Ali Ball
Berlin Marathon
BerlinCompleted, F25-29Ali's headline numbers
Ali's strategy
Fueling
T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)
T - 15mins: Took in a final dose of carb
"Even though I felt fresh, I held back as I was worried about hitting a wall later on and I was also conscious that I've had a couple of races where I've felt sick around 26km in."
Ali surpassed the average carbohydrate intake across our female marathon case studies, 53g/h, to come close to the Fuel & Hydration Planner’s 75g/h recommendation for a race of this duration and intensity. 65% of our female marathon database don’t meet these carb guidelines, often in an attempt to avoid GI issues on race day. Though Ali has experienced nausea in previous races, having practised this amount of gels in recent race-intensity training sessions, she avoided any discomfort in Berlin, and was able to consistently fuel her muscles across the race, even supporting a negative split.
Hydration
Taking on board an appropriate amount of fluid and sodium is essential to maintaining blood volume and supporting the cardiovascular effort needed to perform on race day.
Whilst the absolute amount of sodium and fluid consumed per hour is important, it’s critical to consider these in relation to each other. This is known as 'relative sodium concentration' and it’s expressed in milligrams per litre (mg/L). How much sodium you’re taking in per litre of fluid is more important than the absolute amount taken in per hour.
Ali1044mg/L
Ali has been Sweat Tested to dial in her hydration plan
Sweat sodium concentration (mg/L) is largely genetically determined and remains relatively stable. Knowing how salty your sweat is enables you to replace a good proportion of your sweat losses, which can range from 200-2,000mg/L.
Whilst Ali's losses are on the moderate side, getting her hydration strategy right is still important if she wants to perform at her best.
Learn moreT - 60mins: Drank ~500ml of strong electrolyte drink
"I made sure I was taking on my electrolytes because this makes a huge difference for me."
Since having a Sweat Test, Ali has been using electrolytes effectively in training and races to maintain fluid balance and account for her individual sweat losses. This race was no different, as Ali regularly took electrolyte capsules during the race at a relative sodium concentration similar to her sweat sodium concentration. Conditions were on the cold side which meant that Ali was able to drink very little fluid without getting thirsty. She could increase this to avoid greater accumulation of dehydration in future races, especially if conditions are warmer. Ali has an average sweat rate, but the mean hourly fluid intake across our marathon case studies in similar conditions is slightly over double what she drank in Berlin, further suggesting she has room to improve in this area.
Caffeine
Beyond the Three Levers of Performance (carb, sodium and fluid), caffeine is one of only a few substances that is proven to improve performance for most endurance athletes as it can help stave off mental and physical fatigue.
Consuming caffeine in the hours before the start may have increased perceived energy levels
Unlike other Berlin marathon runners, Ali didn’t have any caffeine on race day. Going forwards, she should test out her individual tolerance and response to using the stimulant, given its proven performance enhancing capabilities in endurance races.
How Ali hit her numbers
Here's everything that Ali ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“The race exceeded my expectations and was pretty much the best result I could have hoped for (I never would’ve predicted a 3:16 for myself)! The plan was to pace myself to a 3:30, but I hoped for a 3:18 and quickly found I was tracking around this. I tried to hold back on going any quicker, because I was worried about hitting a wall later on. Around 37.5km, I put my foot down and just went for it - I felt like I had enough in the tank.”
“Ali’s consistent fueling strategy supported her quest for a PR on the roads of Berlin. In the lead up to her future challenges, she should continue to train her gut, increase her fluid intake and consider the use of caffeine as a known endurance performance enhancer for *most* people. ”
PF&HAli's full stats
Data Confidence
We rate each of our case studies from 1-5 based on the level of accuracy, and our confidence in the data.
There is good confidence in the accuracy of the data reported. An athlete feels that the numbers closely reflect what they consumed despite a couple of estimations which may carry some degree of error. The majority of what was consumed is recorded to a high level of specificity (most volumes are known through the use of bottles brands quantities flavours). The numbers are very plausible and align with previous data recordings (if an athlete has collected data previously).