What to pack on Marathon day

kalamitykate83

Hi all,

I'm just after some advice on what I should expect to need to carry with me on the day of my marathon? I'm doing the london one. I know there'll be water stops, so do I need to take my own water bottle with me as well or is it just a waste of carrying something for the sake of it? Also, with regards to fuelling, what do you recommend and how much / how often etc?

As I'm sure you've guessed this is my first marathon and I'm nervous that on the day I won't have the right 'equipment' with me.

My training has been shocking, but the realism that it's only 7 weeks away has kicked in so training has gone up a much needed gear the last week thank god! Think I've finally found my running mojo! :-)

Thanks all! x

amandamurdaugh

I carry my own water only because I haven't mastered the art of drinking out of a small cup while on the run. If you're someone that takes walk breaks, you can use the water stations as a walk break. In that case, I wouldn't carry any water. As far as fuel, use whatever you have been training with. Do not try anything new on race day. Stick with what you have been doing. Some people don't need anything, others do. I've tried a wide variety of fuels & the only thing that hasn't messed with my stomach is pure honey. I pour a "mouthful" in a baggie & carry it with me. I fuel at miles 12, 17, and 22. Some people do earlier. I tried it at 7 & ended up with cramping by 13. It's all trial & error & what works best for YOU. Good luck. I'm envious of your London marathon!

UrbanRunner81

I took water bottles to my first and didn't use them, so next time I won't take them. I walk through the water station. It takes like 10 seconds and then I continue running, not really a walking break. I do that for most long distance races.

I use honey stingers every hour, like half a packet it each time

I agree don't do anything new the days before or day of marathon. I learned the hard way and I knew better, too. I would eat what you always eat before your long run (even the day before).

ZenInTexas

I did not carry water, shouldn't be necessary with a well supported race. Pinch the top of the paper cup so it doesn't slosh all over and then sip it out of the side. I used Gu for fuel, I like the chocolate flavours. Use whatever fuel you used during training. I got a SPI belt with the little loops so I could easily grab them. I also carried some kleenex (tissue) because my nose runs while running I am not capable of performing a snot rocket. :laugh: But there were actually people along the course handing out kleenex. As well as vaseline, oranges, pretzels, beer, cookies, apples, and I forget what all else. You really don't need to take much and you're not going to want to be lugging all kinds of stuff for 26.2 miles.
As for how much fuel to take, that will depend on how fast you run and on what has worked for you on your long training runs. Look at your course map and see where the aid stations are so you can plan. Take your gels with water, not Gatorade. I believe the "rule" is 60 grams of carbs per hour. I took a Gu every 5 miles, including one before I started. I I then took Gatorade in between. I actually wrote on my arm what miles the stops were at and what I was taking at each one so I wouldn't forget or get confused.

SonicDeathMonkey80

I would go minimal as well, but do your research as any well-coordinated marathon will have everything mapped out ahead of time so you can prepare. If you are a turtle, I would probably bring a bottle/belt since the time between stations is increased, as well as the likelihood of the later stations running out of stuff (happened at an aid station I volunteered at last summer).

I would top off with a 100 calorie, high carb (20ish grams) snack every 45min. Yes, the aid stations might have some promotional crap laid out as well as pretzels and stuff, but if you haven't trained on that stuff you should avoid it.

Good job on finding your mojo - the trick is keeping it after the marathon is over

davemunger

Absolutely no need to pack water unless it is an unusually hot day. I just looked at the course map and they have water stops starting at mile 2, and then nearly every mile thereafter. You will have plenty of opportunities to drink! If it is super hot, you might consider wearing a hydration pack because big races are known to run out of water if the conditions become unexpectedly hot. But if it is normal weather there is no need to carry at all!

At this point you should be figuring out the types of calories you can handle consuming during the race -- Gels are the easiest to eat and carry, and typically you would consume one every 45 minutes. Some people prefer sports drinks, so find out what drinks are provided by the event and try that out to see if you like it (It looks like they gave out Lucozade last year, but I couldn't find out the info for this year).

Otherwise, just make sure you have layers of clothing that you can discard as the temperature warms up. You will be doing a lot of sitting around before the start and you want to stay warm! I like to go to a used clothing store before the race and buy a cheap set of sweats. That way I can just toss them at an aid station where they will be picked up and donated to charity.

Good luck!

SillyC2

You probably shouldn't need to pack water, or really, anything. Though you might want to pack your favorite snacks, if only for comfort.

With packing water, the "plus" here is that you can cruise by most of the aid stations without stopping, and you'll always have it there with you. Some people get really stressed at the aid stations, so carrying water is a huge comfort to those folks. The big downside is that when you need to refill, you're probably going to be pouring paper cups into the bottle.

timeasterday

All good advice above! I can't really add anything because I won't have my first marathon for another 8 months.

But I thought I would share this neat calculator my wife found. It's about "hitting the wall" and refueling. I don't know how accurate it really is but it's interesting.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/5922669/Marathon Wall Calculator.xls

FoxyMcDeadlift

I'd definitely recommend a lot of vaseline, and maybe some blister plasters on your nipples. Chaffing in a marathon can really ruin your week - as others have said, now is the time to start looking at fuelling strategies, and planning what you will wear on the day. I'd recommend trying a "cold" outfit and a "hot" outfit as you cant legislate for the weather - make sure its comfortable, and make sure it doesnt chafe! A lot of the other stuff isnt too important, there will be plenty of water and treats etc in the crowd.

RunFarLiveHappy

Absolutely have nailed down what you will wear on race day down to your underpants. Anything that would be a small irritation on a regular day will become a major pain after 26.2 miles. Unless you can find info about exactly what sports drink or fuel the race is provided and train with that I would say bring your own. Water specifically I think has been addressed for and against so you'll decide what makes you more comfortable. It's been said and always bears repeating... NOTHING NEW ON RACE DAY! Good luck! Enjoy it!

kalamitykate83

Thank you so much everyone for your tips! :-)

Over the next few weeks I am going to test out what I feel ok eating / drinking etc.

Clothes wise, I have no idea! I'm really hoping and praying it doesn't rain!! :-( I'm going to wear my running leggings which I love and are so comfortable, top wise I'm planning on wearing just a vest but with a running jacket on top which I can just chuck if / when I become too hot as it's a cheap one!

Arghhhhhhhhhhhh 6 weeks to go, starting to get very nervous now!!

x

rduhlir

I haven't done a marathon yet, but I learned from my HM to carry a few bandaids or pre-cut mole skin just incase you feel a blister starting. And if you can get the body glide samples (the little tiny bottles), stock up on them and put one or two in your race belt incase you need to apply more mid race.

kalamitykate83

Yeah I need to buy some plasters and also some nipple protectors!! :-( don't fancy having blisters on them!! Haha

With regards to training, I've been doing alot of mine on the treadmil purely due to the recent weather ... do you think this is okay!? I will try to get outside as much as I can over the next 6 weeks but as long as I'm training, surely treadmil is ok too? I have the incline on 0.5 - 1 so it reflects outside running as I've read that's what you should do.

x