Energy Gel Marathon

by Marco Wendt, Answer by Marius
(Oslo, Norway)

A energy gel marathon question : Is energy gels an alternative/supplement to drinking during a marathon ?

"Hi Marius, what is your opinion on "energy gels" during training/race? Is this an alternative to some cups of marathon drink by means of energy-provision? I think 15-20 cups is a lot..

Greets Marco"

Answer: Yes, you can certainly experiment with this. My personal experience is that energy gels are harder on the stomach, especially if you are already tired as with the end of a marathon race. Therefore, if you want to go for the gels then you absolutely have to practice this beforehand !

I suggest that you try and copy your aimed regime for the longer runs the last 3-5 weeks before a marathon. Maybe even "over-do-it" on some of these. I know that 15-20 cups type sounds like a lot but so is 42.195 km at full speed ;) Fact is, though, if you practice drinking systematically/energy gels the last weeks before the marathon this will be no problem at all. You'll be surprised how fine tuned your system will be and adjusted to this kind of amounth.

Good luck !

Kind regards,
Marius

Back from Energy Gel Marathon to Marathon Training Schedule

I'm often asked what shoes I personally recommend to help stay injury free while running (on the 100 day plan) so I'll add a little bit about it at the end of these Q and A's.

Good shoes are crucial if you want to stay injury free during your marathon journey. In general, the best is to find a shoe that fits your feet according to your foot type.

However, these three shoes will do an excellent job with their mild correction - and will work for most runners :

The most sold running shoes ever - and by every model seems to get better and better. About the same weight as the Kayano but the fit is a little bit different.

The 2150 is a great alternative for the faster work you'll be doing in the 100 day plan. It is one of the few shoes that "feels" like a lightweight one but at the same time has more than enough stabilty to prevent injuries with the marathon type length of some of the interval sessions.

A tips for international (non-US) runners : check out roadrunnerssports.com : Example : Asics Kayano (RoadRunnerssports) they ship worldwide and it can really save you some money on your shoes.