Marathon & Half-Marathon Nutrition Tips

How often will you take on fuel during your marathon?

For the marathon, we would suggest aiming to take onboard around 60g of carbs per hour. So, breaking it down, this can be done by having a Super gel every 40 minutes. Or if you are willing to carry both gels and energy drink, you could have a Super gel every 50-60 minutes and sip on the Super Carbs energy drink throughout your event.

Will you have a coffee or caffeine gel pre-race?

If your normally daily routine includes a morning coffee, then we would suggest sticking with this on race morning. Your body is used to this morning caffeine kick, taking this away may leave you feel more tired than usual, and this is definitely something you don’t want on race day morning! Likewise, if you don’t normally consume caffeine on a morning before you go running, this is not the time to add it in.

Will you eat anything while running?

It is very hard to take on food while running, and the process of digestion in the stomach requires energy to function, taking energy away from your muscles. So, sticking to gels and energy drink is the way to go. However, if you think you will need some food during your marathon, practicing this in training is ESSENTIAL, to know how your body and stomach react to food while running. Our Duo bars would be the perfect snack to have while running as they are light on your stomach and designed for easy digestion.

How many gels do you need to carry during the marathon?

The general rule for this is taking a Super gel, containing 40g of carbs, every 40 minutes. So, if your target time is 4 hours you will need to take on board 5 gels, plus always carry a 6^th gel as an emergency. Taking a gel at 40 mins, 1:20, 2 hours, 2:40, 3:20… . We have two flavours of Super Gel, Berry and Tropical, changing between the two flavours will prevent any flavour fatigue.

Target time over 90 mins:

• Eat your last snack/energy bar 90 minutes prior to your start time. This gives your body enough time to digest and absorb the carbohydrates and not feel it on your stomach.
• Take a Caffeine gel or Super gel 15-20 minutes pre-race, making sure your energy levels are at their highest when the gun goes off.
• After 45 minutes consume one super gel. Take your time when taking this on board, little sips every 10-20 seconds or so, as not to disrupt your breathing rhythm.
• If your target time is over 2 hours, you should take on a second super gel at around 90 minutes into your run.

Target time under 90 mins:

• Take a Caffeine gel or Super gel 15-20 minutes pre-race.
• Consume one Super gel at around 40 minutes into your run, this may be the point where you don’t feel like you need the fuel, but it’s at this halfway point where your energy levels will need a top up, so you don’t have a dip later in the race.

Post-race:

• When you cross that finish line its key to start your recovery straight away to replenish your lost salts and carbohydrates, as well as repairing your tired muscles with protein.
• Our Chocolate Recovery soya and whey protein shakes can be mixed with 300ml of water, so are very accessible, as there’s no need to have fresh milk to hand. These drinks have been specifically designed to optimize recovery, as they contain 25g of high quality protein as well as around 19g of carbohydrates. This added carbohydrate allows the protein to be absorbed by the muscles much more effectively than just protein on its own.
• Once you have completed your cool down and had your protein recovery shake, its essential to rehydrate your body. Keeping on top of this for the days to come with the OTE Hydro tabs, this will help your muscles recover much faster ready for your next race!

• Porridge, banana, and honey
• Scrambled eggs on toast
• Beans on toast
• Granola, yoghurt, and fruit
• Banana, yoghurt and a Duo bar

It is important to have a high carb breakfast that is easily digested. As the nerves start to creep in you may have less of an appetite, but its essential that your last meal before the start is energy rich and a food that you have tested in your training, pre-long runs. This way there are no doubts on race day.