Megan Hill
Manchester Marathon
ManchesterCompletedMegan's headline numbers
Megan's strategy
Fueling
T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)
T - 15mins: Took in a final dose of carb
"I felt really good until mile 23 then I started to walk a bit more to help me get to the finish line. "
Megan had a solid pre-race breakfast of two bagels and a glass of orange juice, achieving ~1.8g carb per kg bodyweight which sits nicely within the race morning fuel recommendations to replenish liver glycogen stores. With a PF 30 Gel 20 minutes before the start, Megan was ready to set off strong and well-fueled. During the race, she alternated PF 30 Gels with PF 30 Chews to vary flavour and texture, allowing her to stay consistent with her intake and average ~66g/h to support her energy levels throughout.
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
"Other than feeling a bit thirsty before reaching the first aid station, I felt I managed my hydration well."
Megan preloaded with 500ml of PH 1500 which she finished ~45 minutes before the start to elevate her blood plasma volume. During the race, she grabbed bottled water from aid stations and achieved ~583ml/h. This is quite a high fluid intake for the conditions on the day, but Megan felt it replaced her losses well and she didn’t experience any symptoms of overhydrating. Megan’s relative sodium concentration of ~356mg/L was considerably below the average lost in athletes sweat (~991mg/L), as a result of her high plain water intake. In future, Megan should consider using Electrolyte Capsules alongside plain water to improve water retention and help quench her thirst. Further dialing in her sodium intake based on a Sweat Test would also be helpful, particularly in races with warmer weather conditions.
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
Megan didn’t use caffeine in her fuel strategy. Whilst it can provide performance benefits when the recommended range of 3-6mg/kg is achieved, it’s not used by every athlete due to personal preferences and tolerance. If Megan wanted to incorporate caffeine down the line, we’d recommend practicing with it in training to see how her body responds.
How Megan hit her numbers
Here's everything that Megan ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“I achieved my goal of a sub 5 hour marathon and managed my strategy well. Going forward, I think I will move my strategy towards just gels and look to start with some water on me. ”
“A 52-minute personal best and a sub-5 finish at Manchester is a fantastic result for Megan, and her consistent fueling and proactive hydration approach played a clear role in getting her there. Increasing her sodium intake through Electrolyte Capsules would help reduce the risk of dehydration especially in hotter events. ”
PF&HMegan'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 an adequate level of accuracy in the data collected and the numbers reported. The athlete manages to recall what they ate and drank including most specifics (brands flavours quantities plausible estimations of volumes). However there are estimations made within the data which affect the overall confidence level in the data reported.