Nick Harris-Fry's scorecard
London Marathon
Sunday 3rd October, 2021
Within recommended ranges
Just outside recommended ranges
Significantly outside recommended ranges
50g
Carb per hour
219mg
Sodium per hour
353ml
Fluid per hour
621mg/L
Relative sodium concentration
56mg
Total caffeine
How Nick hit those numbers
How Nick's hydration and fueling went...
- Nick had a strong run at the 2021 Virgin London Marathon in a time of 02:33:11. Despite wanting to run sub-2:30 as he had previously, he was satisfied with his performance and rated his race satisfaction a 7 out of 10 when balancing out missing his goal time and actual performance with the atmosphere and event as a whole
- He did experience some GI issues during the event, rating his GI comfort just 5, and had to back off from his fueling around the ~29km point as a result. But, this subsided after relieving himself and he managed to continue and finish strongly
- In this event, Nick mixed up his fueling strategy, opting to use almost solely energy gels for his carbs versus previously using liquid carbs in the form of an energy drink mix
Hydration
- Nick drank ~353ml/hr (~12oz/hr) across the race which he achieved by drinking a cup of water alongside each gel he consumed, plus two cups collected at other aid stations. Roughly this worked out as water drunk at every other aid station which given the milder conditions is a sensible strategy
- Whilst on the lower side of an optimal fluid intake for a race of this duration, ~353ml/hr (~12oz/hr) would be considered pretty good given that drinking any more than this whilst running at this pace (3:38 min/km) can be difficult
- Overall, when asked, Nick felt he hydrated well enough and reported never feeling thirsty which suggests he did a good job of keeping on top of his fluid losses
- Alongside his fluid intake, Nick took two PH electrolyte capsules to tackle his sodium losses. He had also preloaded before the event with [PH1000](https://www.precisionhydration.com/collections/1000s/). Whilst this isn’t completely in line with our recommendations (PH1500 mixed in 500ml/16oz plain water) it will have topped up his sodium and fluid levels enough to start him in a relatively good place hydration-wise (better than fluids devoid of electrolytes would have)
- On the surface this is a somewhat low sodium intake but accounting for the lower than average volume of fluid Nick consumed, this equated to a relative sodium concentration of ~621mg/L which for a race of this duration and moderate conditions, is an adequate sodium intake for someone who isn’t too much of a salty, heavy sweater
- Nick did report experiencing some twinges of muscle cramp in his inner thighs towards the end of the race but said this is something he experiences quite regularly and is an indication of fatigue and to not to speed up
Fueling
Quick Carb Calculator Recommendation
30g
carb 30 mins before
30-60g
carb per hour during
- Nick consumed ~30 grams of carbohydrate in the final 30 minutes before the race by finishing his energy drink mix within this time period which will have helped him start the run with his energy levels topped up
- On average, Nick consumed ~50 grams of carbohydrate per hour across the two and a half hour race. He met this number with the consumption of gels spread across the run starting with one taken at ~8-9km, one at 15-16km, a caffeinated gel ~24km and a further gel ~33km
- Each gel was consumed roughly over a ~1.5km distance, drip feeding the gut with carbohydrate and striving for the maintenance of consistent energy levels
- Across the course of the marathon Nick felt his energy levels were good, excluding ‘the usual marathon fatigue’, and rated them an 8. He also felt he fuelled enough but in hindsight could have spaced his earlier gels out more
- Unfortunately, Nick’s ‘stomach went’ at around 29km so backed off his fueling until he had sought out an on-course portaloo and then slowly reintroduced some carb to carry him through the remainder of the run, getting down ¾ of a gel and a sip of on-course energy drink. He skipped his final planned gel as he felt OK energy-wise which given the earlier GI issues, and his good average carb intake, was a sensible decision
- Greater spacing of Nick’s early gel intake may have reduced the severity or even occurrence of his GI issues but greater training of the gut within the race build up is likely to have been most beneficial
Conclusions
- Nick had a good race at the London marathon. His sodium, fluid and carb intakes could have been dialled up marginally to optimally meet his needs but overall he adequately met all three which when running at this pace is an achievement in itself
- Nick had a plan prior to the event, had tested this in some training and then proceeded to implement it on the day. Unfortunately, he did experience some gut discomfort, possibly as a result of mixing up his usual marathon strategy (liquid carbs) to gels
Key info
Nick Harris-Fry
Male
Result
Position
102nd
Overall Time
2:33:11
Event information
Sport
Running
Discipline
Marathon
Event
London Marathon
Location
London, England
Date
3rd October, 2021
Website
Total Distance
42.2km / 26.2mi
Race conditions
Weather Conditions
Mild
Precipitation
No Rain
Min Temp
12°C / 54°F
Max Temp
16°C / 61°F
Avg Temp
15°C / 59°F
Humidity
70%
Athlete feedback
Race Satisfaction
7/10
Hydration rating
7/10
Energy levels
7/10
Excluding the usual marathon fatigue
Toilet stops
Yes
GI comfort
5/10
My stomach went at 29km
Cramping
Twinges but not full-on cramps
Nick's full stats
Carbohydrate (g) | Sodium (mg) | Fluid (ml) | Caffeine (mg) | Relative sodium concentration (mg/L) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | |||||
Total intake | 128 | 559 | 900 | 56 | 621 |
Per hour | 50 | 219 | 353 | 22 |
Data Confidence
1
2
3
4
5
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.