Five Maurten Gels During a Marathon

5 seems like a bit much for a marathon if you are running 2:50. I would take one around mile 10 to 12 and another at mile 17 or 18 and then have one more on hand if I bonked bad. I don't think you'll have a problem if you take 5 although that would be a fair amount of caffeine if they have the caffeinated versions on hand

five maurten gels during the marathon sounds like a great plan - plus you'll only need to carry 2 gels with you. do it!

i had 7 during mine, but then again i didn't go sub-3...

Are you mixing the gels and the caf gels?

Maurten are good because you can take them without water and not have a grimy residue in your mouth.

I think you'd be better off having one before the start then one around 7, so you're only carrying one. Then take two at the last point, take one straight away and keep one up your sleeve for before mile 24 for a final push if you need it otherwise toss it.

I’m running that race as well. I’ve been training with a gel every 35-40 minutes and my body has responded well to that. I am aiming for 2:40-2:45. Everyone is different, so best to try it during long runs and see what works best for you.

Those aid spots are perfect, before and after the hills, and the crowd is thins out so odds of missing them is slim.

Not sure about mile 4. You might want one after mile 21, all placebo, but still very satisfying and distracting

I'm planning on 5 maurten gels as well. I might take a sixth just to have at mile 24 - there's no physical benefit at that point but studies show that even swishing a little energy drink around your mouth gives you a boost.

Practice with them on a long run. I take maurten gels over the course of a mile rather than all at once because of the consistency

I took 6 Maurtens my last marathon, at miles 4, 8, 12, 16, 19, and 22, and negative split a 2:37. The first 4 were regular, the last 2 with caffeine. Those were in addition to breakfast and some Maurten drink before the race.

Although you can get them down without water much more easily than regular gels, I learned on a practice run that my stomach cramped without any water at all. So during the race I made sure to take the Maurtens as I approached a water station.

It depends on if you've trained with them and how your gut reacted when you did, more than anything else. 5 is on the high side, but not unreasonable, and it is really up to you and your needs.

For me, I find that a single gel is plenty for me in a half marathon if I'm well fuelled beforehand, and I don't take it all at once - maybe 3 sips at 12km, 15km, 18km.

In a marathon, I'd take half a gel approx every 5km from the 10k mark. It is good to take in fuel early, but I found this has been early enough for me, again depending on how well-fuelled I am. So in a marathon 4 full gels - but not a full gel at once. I found that my stomach preferred that and processed it easier. I have never had any GI issues in any race.

5 gels with a full gel taken at one go would feel a lot to me, but go with what you've trained on. You'll know for certain then, by experience.

A good plan to have at least 1 on your person though - you never know. Tables can be poorly stocked, you can miss one, etc.

In my opinion if your stomach can handle it then take more than 5 gels.

This is what I did for my last marathon:

2 gels about 20 minutes before the race

Mile 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21 alternating between caffeinated and non caffeinated.

Maurten suggests u take a gel every 6k

I think that would be fine, just be careful not to have too many caffeinated gels. The Maurten gels I've had were 100 mg caffeine, which is a lot if you have a couple (also you really taste the caffeine, which is nasty).

SummerOfGeorge wrote:

I’m running that race as well. I’ve been training with a gel every 35-40 minutes and my body has responded well to that. I am aiming for 2:40-2:45. Everyone is different, so best to try it during long runs and see what works best for you.

I second this, one before you start and then each 35/40mins until you finish

I can't believe you guys eat so much. Can you really digest that crap while running at MP? I can't. A half gel at 5 and 10, half a shot block at 15, and water is all I can handle and all I need. Multiple negative splits on this.

I would say the biggest variable is what have you actually practiced in training. Hopefully, you've been using 4 gels on your longest long runs.

I would normally say 5, 9, 14, 18 and 22 for gels for someone running 2:50 pace, so your plan is not far off and should be fine. Carbo load (a little extra carbs at every meal) for the 3 days prior and sprinkle extra salt on your food and drink some electrolytes to make sure you are hyper-hydrated. Eat a decent size breakfast and some electrolytes again.

I am planning on 5 Maurten gels at Boston, running a similar pace. I'll take one every 5 miles, with the last one being optional, or I'll just take a small taste. Alternate CAF / No CAF.

I do practice a similar routine on long runs.

Are Maurtens somehow preferable to the typical GU or Clif Shot style you usually see at aid stations? I guess they are a little easier to get down without a drink to chase it. The science in sport ones are a lot easier since they are more liquid based, but I don’t see those around as much.

Exactly. Seems what people are missing is that it's Maurten gels which are engineered to be digestible at much higher consumption volume than standard gels, thus why they are better. If you are taking them as you would a Gu or any other gel then you're doing it incorrectly. I haven't been able to actually test this because I took one once and then got injured so maybe they just cause injury.

My last and best marathon I took a gel before the race and then every 5km starting from km 12 until km 37 iirc.

I felt really great, and it didn’t bother me at all. It was science in sport gels though, I can’t have Maurten as it really unsettles my stomach.

DietBacon wrote:

My last and best marathon I took a gel before the race and then every 5km starting from km 12 until km 37 iirc.

I felt really great, and it didn’t bother me at all. It was science in sport gels though, I can’t have Maurten as it really unsettles my stomach.

To add to this, half were caffeinated and half weren’t. And I wouldn’t trust the race to provide me with anything but water, I’m taking my own gels.