A few weeks ago, I ran the Every Woman’s Marathon as part of a team representing Rising Hearts, an Indigenous led non-profit for who I was fundraising. It was going to be my twelfth marathon, and it would turn out to be the best one yet.
There are several reasons why it was a great 26.2. The team aspect was huge; being surrounded by people all running for a purpose seems to give you wings, and the attention given to all attendees by the event also made everyone feel special. I also made a few changes to how I fueled during the marathon (how many grams of carbohydrate per hour I consumed), and that aspect also made a big difference to my overall experience. Let me expand…
In 2008, when I ran my first marathon in the UK, the only thing I consumed on the course was a few gulps of Lucozade energy drink and some sips of water along the way. A few years later, I started to focus on running a faster marathon, and by 2016, I had managed to make my way up to consuming three gels when I ran in the Chicago marathon. Fast forward to November 16th, 2025, and I easily managed to take in NINE gels at the Every Woman’s Marathon!
So, what’s changed and why all the gels?
First, as a quick back track, I wanted to share this blog post, not as a deep dive into the science behind why carbohydrates during endurance sports make such a difference to performance, but as more of a personal anecdote to show how I managed to go from someone who struggled to eat & move at the same time (I was always terrified I would get a stitch or have GI issues), to being someone who now slurps on gels, or snacks on waffles quite comfortably during longer runs. I’m not sure if I’ll ever reach the dizzy heights of carbohydrate levels that the professional endurance athletes seem to manage these days (up to 120 grams per hour!), but if even a few more grams can make a positive difference, then it is surely worth considering.
Leading up to the marathon, my coach suggested I test taking onboard 60g of carbs per hour during long runs so that I could try it out ahead of the marathon. For road running, this seemed like a lot, but I was willing to try it since I had been slowly building up to 90g of carbs per hour on long trail runs. To illustrate, 60g of carbs is roughly three regular gels per hour (a standard gel packet usually contains about 20-25g of carbs), or 1x gel every 20 minutes. The most gels I had ever used in a marathon before were 6 (at the Mesa marathon in February for our LRC meet-up), so it would take some planning to carry all the packets I was going to need for my goal time of somewhere around 3:10-15. Thankfully, the Rabbit Fuel n Fly shorts came in handy – but more about those later.
When it comes to fuel for a marathon, many of us are going to reach for gels (since we won’t have the luxury of liquid carbs in handed-out bottles like pro-marathoners), which leads to the question, which brand? There are so many portable fuel products on the market now that it can feel overwhelming. It helps to try a few out at first, and then narrow it down to what you like, what works, and what you feel comfortable carrying. These are highly personal factors that only some trial and error, and lots of ‘gut training’ can resolve. But after a while, you begin to discover the winners. I’ve found that a mixture of gels from a few different companies works well, including GU, Precision Fuel and Hydration, and Veloforte.
After my final couple of long runs before EVM, I felt ready and prepared to give this higher-carb approach a go. I’d whittled my fuel selection down to Liquid Energy gels by GU and Natural Energy gels by Veloforte. Luckily, the gel of choice on the EVM course was also Liquid Energy, which is very easy to consume due to its more fluid consistency, but the packet is larger and slightly harder to carry. Veloforte’s Natural Energy gels are (fortuitously) opposite in size and nature to Liquid Energy, meaning they are small and compact, yet still easy to consume on the move. Plus, the Blackcurrant flavour tastes amazing, basically a Ribena gel for the UK people! It’s also plant-based and has 110mg of sodium per gel.
Race day gel logistics were a little tricky. I knew that the Rabbit Fuel n Fly shorts were perfect for carrying gels thanks to 4 internal stash pockets, and a large zipper pocket on the back – but could they hold 9 gels? Unfortunately, not quite due to the size of the Liquid Energy gels, so I planned to carry six gels (4x Veloforte in the small internal pockets and 2x Liquid Energy in the back zip pocket) and pick up three extra Liquid Energy packets along the way.
How about hydration? That other major component of marathon running! We had been warned that humidity levels would be high for Arizona on race day, and the predictions were right. To counter this, I decided to carry a ‘purchased last minute’ hand-held water bottle and, in doing so, broke a cardinal rule by using something new on race day!! There were plenty of water stations on the route, but I seem to need more hydration these days and knew that in conditions where the temperature would potentially reach 70 degrees F/ 21 degrees C (the race started at 7 am), a few small cups along the way wouldn’t be enough. My bottle of choice was the HydraPak Tempo Pro 400ml, and I can’t recommend it enough. The adjustable, and very ergonomic hand strap meant I could slip it down over my wrist when I needed two hands to open a gel. And being only 400ml, it wasn’t too heavy or uncomfortable to carry.
The race itself unfolded almost perfectly in terms of fueling and hydration. I stuck like glue to my 20mins=1x gel plan, picking up the extra GU gels along the way (1 with caffeine) and refilling my water bottle once. I didn’t have any stomach issues, and my energy and mood felt great. The issue I did come up against was possibly electrolytes, and by mile 18, when a few calf cramps started up, I knew I was probably low on salt (due to the warm temps and humidity causing extra sweating, which I should have planned for – the 440g sodium from the Veloforte gels was not enough) and right on the edge of my physical capability for the day. Despite the minor cramping, I crossed the finish line hand in hand with a teammate from Rising Hearts, clocking 3:06, and couldn’t have been happier.
After the race, I noticed I felt tired and achy, but I did not experience the usual DOMS you might associate with a marathon. I’m sure this was in part due to the amount of carbs I consumed during the race. For some context, after that first marathon in 2008, I couldn’t walk properly for days afterwards and didn’t run another mile for at least two weeks!! Yes, I do think your legs and body build up strength and resilience to marathon running over time, but a runner’s muscles need energy and lots of it, just like a race car needs highly refined gasoline/ petrol. Without it, burn up and break down are never far away.
My main takeaways from this marathon experience:
- Higher levels of carbs during endurance activity can help you have a great day. It takes some time to train your GI system, but it’s worth the effort. It can feel like another thing to do, but when carbs can boost your energy, improve your mental outlook, prevent bonking, and enhance recovery, they are a game-changer. They also enhance your longevity as an athlete – and that’s what we’re all about here at LRC 🙂
- Don’t forget about electrolytes! Sweat rates vary highly from person to person, along with how much salt you lose in that sweat. It’s worth doing a few tests to understand how your body and sweat rate respond to different types of training sessions and different conditions. You can also start with the great, free planner on the Precision Fuel & Hydration website that will give you an idea of how many grams of sodium you might need: TRY THIS BEFORE YOUR NEXT RACE.
- It doesn’t have to be perfect – no one ever gets fueling completely right. Some carbs are always better than none.
A few, quick final thoughts:
- How great that we now live in a world where we have access to all this sports science information and all these amazing tools to keep us in the game of sport for longer and longer!
- The single-use plastic packaging side of sports fuel & hydration is conflicting. Making your own fuel & hydration at home is always an option if you’re trying to limit waste (and save money!). Recycling is also an option, and I try to recycle packaging where and when I can with Terracycle in the US (but again, aiming for progress, not perfection). If you’re in the UK, you can post your Veloforte packaging back to the company for free, and they will recycle it for you!
- Carbohydrates during sport are different from the carbohydrates we consume outside of being active. Ideally, we want to aim for a wide variety of whole grains and unprocessed carbohydrates throughout the day and in our regular meals.
- This blog post didn’t cover pre-race carbo loading and how to use carbohydrates during a regular training week… that’s all for another day!
Thanks so much for reading! If you have any questions about the high-carb effect, or how to improve your own race day fueling, don’t hesitate to reach out here.