How many of you out there take sports gels during a marathon? Suppose you were finishing just under 3 hours, how many gels would you normally take?
Do the elite marathoners from Kenya and Ethiopia use gels during their sub 2:10 efforts? Do you think that gel usage in this county (US) has made us a tad ‘soft’ because we rely on this ‘crutch’?
I know there are a lot of questions in this post but I’m trying to get a feel for what the consensus is on gels and there impact on the marathon.
For what it’s worth, I can’t take gels when running that fast (2:33 marathoner). I do carry one as insurance in case of a severe bonk.
I’ve never seen elites (sub 2:20) take gels.
For people that are going to be out there longer than 3 hours it’s a necessity to take in calories. For a 3:00+ marathoner it’s not a question of being weak, it’s about being smart.
It’s not a question of being “soft,” it’s a question of physiology. You need glycogen, you can only store so much, you have to replenish it. I guess I’d be surprised to hear that elite marathoners don’t use gel (though I’m sure they use a lot less than I do because they’re running for a much shorter time) since I think it’s a huge performance enhancer.
During a marathon, I start taking gel after about 1:30 regardless of whether I’m starting to feel tired or not, then usually every 1/2 hour or 45 minutes I’ll take another one until the end. I usually get a huge boost of energy from gel, especially Hammer Gel. My legs are tired, but it doesn’t bother me and I can just keep on going.
I saw my husband have a major bonk at Mountains of Misery century ride a couple of years ago. He refused to eat (said he wasn’t hungry and didn’t like gels) and toward the end of the ride, at the top of a hard climb, he nearly “lost video” as he called it. He was able to continue after a little while, but didn’t finish the ride - he called it quits about 6 miles from the end, though the last 6 miles were the hardest.
He now uses gels, too, though less frequently than me.
Trying to run long distances without gel is, IMO, almost like trying to run as far as you can without water (though less dangerous). There’s no point to it. You won’t change your physiology by NOT using gel, you won’t harden yourself so that you don’t need it, but your performance will suffer.
I assume you’re referring to a standalone marathon (as opposed to an IM marathon).
I can run a three hour marathon without gels. As long as I eat something the before the race (usually yogurt and a banana) AND as there’s an electrolyte/carbo replacement drink (e.g Gatorade) on the course, that’s enough to make it through 26+ miles.
I don’t believe the elites use gels. I know in some races (e.g. Boston), the elites can put their own bottles at elite-specific water tables. That allows them to refuel with whatever work for their system.
Its an individual thing. Gels, bars, or simply sportsdrinks. Everyone has their own caloric needs, and a preferred method of intake. Hopefully you’ve determined in training which works best. We aren’t “soft” for doing so. Our elite runners use the same sort of strategies as others do. My observation is that few of these REALLY FAST runners use gels. But they are only running hard for just over 2 hours. Most of us are working hard much longer than that and run up a greater deficit. It just doesn’t take as much absolute energy to move a 120lb body 26.2 miles in 2:10 or so as it does to move, say, my 165lb body 26.2 miles in 2:55.
For me, I carry one gel as an emergency in any marathons I “race”, preferring to alternate sportsdrink and water at the stations. If I’m just running through for training I’ll use 1-2 gels an hour just so I don’t hit the finish line totally depleted.
I note that all the elite marathoners have their special bottle of their favorite sports drink at their special table, but don’t use gels from what I have seen. Us mere mortals get Gatorade or water at the tables, and since Ratorgade is death to my stomach I take gels and drink straight water. Gels are by no means a crutch…it’s all in what works best for you.
Oh, and it takes about 35-40% more energy for a 165lb person than a 120lb person, more or less regardless of speed. Calories burned running is roughly proportional to weight and distance and not hugely dependent on speed. (Calories burned per hour is of course very dependent on speed though, since you are covering more miles per hour.)
Thanks to all that replied. I’m running the Marine Corps Marathon this fall and hope to finish just under 3 hours if all works out OK. I’m torn between one or two gels. I can’t drink Gatorade while running, my body just refluxes it up, and so I’m stuck with gels and water.
I was wondering about the elites because I overheard an argument at the local running store. One guy felt that our elites can’t hang with the Kenyans and Ethiopians because of the frequent use of gels??
when i ran a 2:16 in '99 i ran on water…that doesn’t mean to say that i wouldn’t use gels now if iw ent back to straight running. also, i know for a fact that some aussie runners use a variety of nutrition now that they didn’t before, including gels (Jackie Gallagher uses two per marathon, and she runs around 2:30).
as for the kenyans…well they just run. and lots of them run fast. having said that, when i ran the marathon in seoul in 99, we were in the food tent after the run, and there was all this fried stuff sitting on platters. one kenyan turns to me and says…‘you know, i haven’t seen a dog since a came to this country.’
Maybe you and I can hook up, Dave. The MC is my nemisis race. All marathons I’ve attempted to run sub 3:00 at since my first cracking of that barrier, have met with success. . .EXCEPT the MC. I ran a 2:55 something at one just two months prior to my last MC attempt, and was in even better shape when I toed the line. But damned if I didn’t run a 3:02. I’m putting my eggs in the MC basket again and I’m determined to go sub 3:00. . . I’d like to PR (under 2:54), but more important is the sub 3:00 mark.
I really doubt that a “frequent use of gels” makes the difference between us and the Kenyans. . .