Marathon Nutrition Guide

At Active Root, we're committed to delivering delicious, natural, eco-friendly, ginger based sports nutrition.

Our sports drinks and energy gels are crafted to help improve your performance, and all our products are suitable for vegetarian, vegan, gluten and dairy free diets.

We only use simple, high quality natural ingredients which help to maintain a settled stomach, providing more predictable results and avoiding the dreaded gut bomb!

All our products contain the optimal amount of ginger to keep your stomach settled and help prevent nausea and bloating.

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The golden rule when it comes to nutrition is 'try before race day', multiple times if you can.

That way you can tweak it to your own personal needs.

Below is more information about our suggested nutrition options and how to use them:

Sports Drink: Active Root Sports Drink Mix is made with high gingerol compound ginger, slow-burning cane sugar, and replenishing sea salt.

This carefully crafted blend provides sustained energy and optimal hydration. Packed with natural dried ginger, it also helps alleviate gastrointestinal stress and reduces nausea. Depending on strength, each sachet makes 500-700ml of sports drink. Simply pour your sachet into 500-700ml of water and shake, adjusting the amount of water to taste.

ElectroLite: A healthier hydration source for an active lifestyle. Containing root ginger, unrefined sea salt and just 33 calories, ElectroLite delivers healthier hydration as well as reducing nausea and bloating.

Per 9g serving (mixed with 500ml of water), ElectroLite contains only natural ingredients, including:

  • 400mg of sea salt (800mg of sea salt in ElectroLite+)
  • Ginger, the same amount as in our Sports Drinks
  • 7g of cane sugar - natural sweetener stevia.

Depending on strength, each sachet makes 500-700ml of sports drink. Simply pour your sachet into 500-700ml of water and shake, adjusting the amount of water to taste.

Gel Mix: Gel Mix comes as a powder that you mix with water in a Soft Flask, which then turns into a Gel, getting rid of the need for sticky single use gel packets, and also allows you to control the amount of fuel you take on.

One soft flask holds between 1 to 4 gel mix servings, so it's also easier to carry your fuel.

Per 25g serving (mixed with 25ml of water) our Gel Mix contains only natural ingredients, including:

  • 24g of cane sugar (carbohydrate)
  • Ginger, the same amount as in our Sports Drinks
  • 100mg of sea salt
  • Maize starch and citrus.

A big problem with standard gels is that you have to consume the whole 25g of carbohydrate in one, causing a spike in your blood sugar levels.

By drinking from a reusable Soft Flask, you can consume more gradually keeping your blood sugar levels steady.

You can also make the gel to your preferred consistency by adding more or less water:

  1. Simply add your Gel Mix powder into your soft flask and add water to mix.
  2. Add 1 scoop of Gel Mix powder + 1 scoop of water = 1 thin consistency Gel Mix serving.
  3. This ratio gives you 25g carbs & 98kcal. Allowing you control how many carbohydrates and calories your gel gives you.

Each serving makes up the equivalent of 1 standard single use gel (we recommend adding 3 gels servings to your soft flask before filling the rest of the soft flask with water).

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  • Active Root's Marathon Nutrition Essentials

    You need around 60g of carbs per hour for a steady rate of exercise. If you’re looking for both fuel and hydration then we would recommend a mix of Sports Drinks and Gel Mix.

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  • Marathon Runner's Guide to Avoiding GI Discomfort

    We use natural root ginger in all our nutrition products. Ginger is scientifically proven to help prevent bloating, nausea and stomach discomfort during exercise.

    READ NOW 

  • Marathon Nutrition FAQs: Your Guide to Ginger's Benefits with Active Root

    Ginger is the bedrock DNA of Active Root Sports Nutrition. Ginger contains unique gingerol compounds which interact with the stomach and help keep your digestion feeling normal.

    READ NOW 

Marathon: FAQs

What Active Root Should I Use Before A Marathon?

We would suggest consuming a sachet of ElectroLite low calorie hydration drink each day for two days prior to your marathon. Mix one sachet with water in your Active Root 500ml bottle.

We would also advise one sachet of Sports Drink on the day prior to the marathon, and one on the morning of, to ensure optimal hydration before the big event!

How much Active Root should I consume during a marathon?

You should be consuming between 60-80g of carbs per hour during steady exercise e.g. a marathon. We recommend using two 170ml soft flasks which will be 3 servings per flask. This not only means that you don't have to carry and throw away multiple gels, but you can also decide how thick or runny you want your gel to be. Furthermore, you can also sip your gel more gradually rather than having to take it in one meaning less chance of those blood sugar spikes.
Tip: for marathons abroad, make sure you're ready for any additional heat! Take some spare ElectroLite+ sachets just in case you need more salt.

When And How Often Should I Eat / Drink?

You should aim to consume a small amount at regular, frequent intervals, e.g. every 20 minutes. This is to maintain a steady energy supply and prevent blood sugar peaks and crashes.
Steady fuelling is especially important from 1/2 way onwards. A lot of people suffer from the dreaded wall at 20 miles which is often when your glycogen (energy stores) are completely depleted. It is easy to make the mistake of not eating between 15 - 18 miles because you feel good, but then quickly begin to suffer in the miles after. So keep fuelling to prevent this, even when you're feeling good!
Top tip: use the 20min fuel intervals as a way to count through your marathon. E.g. if you're going for 4x hours, that's 12x fuel intervals.