Covering 42.2 km pushes your glycogen stores and mental focus to the limit. The right nutrition strategy helps you avoid the dreaded wall entirely. Through smart fuelling, you can maintain performance by giving your body exactly what it needs, when it needs it.

Most runners benefit from starting early rather than waiting until fatigue sets in. Taking your first gel around 30–45 minutes in helps maintain blood glucose levels and keeps energy steady, making it easier to hold your target pace deep into the race.

Crossing the finish line is just the beginning of recovery. To kickstart muscle repair and replenish what you’ve lost, aim for 20–30g of protein plus 500–1,000mg electrolytes soon after finishing.

While pacing and training matter, fuelling plays a huge role. Regular carbohydrate intake during the race helps slow glycogen depletion — one of the main causes of hitting the wall. Nutrition is your insurance policy against late-race fatigue.

Race-day nutrition is only part of the bigger picture. How you fuel before and after a marathon makes a huge difference to your training and recovery.

For everyday support, explore our Protein Guide to find the right protein for your goals, and try our Goal Selector to build a supplement routine tailored to you.