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Getting your fuelling right is a crucial part of any marathon, and it doesn’t matter how much you’ve trained or how super your shoes are; if you fail to give your body the energy it needs to run 26.2 miles, you’re not going to have a great race day.
Between us we’ve run well over 100 marathons and we all have reliable nutrition strategies that we go back to time and time again. These race day plans have helped us to run our fastest times, but also complete marathons in relative comfort, rather than hitting the wall and having to walk the last few miles.
That said, we’ve also made a lot of mistakes in our fuelling and certainly had to walk to the finish on occasion. Hopefully we can save you the pain of making those mistakes and put you on the right path to fuelling success in your marathon.
As running journalists we’ve also had a chance to test a vast range of different nutrition products over the past decade plus, so we feel well qualified to comment on what the best running gels, drinks mixes, and electrolyte tabs actually are.
Our guide to the best running shoes to buy right now
In the video below Run Testers Mike, Nick, Kieran and Tom share the strategies they use on marathon race day and why, and below the video you’ll find a list of the key products mentioned by each runner.
How To Fuel For A Marathon
Mike’s Marathon Nutrition Strategy
Mike keeps it relatively simple with his marathon day nutrition, which is to carry one absolutely massive gel to fuel during the race itself, after using electrolyte tabs and energy gels in the morning before the event to prepare.
Nick’s Marathon Nutrition Strategy
At the other end of the scale to Mike, Nick is the most obsessive with his marathon fuelling, and has formed a pretty strict plan that he’s followed over his last 10 marathons while dragging his PB down to 2:25. He carries Maurten drinks and gels with him during races and takes something every 5K, after having a big carb drink and an electrolyte tab in the morning.
Kieran’s Marathon Nutrition Strategy
Kieran has tested more running nutrition products than perhaps anyone else on the planet, and run over 60 marathons with a PB of 2:50. He actually doesn’t like to take too many carbs in a race, but does carry a couple of large gels after a fuelling with carb drinks and bars before the race.
- Strykr Bar 50 (£19.99 / $42 for 12 bars)
- Buy UK
- Strykr Gel 50 (£29.99 / $35 for 12 gels)
- Buy UK
Tom’s Marathon Nutrition Strategy
Tom is the most laid-back of the team when it comes to his nutrition – he’ll take a gel every 8km or so during the race, and then maybe grab whatever is available on the course. One nutritional tip that Nick has copied off Tom is to ensure you visit any McDonalds in the days before a race if you’re doing a marathon abroad, just in case they have a special menu not available in the UK.
- High5 Zero Electrolyte Tablets (£7.99 for 20 tabs)
- Buy UK