The Food Chain What to eat to run a marathon
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Mar 19, 2026 
Paula Radcliffe, legendary marathoner with decades of race experience; Steve Cram, former world champion turned coach; Valentijn Trouw, performance director for an elite running team. They discuss in-race fueling choices like gels and drinks. They cover carb-loading, practiced race breakfasts, avoiding new foods on race day, hydration and simple fueling plans for training and race morning.
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Prioritise Training Over Gear
- Do prioritise training first, then nutrition and equipment to perform well on race day.
- Paula Radcliffe and Steve Cram agree super training matters most, with shoes and fuelling secondary but still essential to finish strong.
Use Gels Or Liquid Carbs Midrace
- Do use gels or carbohydrate drinks during a marathon rather than solid food for quick absorption.
- Paula, Steve and Valentijn say elites struggle to eat real food mid-race, so prefer gels or liquid carbs practiced in training.
Muscle Glycogen Limits You To About 20 Miles
- Insight: Glycogen stores limit marathon performance to roughly 20 miles without refuelling.
- Paula explains glycogen sits in muscle, needs water to load, and midrace fuel keeps muscles topped up to sustain pace.