Ahead of the Berlin Marathon 2024, here is a quick run down of what gear and tech I wore / use during the race and my race day fuelling.

Those who have been around for a while and seen previous xxx Marathon Gear posts will see that the vast majority of things on here are the same, especially on the nutrition side. That’s the whole point, right? we find what works well, what feels good, what makes race day feel more enjoyable and we stick to it.

Nutrition:

With travelling aboard to race in Germany, I didn’t want to chance the hotel not having something I like or that I have tried and tested for breakfast. So for any race where I am travelling, whether that is to Hawaii, mainland US, Tokyo or even in the UK I always take my own breakfast and race fuel so I know I have something that I have used before and something that works well for me.

Why spend 12, 14, 16 or 20 weeks training and working so hard to get into the best possible shape for race day only to leave your breakfast to chance? Why risk trying some random German sausage for breakfast that spoils the whole race for you.

Pre Race:

I have always travelled with two (occasionally three) pots of porridge oats. Just add hot water, give them a stir and wait a few mins and you’re good to go. Porridge Oats are a runners staple, good amount of carbs to top up what you have been gradually building up throughout the week.

Back in Boston 2024 and London 2024 I replaced the morning coffee with a 500ml bottle mixed up with the Maurten Drink Mix 320 CAF 100 to drink with my breakfast, plenty of carbs again and a hit of caffeine to walk the mind.

I also introduced refilling that 500ml bottle with a Maurten Drink Mix 320 to take with me to the start and sip on between breakfast and 45mins before race start… carbs! and I take a Maurten solid 160 to munch on once I am at the start area as well.

The addition of the Maurten drink and solid is new and seemed to work well in London when I ran a PB, I am still unsure whether it really helped much in Boston given the issues I had with dehydration and exhaustion post race there. I don’t think the Maurten negatively impacted that race so I am racing with this same fuelling strategy in Berlin.

Race:

To fuel me during the run I will carry an 800ml bottle which is filled with Science in Sport Go Electrolyte mix. This is a change to other races where I carried a 500ml bottle. I have increased the size to 800ml and reduce the reliance on the on-course water or sports drink. This is 100% in reaction to the issues experienced in Boston this year, that was weather specific but better to carry more than not have enough.

Gel wise I am making a change to passed races and going slightly against the general sound advice of not changing race fuelling up a few weeks before race day or trying anything new on race day.

So I used to carry 6 x Science in Sport Beta Fuel + Nootropics gels to fuel my long runs and races. Basically a gel every 30mins through to run/race end. Someone I follow on Instagram posted a story where she had brought those same gels for that same person but unlike me, she had read the small print on the back of the gel saying not to exceed the recommended daily consumption of 1 gel per day. Over the last 18 months I had been taking 5 gels during a 3hr marathon, 5 times the recommended daily consumption.

Clearly that hadn’t had any major impacts on my races with running 2 PBs in 3 races but I opted to swap out all but one of the Nootropic gels for the “regular” BetaFuel gels. I made that decision 3 weeks before race with only 1 long run to practise.

This was a slight risk but a calculated risk. I had used the Orange flavoured BetaFuel gels in 2022 in the Paris Marathon and New York City Marathon as well as Challenge Roth and the Ironman World Championship so I know they work and sit well, its just been a few years and back then I had trained with those gels and got used to it.

Plan was Orange gel at mile 4, 8, 12 and 20 (I forgot mile 24 but no biggie) and the Lemon & Lime Nootropic gel at mile 16 to focus the mind on the last 10 miles.

Race Day Gear:

Moving onto the race day gear and we’ll go from he bottom up.

New shoes for this race, note, I have used this in some of the tempo and threshold sessions during the training block to break them in before race day. In Boston & London 2023 I ran in the black Nike Vaporfly Next% 2 which resulted in a PB in London but also left me with no big toe nail. I stupidly ran Boston 2024 in those same shoes and same result, the big toe nail which had literally taken the full year to grow back was once again removed. I learnt my lesson in London 2024 and swapped back to my old Nike Vaporfly Next% 1 and ran a PB.

For the Autumn marathons I went for the Nike Vaporfly Next% 3 and went a half size up on the Next% 2 which caused all the issues with the big toe. Both the Next% 1 and Next% 3 are one full size up on my normal shoes, the Next% 2 were a half size up so I suspect that was the issue as the feet swelled over the marathon distance, the big toe took the brunt of the pounding the pavement.

Quick post race update: It was a great choice going the full size up, the Next% 3 felt great throughout the race, no foot pain, no black toe nails and all intact.

Moving up slightly I ran in the Lululemon ankle length run socks, very bright green to match the shorts and watch strap. I brought these socks for the New York City Marathon 2022 and really like them, I have raced in them a few times since. A good snug fit but soft breathable material.

Another new item for Berlin are the shorts, I have gone for the Gymshark 5″ Speed shorts in flou green. I have raced and trained in Gymshark running shorts for a couple of years, I really like the fit and pockets. The Speed Run shorts have two zipped side pockets which I will put two of the SiS BetaFuel gels in each during the race. In training, I ran 20 miles in very heavy rain wearing these shorts with my phone in one of the pockets and the phone rubbed on my thigh causing really bad and deep chaffing. Even now, 3 weeks on it still hasn’t healed, so much so I am not sure whether I will even put 2 gels in that side on race day. Race day update: I did run with 2 gels in that pocket, no major issues so it must have been the phone being bulky and the wet shorts which caused the issue in training.

Not pictured here is the Flip Belt, I wore that during the race with my phone and 2 more gels in there.

On the write, the all important Garmin Forerunner 935 watch, strap swapped over to the green strap to match the shorts and socks.

To give some contrast to the brightness of the lower body, the upper body is black. Another new item, actually just realising how much of this gear is new for this race having started this post off saying that the majority of this stuff is the same as previous races.

The race day singlet this time is the Nike AeroSwift Dri-FIT ADV Running Vest, same as the orange one I wore in Boston & London 2023 and London 2024 but in black. I like the contrast the black and illumines green.

Sunglasses I went back to the Oakley Jawbreaker Cavendish Edition. I swapped back to these in London having not raced a marathon in them for years. No really reason but I like to race in sunglasses as the race photos always look better when you can’t see me looking away or at the floor. It’s all in the details.

Again, not pictured is the Nike Dri-FIT ADV fit Unstructured Reflective Design Cap, bit of a mouthful! this is my go to cap, which I have raced in since 2018, it has seen many highs and the lows too, it keeps the rain out of my eyes (or off the glasses), occasionally keeps the sun out of my eyes or more often I wear it backwards so it keeps the sun off my neck.

So that is what I wore and ate during the 2024 Berlin Marathon.