For water, sure, being out in the sun for 4 hours will require more total fluids even if the relative running intensity is slightly less. But where is the point where extra weight slows you down more than the benefits of optimal hydration?? Well, that depends. I’m any case, your original post was dumb and you should probably just admit you’re mostly wrong. You are correct in that, all else being equal, carrying unneeded weight would slow you down. But what she was carrying was very consistent with sports nutrition recommendations.
No, I was not wrong. I know how much carbs to in take for long events. The absurdity from my post is that for a professional dietician like her with visible abs is that she had to carry such a substantial amount of water and food on her just to complete a marathon when someone with her fitness should be able to run much faster and use the aid tables.
How much water was she carrying? The gels are light, but a couple of pounds or more of water would be a lot of unnecessary weight in a race.
Her hydration backpack looks to be either the 2L or 4L varieties. I would say it is the 4L variety going by how a lots of organizations and papers say to drink 600-1200 mL of fluids per hour and she probably knew she was going to be 4 hours or a bit. So let's say she did the dietician thing and budgeted 1000 mL of fluid per hour between the guidelines. That means she would have at least 4 litres of water in her backpack in addition to what the backpack weighs. 4 litres of water is 4 kg. An empty hydration backpack of that size with bladder will be around 400-500 grams. A honey Stinger gel weighs 32 grams and she was carrying at least 7 of these since she says she dropped one, so that's at least 224 grams just in the gels we see and not any of the backup gels or salt tablets she is carrying. And let's add 200 grams for her phone she is carrying to take her marathon photos. Add this extra weight up, and it is about 5kg, that's 11 pounds of extra weight she is carrying.
Short of wearing a vest, I don’t find it overly outlandish. I think her reasons for doing so we’re out of fear more than need. Dialing in fueling is not an easy task and may take 4-5 marathons or more to get right. I do think running hydration vests are silly for anyone not running an ultra. To me, train without fueling, as you don’t really need it if you’re prepping correctly the day or two before a long run.
I personally am right at a 2:30 marathon and have just as many gels and general drinks along the way as her. Heck I even take some water in too after my sports drink. Granted I don’t usually finish my gels and only take about 2oz of fluid per intake. It’s very easy to get bloated and ruin your race if you take in too much.
I don't see anything in the IG post here that says she was trying to run hard or her hardest. Rather, she was going for solid fueling and no bonk. Seems she accomplished that goal. And 6 gels for a 4-hour run isn't out of the ordinary.
With the water numbers, you're assuming she never refilled the pack. If this is the strength of your logic, it's clear why your first post is getting so much heat. Need more wattage in the lightbulb. And if you cared enough to stalk her IG page, the size of her pack would have been apparent, no guessing necessary.
With the water numbers, you're assuming she never refilled the pack. If this is the strength of your logic, it's clear why your first post is getting so much heat. Need more wattage in the lightbulb. And if you cared enough to stalk her IG page, the size of her pack would have been apparent, no guessing necessary.
This is a marathon, not an ultra. So now you are saying she is carrying the extra weight of water in addition to stopping at aid stations to pour water into the bag? No wonder she is so slow. And I don't care enough to go stalk on IG
A) OP, post a picture of your abs. Let's see how they compare to the middle aged woman you're making fun of.
B) Running 26.2 miles is generally uncomfortable for pretty much everyone. Very few people regularly run that far during a single session in training. Hell, a very small percentage of humanity will even ever run that far at one time. Good on her if easy access to carbs and hydration made covering the distance even slightly less uncomfortable.
How much water was she carrying? The gels are light, but a couple of pounds or more of water would be a lot of unnecessary weight in a race.
Her hydration backpack looks to be either the 2L or 4L varieties. I would say it is the 4L variety going by how a lots of organizations and papers say to drink 600-1200 mL of fluids per hour and she probably knew she was going to be 4 hours or a bit. So let's say she did the dietician thing and budgeted 1000 mL of fluid per hour between the guidelines. That means she would have at least 4 litres of water in her backpack in addition to what the backpack weighs. 4 litres of water is 4 kg. An empty hydration backpack of that size with bladder will be around 400-500 grams. A honey Stinger gel weighs 32 grams and she was carrying at least 7 of these since she says she dropped one, so that's at least 224 grams just in the gels we see and not any of the backup gels or salt tablets she is carrying. And let's add 200 grams for her phone she is carrying to take her marathon photos. Add this extra weight up, and it is about 5kg, that's 11 pounds of extra weight she is carrying.
1 pound = 2 seconds per mile
26 miles *11 *2 = 572 = 9.5 minutes.
Or roughly 4% slower… did she wear next%, if so it’s a net zero.
Honestly I don’t see the big deal. I would advise someone not to run with a hydration pack, but if that is what is they are more comfortable with who cares, especially at that time.
also I don’t get the assumption she could have ran faster, go watch the four hour finishers sometime, they come in all types of body’s. A slim body is a necessary requirement to run really fast, but by no means a sufficient one.
Carrying a water pack and 6 gels is a bit excessive when you can get plenty of nutrition from the aid stations. Seems like she is trying to get attention to build her business, so I get it.
Eat a good carb filled dinner the night before and a bagel with peanut butter for breakfast.
I alternate Gatorade and water every mile and 2 gels during a marathon, typically just under 3 hours. I know it’s nothing special, but not bad in my 40s.
She doesn't hit the wall and feels great at the final stages of the marathon.
If you want to eat, then eat.
If you want to drink, then drink.
That's how you can enjoy feeling strong throughout a very long run and getting the most out of it. The race results don't care how much you eat or don't eat during a run.
Why feel the urge to prove to cocky sub-elites that you can go forever without any food and water?
If she didn't carry so much weight from all that water and food on her back and used the water tables, she would have ran faster. A 4 hour time for someone like her is extremely slow.
But the extra weight should result in extra bounce from her trampoline shoes and possibly a faster time. I plan on carrying a 30-lbs backpack next marathon and just bounce down the street with 30-foot strides.