For the Osaka Marathon, I selected Precision Fuel and Hydration’s PF 90 as my primary source of carbohydrates and complemented with Maurten Gel 100 and 32GI Guarana Caffeine shot.
I consumed six Maurten Gel 100 for my B marathon in December and shared some of my favorite gels for this distance. They’ve all worked well for me, but I decided to make a new fueling plan. I will get into the reasons below.
My game plan
I had to take into consideration three new elements:
1. First marathon outside of Taiwan
I had to be prepared for the night before, breakfast, and pre-race. Find options similar to what I usually eat to ensure I don’t give my stomach a shock.
Although there were inconveniences traveling to a foreign location, I focused on controlling what I could control and enjoyed the many new experiences. It doesn’t matter where you are. Running is just running, after all.
2. It was my coldest marathon, around 4-8 degrees Celsius
I wore gloves the entire race, making grabbing energy gels from my compression belt and tearing them open more tricky.
It was also quite cold at the Taipei Marathon in December. I wore gloves for that race and discovered that I didn’t have the finger dexterity to smoothly open six energy gels. I had to simply the fueling process for Osaka.
3. It was the biggest marathon I’ve ever participated in, with over 30,000 runners
Japanese road races are well organized but known for long waits in the pens. To get a good spot up front, many Japanese runners start queuing more than an hour before start time.
For such a big event, I had to stand and wait for much longer than I was used to. Warmup was almost pointless, especially in such cold weather. Muscles and joints were going to be stiff regardless. I had to find ways to stay warm and keep my energy level up.
My gel selections and reasons:
These are my energy gel selections based on the second and third concerns.
2 x Precision Fuel and Hydration’s PF 90 Gel.
It is a simple and convenient fuel. The goal is to deliver 90 g of carbohydrates. It does exactly that—no other macro- or micro-nutrients, just straight-up glucose and fructose. (Read our full review)
Two packs provide 180 g of carbohydrates, equivalent to 7-8 standard gels (a typical GU energy gel, for example, contains 20-25 g of carbohydrates). Just two jumbo gels, fewer items to keep track of, and perfect for my gloved fingers.
The energy gel comes in a resealable design perfect for “micro-dosing,” allowing me to sip the gel instead of overwhelming the digestive system with a whole sachet all at once. I also purchased the reusable Bite Valve, so I don’t have to unscrew and screw whenever I take a sip.
1 x 32GI Guarana Caffeine Shot an hour before the race.
It provides 60 mg of caffeine per 4.5 g pack. Pure liquid guarana is the caffeine source instead of coffee. Guarana is maybe less sensitive to the stomach. The shot also contains 13 calories and 3.3 g of carbohydrates, of which 2.3g is sugar, mostly from brown rice syrup. It was a long wait, so I took caffeine to stay alert. (Read our full review)
1 x Maurten Gel 100 20 minutes before the gun.
It’s a 40 g energy gel with 100 calories and 25 g of carbohydrates at a 1:0.8 glucose-to-fructose ratio. The company claims that the carbohydrates are encapsulated in a hydrogel, which can bypass the stomach to the intestines and can be absorbed faster without causing gastrointestinal distress. The gel also provides 35 mg of sodium and 21.6 mg of calcium. It’s mildly sweet with a unique consistency similar to jello that’s not quite completely set. (Read full review)
I wasn’t too worried about hydration since it was a cold day. I’m not a heavy sweater, to begin with, so water provided by the organizer along the course did the job.
Total fuel:
833 calories
208 g of carbohydrates