Time Your Marathon Nutrition Right | Fueling Strategy for Fast Race

To race your best at the marathon distance, you’ve got to dial in your nutrition. There’s a lot of sports nutrition options that work, but the principles for when and how much you take in are more universal.


NUTRITION TIMING: Timing is key! Because a marathon is long enough that you can’t just race it on glycogen stores, you have to take in fuel. But you’ll also be running fast enough that your body will stop prioritizing digestion and assimilation as the race progresses, creating an optimal window for calorie intake.


NAVIGATE VIDEO:

00:47 Preceding 36 hours
01:15 Race Morning
02:36 1st 20 min
03:38 Blood shunting & Calorie timing
04:41 How Many Calories?

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[ShawnGreyling]

love how you give the viewer what they came here for. well done. adjusted my nutrition strategy thanks to this video.

[Ben-ywbe]

I front load the bulk of my calories in the first half while I am running a little slower than goal pace. It really helps me. I consume 60-80 grams of carbs per hour since I weigh 190 lbs. Also the first half I am predominantly using fat for energy and not as much carbs. Once I enter Zone 3-Zone 4, more carbs are being used as fuel. So it makes sense to front load it.

[joeccriscuola]

I could see doing this on the second run of the day before a long run too. Thanks Coach.

[bobbyk]

Andrew, I have exercise hypoglycemia where my glucagon hormones in my liver/pancreas does not activate to raise my glucose levels during zones 1/2 runs. I need to run in zones 3 or higher in order to raise my glucose levels by using my adrenaline or constantly eat carbs every 15-20 mins or I will hit the wall with hypoglycemia (verified with glucose monitor in low 40s). During 2023 Seoul International Marathon, I had to take 12 gels, 7 mini snickers, and 32oz Gatorade which got my really sick to my stomach. I finished the marathon in 4 hrs 26 mins but I can relate to your 700 calories and the sickness in my stomach. I envy normal runners that don’t have to worry about hypoglycemia episodes daily during every runs or easy aerobic exercises and having to always carry carbs with me. They are heavy to carry during marathons and is what I was born with or inherited from my parents. I’m not sure if I was overloading with carbs during the marathon but I need to run positive split strategy because of my hypoglycemia and go anaerobic in the beginning in order to keep my glucose levels up.
I did sign up for 2024 Seoul International Marathon again and hopefully looking for some wisdom on my nutritional plan. Seems like out of 30k runners at the race, I was the only one carrying a bunch of food and 32oz Gatorade.

[livegreatalways]

Coach, how about the practice of taking a gel 15-20mins before the race to top up the glycogen store? You did say don't eat anything till 20mins to not spike the insulin but you also said front-loading as much as you can. So isn't taking a gel 15 mins before considered front-loading or spiking the insulin? Tqsm for your insightful videos always

[rssarma]

Really found this video helpful, thank you for this. One thing I'm unclear of, you mention not taking in any calories from about 2 hrs before race start to 20 mins after the race begins. I usually take a gel or a banana about 20 mins before start, are you saying this is detrimental? Maurten's fuel guide asks to take a gel about 15 mins before as well.

[AmeliaPremium]

Would love a video about homemade natural/whole food alternatives to gels for fuelling during a race

[oloreal]

Hi, I wonder if Maurten’s formulais slightly different during digestion process? Maybe its more effective with less spikes so it has posstive effect early on and also later than 18 mile mark?😊

[J.e.f.f.r.e.y]

What do you recommend for a half marathon running 75mins? Do we have enough glycogen stores for 90mins so we don’t need to fuel during the race? Would a Maurten gel which doesn’t get absorbed for 30mins until it reaches small bowel be a good idea to take on the start line to help with the race finish?

[justinnevins]

Uh... I take in like 1150-1500 calories during a marathon. Is that a problem? Am I even able to use all of this? 1 gel at start, 4 more during the race. Plus 20 oz. (about 250 calories) every hour of hydration/calories. Will my insulin kick in and hit me with this much?

[bakedbeans]

How do you recommend getting sodium? Are electrolyte powders and salt tablets good, or are gels and fruit enough?

[agostinocoppola]

How about if you warm up for 20 min? Do you still wait or do you take something at the start.