Hello Runner,
Welcome back to your weekly moment of endurance nutrition!
Happy Weekend!
How are you?
I'm doing great!
My week was packed with work and progress.
This week, my back felt stiffer. I kept up with my workouts as usual, but I focused on mobility exercises and yoga. They really helped me.
I decided to make a change, and starting next week, I’ll begin training with a new coach. I’m excited about the new one. I believe it’s good to change things up from time to time.
I have some really cool news to share: I’ve created a free community on Skool for runners!
The community is designed to bring us closer to each of you, share practical examples, encourage interaction, answer questions, and much more. Anyone can join and connect with other runners.
There will be lots of great content there, and I’ll be offering one-on-one consultations soon.
Click here to join the community.
Today I’d like to reflect on the nutrition that helped Sabastian Sawe break the world record at the London Marathon last week, and how we can apply that to our own training as amateur runners.
Well, I’m sure you’ve seen or heard about the world record that Sabastian Sawe broke last week.
He was the first person to run a marathon in under two hours. He finished in 1 hour, 59 minutes, and 30 seconds.
Actually, a few years ago, Eliud Kipchoge had already run 42k in under two hours. But since it wasn’t an official race, the record didn’t count.
Later that same day, a video surfaced online of Sabastian being interviewed and answering a question about what he had eaten before the race. His answer was: two slices of bread, honey, and tea.
That answer caused quite a stir online. I read comments like: “What do you mean he only ate that?”, “See, you don’t need supplements to run a marathon!”, “If he broke the record without taking energy gels, why should we?”, etc.
But what many people didn’t know is that Sabastian is a Maurten athlete and followed a comprehensive, carefully designed, and personalized nutrition plan, from carb-loading to his nutrition on marathon day.
Shortly after the achievement, Maurten shared the strategy, as well as all the products used, with Sebastian on its web page.
Here is the full protocol:
In addition to honey bread and tea (as mentioned as a light breakfast in the picture), he took in a total of 115 grams of carbs per hour!
The thing is, Sabastian is an elite athlete and makes his living from it. His job is to run. And because of that, his gut is HIGHLY trained.
Plus, he’s sponsored by a supplement brand and has everything he needs to perform well at his disposal.
As for us amateur runners, not only are we not sponsored, but we’re also not at the same level as Sebastian. And for that reason, we don’t need to follow the same protocol as he does.
But that doesn’t mean we don’t need to do any preparation for a marathon or half-marathon.
As for us amateur runners, not only are we not sponsored, but we’re also not at the same level as Sabastian. And for that reason, we don’t need to follow the same protocol as he does.
But that doesn’t mean we don’t need to do any preparation for a marathon or half-marathon.
Below are the main nutritional recommendations for a marathon for us amateurs.
Keep in mind that these are GENERAL recommendations. Ideally, everyone should have their own plan for each different race.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Carbohydrate Loading (36–48 hours before marathon)
Carbohydrate loading aims to maximize muscle glycogen stores (~150–200 mmol/kg dry weight), delaying fatigue and “hitting the wall.”
Evidence-Based Recommendations
8–12 g carbohydrate/kg body mass/day for 1–3 days pre-race
Taper training simultaneously to enhance glycogen storage
Prefer low-fiber, low-fat, high-glycemic carbs closer to race day
Pre-Race Nutrition (1–4 hours before start)
Pre-race nutrition aims to:
Top off liver glycogen
Maintain blood glucose
Avoid GI distress
Recommendations
1–4 g carbohydrate/kg body mass 1–4 hours before start
Small snack (~15–30 g carbs) 30-20min before the race start
Practical Composition
High-carb, low-fat, low-fiber, moderate protein
Examples: toast + jam or honey, rice, oatmeal, banana, sports drink, gel
Important Nuances
Avoid unfamiliar foods (“nothing new on race day”)
Individual tolerance varies significantly
Some runners benefit from low-GI earlier meals, high-GI closer to the start
Nutrition During the Marathon
This is the most performance-critical phase. Glycogen depletion is a primary cause of fatigue.
General Guidelines
30–60 g carbohydrate/hour for most runners
Up to 60–90 g/hour for longer or faster efforts
Advanced Strategy
Use multiple transportable carbohydrates (glucose + fructose) after 2,5h of the race
Hydration & Electrolytes
For marathons, runners should adopt an individualized hydration plan
Recommendation for race day:
5–10 ml/kg 2–4 hours beforehand. However, this will vary, as that may be too much water for some individuals.
Include sodium (~300–600 mg/hour depending on sweat rate) every 30 minutes starting at the 60-minute mark.
→ Note: If choosing gels that contain sodium, they should be included in the total amount of electrolytes consumed during the race.
Proper nutrition before, during, and after a marathon is essential to its success.
The main reason runners end up in an ambulance during a marathon is a lack of carbohydrates during the race.
Whether you’re an elite athlete or an amateur runner, when it comes to a marathon, you can’t afford to fail when it comes to fuel.
Runners who fuel well perform better, feel better, and recover faster.
Product of the Week
This week's Product of the Week is the Vitafor Tangerine Endurance Energy gel.
I tried this gel recently and really liked it.
I liked it because it has a citrus flavor, and I love citrus flavors. And usually, brands only make lemon-flavored ones.
It has 20 g of carbs per serving and a small amount of sodium.
Just a reminder that I’m a partner with Vitafor Europe, and there’s a discount coupon on their website. Coupon: AP002695VITAFOR
Track of the Week 🎧️
This week's Track of the Week is an old EDM track that's a must-have on any runner's playlist.
I’ve chosen Opus by Eric Prydz
Any questions or something you would like to share, drop me an email
Wishing you a great weekend and week ahead!
Here’s to health and good runs⚡️
Ana Paula Alonso