London Marathon

The recommended carb intake for athletes 2-3 hours before the race is 1-4g of carb per kg of bodyweight to replenish liver glycogen stores. In light of this, Tom could increase the proportion of carb in his breakfast as he fell below these guidelines at ~0.8g/kg. This, alongside a structured carb load the day prior, will ensure he crosses the start line with optimised glycogen stores. During the race, Tom used a regimented fueling strategy to deliver ~75g of carb per hour. A PF 30 Gel every 20 minutes - except two that he dropped - meant Tom’s fueling was consistent and helped to maintain his energy levels all the way to the finish line.

Tom appropriately preloaded with 500ml of PH 1500 ahead of the race. This protocol helps to increase plasma volume and would have ensured he started as hydrated as possible. During the race, he carried a 500ml bottle and refilled it at aid stations to achieve his planned ~1L of fluid per hour. From the start until mile 18, he added a PH 1000 tablet to his refilled bottle before transitioning to a PH 1500 tablet as the temperature rose and his sweat losses increased. This strategy allowed Tom to take on ~1013ml/h of fluid at a relative sodium concentration of ~1118mg/L, which will likely have replaced a good proportion of his losses. However, it would be worth doing some more sweat rate testing and getting a Sweat Test to really dial in his losses since he still felt thirsty with this intake. As he aims for a sub 4 hour marathon next time around, Tom could also consider using Electrolyte Capsules with plain water from aid stations to reduce the time spent dissolving tablets and give more flexibility with fluid intake.

Tom didn’t use caffeine in his strategy as he wanted to keep it simple for his first marathon. Looking forward to future races, he could introduce a PF 30 Caffeine Gel before the start and two during to reach the recommended 3-6mg/kg bodyweight and reap the ergogenic benefits of the stimulant.