up early enough do you think a hat would help keeping your body cooler in later mornings for long runs? I’m also a bigger runner 5,9 190 so I sweat alot in humidity . Thanks Trey
Love the idea of tracking glucose, if nothing else but for training. Which one did you use?
It's utterly pointless.
Do you have any more information about runners over 70kg needing more carbs? I usually take one gel every 30 minutes, but after 20 miles I usually feel like I'm running on empty (like everyone else!), but at 100kg I didn't realize I'd need more carbs.
This is the thing that I just can't seem to get right! As soon as I start running my body just seems to shut down and not want to take on anything. I struggle with gels during races so it just always seems like a constant battle. I have a 100 mile Ultra in June and my main worry is getting enough food onboard 😵💫
Do you regularly train your nutrition on your slow, long runs but also faster paced (race-pacey) sessions? Heard a nutritionist/runner on a podcast who said one should start training one's stomach and gastrointestinal system just like all your other muscles at least one year before a marathon. Try different brands, textures (runny and not so runny fluid gels, chews, harder stuff, real food, Salt and electrolytes, in Heat and in cold weather... Inevitably some of those long runs WILL fail and you'll need to abandon them but it's nothing to worry or whine about. With over a year to race day a couple of runs gone wrong don't matter. Plenty of long runs to run and you've learnt the valuable lesson what your body does NOT like.
I try different brands on short runs of like 5m/8 km when I really don't NEED a gel but often glad I did because they tasted so horribly, or the texture was just eeeugh I was glad I didn't ruin a long run with test sample A or B. Just yeaterday it was around +3°C and I found it both hard ti open a specific sachet with cold hands and it was so gooey it hardly came out of the sachet. (Trick: take a glove one size up, keep the next gel inside the glove in your palm so it gets warm)
Try sports drink instead? Or Jelly babies?
@@dresden_slowjog I have done a little but nowhere near enough if I'm brutally honest. Will have to up my game before June certainly
@@achapmaninhk Are Jelly babies really any good? Genuine question 🤔
Which brands offer 40g of carbs in each gel? And are there any that are slow release or not so high in sugar?
Sis do them
This is more a question of metabolic flexibility and not “how many carbs can I stuff in at what time”. If you are metabolically flexible, then your body will burn whatever is on board without the bonk. Ultra athlete Mike McKnight has run at least (2) 100 mile plus races with nothing but water and salt--dude is metabolically flexible! If I’m not metabolically flexible, then yeah--I need to stuff in as many carbs as I can without puking or crapping myself.
I've run 75+ Marys and Ultras at varying intensities and I've NEVER fueled that much. My stomach would revolt. Only in an Ironman could I fuel that much and only on the bike.
Remember though, the stomach is as trainable as the legs. Fuelling can be worked on. When I ran the UTMB 100k here in Thailand the overall 100 mile winner banged 6 gels in one go at every aid station and won convincingly. He’d obviously practiced his fuelling a lot in training. 👍🏻
I'm just wondering how you know what most marathoners do?
Well, I’m using a system where I take a sample range (let’s say the hundreds of people that I coach for marathons each year) and scale that out. Like most scientific studies really (although I’m not claiming this to be scientific) I work with my sample size and scale up. So let’s say, regularly, that the majority of my marathon classes start at a point of not having their nutrition dialled in. It’s reasonably safe to say that’s a good indication of a bigger sample size. Especially if it happens in every marathon classes. I hope that helps answer your question? It’s not saying that people don’t nail their fuelling. It’s saying the general consensus is people (me included) have a lot more to learn about getting their fuelling right for them 👍🏻
So where do pack ur gels?🙏
I have a flip belt. I store about 8 gels plus GoPro plus phone in it quite comfortably 😊
Anyone have a link to the study about 70kg+ runners needing extra fuel? My search skills aren’t yielding anything.
Check out Featherstonenutrition on Instagram 😊
What about gels with caffeine?
What Thai marathon is this?
Buriram 😊
Eat fruits separately. They dont mix with anything else.
I find at mile 18 the gels are difficult to get down. Usually at this point a bag of m & m's hit the spot or even a Snickers if you can eat it without choking. Used to be called marathon for a reason. Rocket fuel. 🚀 problem is stopping it from melting in your waistband. M & M's are good as the shell stops the chocolate melting all over the bag. Put the Snickers on the other side of your phone away from your body. Hydration vests are great for carrying your own tuck shop assuming the race organisers allow them.
I can't stand gels. I had mini-blueberry muffins and snickers my last marathon. Yes, the snickers were a little soft halfway through. I like the M&M idea.
How do you carry 12 gels?
I carry 18 in a pouch.. unfortunately my marathon is much slower than his.
Crazy how over 70kg is considered heavier runner. I am 84-85kg 180cm, I am trying to loose weight to 80kg but running just makes my leg muscles bigger so I am loosing weight (mostly muscle) from upper body but gaining it back in the lower body making me stay the same weight. Maybe it just takes time to adapt to new kind of sport as I have only ran for less than a year now.
I’ve been massively under fuelling according to this. Usually 3/4 gels per marathon. How do you even carry that many gels?🤔
Flip belt! I can take about 9 plus GoPro and phone. Easy 😊
So a 4 hour marathon takes 8 gels?? That seems like a lot of gel 😳🤔
Yes, it does. In my first marathon, I took one before the race and then one every 45 minutes. Hit the wall and walked the last 5 miles. By my 4th marathon, I took a gel every 25 minutes. In going from about 4 to 8 gels and increasing my training mileage, my time dropped from 4:22 to 3:55. For my 5th marathon in a couple months, I plan to take 10 gels(every 20 minutes) and hope to finish closer to 3:45. Bottom line: the marathon requires way more fuel than I first thought!
I am old. When I was running, I never ate during a marathon and never had the feeling I was running out of fuel. But I trained doing 10 miles on the track and 20 miles on the road everyday. At a 6:00 (m:ss) pace. I ran marathons at that same pace. A pace I could talk comfortably at.
So no carbo loading before. There were never days before that I was not running. And gels were too expensive. Ran the last mile at the same pace as the first and felt just the same. Recovery after a marathon was a quart of chocolate milk on the drive home. As much for hydration as for nutrition.
So, how does "proper" fueling affect event performance compared to doing nothing special?
Sorry English is not my first language, did I get it right that you've run 30 miles in total every given day, without any rest days?
Awesome vid guys. My biggest problem is carrying 6-8 gels! (even the 40g ones!)
Great run there Ben and still looking so Pro.... Mary @ThismessyHappy #ThismessyHappy
very good. I heard another coach recently saying that amateurs who don't need a 30-min warm up before a marathon (i.e. almost everyone) shouldn't have anything in the 2 hours before start, and def not a gel on the start line. If the idea is to burn fat as long as possible, you don't want that insulin spike at the start that tells your body to go to glycogen.
My opinion on this is that there is no hard evidence for fat burning over carbs equalling performance increase. So it’s a false economy. We know the body burns carbs in a marathon. We know we only have about 90 mins of carbs available (and that we will be using it from the start regardless of the intensity) so getting the carb stores high and ready is the key. Just personal opinion but not having carbs in the 2 hours before is madness to me. I appreciate everyone is different but that approach may work for say 10-20% tops. There were loads of research papers I found in making this video that back up a carb load approach. But each to their own 😊
And thank you for a well articulated point 😊
@ thanks for this clarification. I really want to get this right. Totally bonked in my last race (it was also unseasonably hot) and still ran 10-min PB. I feel getting the fuelling right is the no. 1 priority.
@@ThisMessyHappyas a data analyst I would like to say that a lot of science and especially the outcome of research is misleading.
A result that is statically significant does not prove anything except for a hypothesis.
I'm not picking sides because science is conflicting. But fat utilisation at the start of the marathon helps to spare muscle glycogen, and this avoids bonking.
Look at product like generation Ucan. Look at the runners they sponsored, they are elite. That product is relatively low on carbs but focused on completely eliminating spikes and dips maximising fat oxidation in the process. A double edged sword: use nothing energy systems optimally while keeping the brain happy.
I am not saying one is better than the other but I believe there are multiple paths to succes and you have to find what works for you.
I’d say: try it in training! Training is the perfect place for trying things that could fail horribly; if they do, you’ve just had a bad training session but gained valuable information.
In the race, do what you know works.
In general, I think starting marathons in heart rate zone 2 is a good way to conserve glycogen in the first half of your race, but like Ben says, you’re still also going to be using glycogen as well, even in that zone, so keep your glycogen stores topped up, because you’ll definitely need them in the second half of the race where you’re likely to venture into hr zone 3 or even 4 where you’re going to need it!
“A 5k at the start of the race is not going to take the same amount of time as a 5k at the end of a race”
Well, you’ve got bigger problems that fuelling then 🤣
I use baby food pouches. Much cheaper.
So 1€ for a gel is too much for you?
You really do not know, how marathony smartly drink water out of a cup during the race?
What if you weigh over 90kg? How often should I take a gel over a marathon distance? Also, how do I carry so many gels? 😂
Running the Lanzarote marathon at the back end of 2023, if it wasn't for the flat coca cola, I would not have finished. I've run 11 marathons and 2 ultras; plus I'm planning on running a 50-miler in a few months' time. And yes, I way 93kg at the moment (but I'm working on that - though that's with strength training).