Gary Thwaites
Manchester Marathon
ManchesterTop 50, M50-54Gary's headline numbers
Gary's strategy
Fueling
T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)
T - 15mins: Took in a final dose of carb
"For this race I aimed high for my carb intake, and it definitely paid off. The run went perfectly apart from me forgetting to take one gel. No dip in energy, no GI issues and even pacing. Despite working hard, I felt comfortably in control of my energy right to the end."
Having previously struggled with some GI issues in his longer ultra events likely due to a high consumption of carb drinks, Gary did well to achieve his highest carb intake yet whilst running at a higher relative intensity and being able to rate his GI comfort as 10 out of 10. This demonstrates that Gary has done a great job at training his gut to tolerate more carbohydrate in the form of gels and chews, enabling him to fuel with enough energy to maintain his high pace and output without causing any stomach upset. Even though he forgot to take one of his planned in-race PF 30 Gels, he prefuelled well before taking a PF 30 Caffeine Gel and PF 30 Gel every 20 minutes for the majority of the run, which helped him to still hit the top end of the marathon fueling recommendations.
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.
T - 60mins: Drank ~500ml of strong electrolyte drink
"Across the duration of the marathon, I never once felt thirsty, but I did make sure to drink at every opportunity. Also, I wouldn’t normally consume salt caps during a road marathon, but it was warm on the course and I think this decision paid off."
Gary’s hydration strategy supported his effort across the race. Being aware of the milder conditions and shorter duration for this event compared to his last race, the Dragon’s Back Ultra in 2023, Gary intelligently amended his hydration plan by consistently taking on fluids but at a lower amount per hour. He also increased his sodium intake from the last race, where he consumed a low relative sodium concentration and instead supplemented with some Electrolyte Capsules. This strategy helped him avoid any significant cramping and ensured he wasn't dehydrated.
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.
T - 0-4hrs: Had a final hit of caffeine
Gary had a cup of tea and a double espresso on the morning of the marathon along with a PF 30 Caffeine Gel immediately before the race, helping him to pre-caffeinate effectively reap the ergogenic effects of caffeine. Additionally, he topped up his caffeine levels throughout the race using two PF 30 Caffeine Gels to avoid any perceived dips in energy.
How Gary hit his numbers
Here's everything that Gary ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“I went into the race full of nerves. I had trained hard but nothing suggested I was in sub-3 shape. I took a chance and ran with the 3-hour pacer and waited for the wheels to fall off but I kept ticking off the miles. Before I knew it, I reached halfway and then with 10km to go I knew if I kept everything the same, I would make the London Good For Age qualifying time.”
“Gary implemented a solid fuel and hydration strategy for his marathon, applying the recommendations from his past ultra race to consistently consume a high carb intake and adequate amount of fluids to proactively replace his losses, whilst avoiding GI distress and cramping. Going forwards, a Sweat Test would help refine and improve Gary’s hydration strategy even further. ”
PF&HGary'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).