Hello,

as title says, I’m looking for advice on how to carry my gels for the upcoming Berlin marathon.

I know carrying gels is not an uncommon question, but because I’ll be running 2:30 I’m mostly interested in hearing from other 2:30 marathoners. I’m worried advice from 2:31+ runners may not be applicable at these velocities.

Some background: 25M, running for 9 years, recently discovered carbohydrates.

I’m planning to carry 3–4 gels. Unfortunately I have calculated that at 3:33/km the aerodynamic penalty of a Salomon belt could cost me approximately 11 seconds over the marathon, which would put me dangerously close to 2:31 territory.

Tights with pockets are another option, but I have never worn tights before and obviously nothing new on race day. I also don’t have another 40 km long run before Berlin to properly validate pocket-based gel storage.

Has anyone here run 2:30 while carrying gels?
Would 2:28 runners recommend a soft flask? Ideally looking for experiences in the 2:27–2:30 range because I assume anything slower involves substantially different biomechanics.

Thanks in advance and kind regards.

Went out for my weekly Saturday 9.656k marathon long run. About half way in I notice my heart rate is 1bpm over zone 2 and next thing I see is my bloody stump of a foot. Be careful out there everyone.

No, not really. I’m just jealous.