i know there are plenty of experts in this area so please dont be shy
i have been told gels and sport drinks every 45 minutes are not necessary and that all that one needs is water and an occasional gel for sugar boost. the constant taking of gels/sports drink needs water to filter it and therefore one is missing out on enough water for the desired effect… whats the deal… if it matters i am a slow runner aiming at 4.30-4.45 time…
thanks
andrew
I’m no expert so FWIW:
Do what works in training…what have you been doing in your long runs?
In my marathon training, I’ve been using gels with water, and alternate that with gatorade, and that is what I plan to do on race day. I plan to use 4 gels during the marathon, every 5 miles or so.
I’m not sure about not using anything at all. I know from training that if its even remotely, I’ll get quad cramps and so I need to hit the gatorade and be good about taking my gels.
As for being a fast vs. slow runner-yes, it does matter. The longer you are out there, the more exposure you have to the elements (heat, humidity) and the longer you are working, so you might need more fuel/fluid than a faster runner.
Hope this helps!
At your level I think you’ll benefit from a gel here and there as well as sports drinks with electrolytes and some carbs.
It’s when you reach a certain level of conditioning that nutrition becomes unnecessary. Basically, if your body can handle 26 miles of running on stored glycogen without depleting then you don’t need to eat, just drink.
But that comes when you are a 70+ mile per week runner and/or regularly do 20 mile runs.
Especially as someone who looks to be on the course for more than 4 hours, be careful how much water you drink. My understanding is that the group most likely to run into problems with hyponatremia are slower (not judgemental, only a relative term) runners who drink primarily or solely water. The causes are reasonably straight forward: most time on the course to lose electrolytes, most time on the course to drink water, on the course later as temps increase so more sweating/drinking. Drink enough to stay hydrated, but don’t go crazy drinking just water.
Gels should be taken with about a cup water to dilute for 2 reasons; improved absorption and less GI distress. Gels are not necessary, but they make it very easy to get some calories in to help power you through the race. A lot of runners begin to fade at the 20 mile mark. VERY general rules of thumb: runners burn about 100 calories per mile and most people store about 2000 calories as glycogen. Obviously, both rules are very rough estimates, but some calories to help you through makes sense to me.
Sport drinks are formulated with about 3% sugar content as this optimizes the absorption of water, sugars, and electrolytes. Not sure about the comment re:needing water to filter it.
Whatever has been working for you in training, keep it up. (It is was me, there would at least be some sports drink in there.)
Good luck with your race.
x2 Do what you’ve done in training.
If you’ve been running 20+ miles in training with only water, then do that for the marathon.
Personally, for my first marathon which I completed recently I used both gu and cytomax on all of my training runs, and I used that for the race.
The only problem I had was that I carbo-loaded the night before, and had to stop for the bathroom at mile 2 losing 5 minutes waiting in line.
Good luck!
When I raced marathons, I started with a cafeine gel at about mile 8 or 9. THen I took one every 3 miles or so until mile 20. And I would do one just before the race, about 20 minutes. My races were just over 2 1/2 hours, and no problems with stomach issues. I did bonk however at mile 24 at one race, but that was a lot better than mile 18 where I would have if I didn’t gel up…
For my marathon I alternate cups of gatorade endurance and water each mile (on the course). Then I take Gu (Roctane for me) every 45 min, accompanied with salt tablets (Endurolytes) to aid digestion. I only started taking the salt tablets around mile 18, which for me was too late. Especially if it is a hot/sunny day. I’ll aim to take 3-4 tablets/hr this time around.