Fueling Strategy for a Four-Hour Marathon

How to nutritionally face a marathon in 4 hours

Last year I had the opportunity to write for Crown Sport Nutrition an article on how to nutritionally prepare for a **marathon in 3 hours**. This year, the focus changes for those who wish to complete the **marathon in 4 hours**. If your goal is to run the marathon in this time, I invite you to reread the previous article, as it also offers valuable recommendations for those looking to overcome the challenge of 4 hours.

As sports dietitian-nutritionists, we often focus on the fastest or most visible athletes. However, if we analyze it with perspective, which athletes can we really help the most?

The profiles of those who seek to finish a **marathon in 4 hours** are varied: some are beginners, others do it as a personal challenge or even a 'party' without wanting to suffer too much. Even so, almost everyone shares two concerns:

– Avoid physical problems during preparation.
– Prevent intestinal problems on race day.

Regardless of the level, every runner looking to complete a marathon in 4 hours should:

1. Ensure adequate rest between workouts.
2. Follow an individualized nutritional strategy, adapted to your lifestyle and the intensity of training.
3. Train the digestive system with clear goals, according to your physical condition and running pace.

In consultation, we observed that many runners follow predefined training plans according to their target time, which can imply a different level of effort for each athlete. For one runner, a workout may feel like an effort of 6/10, while for another, the same plan could be a 9/10.

Dietitians-Nutritionists must interpret these differences and adjust nutritional plans and fueling strategies according to the demand of each athlete. This is essential to design an optimal fueling strategy on the day of the marathon.

Proposals for feeding stations for a marathon in 4 hours

Let's outline two supply scenarios according to the level of demand:

1. **Runners with high cardiovascular and metabolic demand**, who push themselves to the maximum within their paces.
2. **Runners who prioritize maintaining the pace**, where the mechanical demand (impact and muscle fatigue) is greater than the metabolic.

In both cases, it is recommended that, two days before the race, runners reinforce their hydration by drinking 1 liter per day of hypotonic drink, prepared by diluting a sachet of Isodrink from Crown Sport Nutrition in 1 liters of water.

First proposal: Supply for high cardiovascular and metabolic demand

In this strategy, runners who are pushed within their running paces will need a nutritional approach suitable for their metabolism. It is important to remember that, even if they train, rest, and eat well, not all athletes metabolize in the same way.

To illustrate it better, let's think about cars. Although we all need fuel and oil for our vehicles, there is a big difference in consumption between a regular car and a race car. In the same way, the most demanding runners have higher energy needs, but as a general rule, they will not need to consume more than 60 grams of carbohydrates per hour. However, some athletes might require more, depending on their individual characteristics.

Supply plan

During the warm-up 15-20´ before the start 1 little bar Energy Gum

Distribution of the 240 g of carbohydrate:

Hydration plan: 80 g of carbs.

Prepare 500 ml of water with 3 scoops of isodrink.

• 500 ml of isotonic drink every 2h of testing. A total of 1 liters of isotonic drink
• Depending on the temperature and humidity, drink water in small sips from the different supply points.

Intake plan: 160 g of carbs

• 45 minutes → 7,9 km → 45 g cho
• 1h 15 minutes → 15,8 km → Energy Gel. 25 g cho
• 2h at 21,1 km → Energy Gum Bar. 22 g cho
• 2h 45´à 29 km → HyperGel 45. 45 g cho
• 3h 30 to 34 km → Energy Gum Bar or Energy Gel. 22 or 25 g cho

We can introduce caffeine with the options of these caffeine products or with caffeine capsules, depending on tolerance and adaptation.

Second proposal. Lower cardiovascular and metabolic demand.

Depending on the athlete and the digestive training that has been carried out, it is possible to decide to implement a more demanding nutritional strategy as could be proposed in the first proposal, or to use a more conservative plan of around 45 g of carbohydrate per hour.

The decision to follow a more conservative fueling plan is based on the “lower” rate of carbohydrate oxidation when running at a more conservative pace and, as we explained in the introduction of the article, many of these athletes take this test in a more playful way.

Supply plan for 45 g of carbohydrate per hour

During the warm-up 15-20´ before the start 1 Energy Gum bar

Distribution of the 180 g of carbohydrate:

Hydration plan: 80 g of carbs.

Prepare 500 ml of water with 3 scoops of isodrink.

• 500 ml of isotonic drink every 2h of testing. A total of 1 liters of isotonic drink
• Depending on the temperature and humidity, drink water in small sips from the different supply points.

Intake plan: 100 g of carbs

• 50 minutes → 8,8 km → Energy Gum Bar. 22 g cho
• 1h 40 minutes → 17,5 km → Energy Gel. 25 g cho
• 2h 30 to 26,4 km → Energy Gum Bar 22 g cho
• 3h 20´à 35,2km →  Energy Gel.  25 g cho

We can introduce caffeine with the options of these caffeine products or with caffeine capsules, depending on tolerance and adaptation.

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AUTHOR

Rubén Cuenca Arce. Graduate in Human Nutrition and Dietetics Col. CV 00482. Degree in Pharmacy.655522767. C/ Torrente, 20 Albal. Health Reg. No. 17813