Almgren's 1:01:57 second half, and the carb fight
Tim Noakes says he watched New York and was not convinced the pros swallowed the carbs they claim. A coach fired back with gel counts. Meanwhile Almgren's second half in New York was 1:01:57.
Races and results
Almgren's New York win looks bigger: 1:01:57 second half
Andreas Almgren's marathon debut win reads better a week on, with a 1:01:57 second half inside his 2:06:01, David Monti says. He covered the final 1.2 miles in 5:21 to open 13 seconds on Yeman Crippa. LetsRun points out African-born men had won 111 of the last 113 World Marathon Majors before Sunday.
I thought I had a shot of winning this, but I didn’t want to make any moves myself.
Samuel runs 59:49 event record at Boston Half
Habtom Samuel ran an event record 59:49 at the Boston Half, powering away late, David Monti says. In the women's race Fentaye Belayneh kicked past Winfred Mbithe by two seconds to win in 69:14. CITIUS MAG notes Belayneh has also won the Houston Half and finished fifth at the NYC Half this year, between track races.
Eckert's 636-mile six-day record now has a fueling plan attached
Meg Eckert's 636 miles in six days, the women's world record and the outright American record, came with ordinary meals and modest carb numbers. On Zach Bitter's podcast she described breakfast, lunch, dinner and a substantial midnight snack, plus gels at roughly 45 grams of carbs an hour, two to four hours of sleep a day in short bouts, and three pairs of Altra R1s.
Javelina 100 reads as a patience race once the splits land
Neither Javelina 100 Mile winner led at the start of the final loop, and Rob Molke closed late to take the men's title. Zach Bitter and Jeff Garmire put the men's top five inside about 15 minutes, the women's first two 55 seconds apart, and all five top women over 40. Storms, mud and 70 to 80 percent humidity punished the usual fast start.
you forget you're 40 miles into a 100-mile race—like, you're not going to feel good
How they train
Noakes doubts elite carb claims, a coach answers with gel counts
Tim Noakes says he is not convinced elite runners actually take in the carbs they say they do, after posting an AI summary claiming Almgren planned about 120 grams an hour at New York on Maurten drink mix, caffeine gels and bicarb (sodium bicarbonate, taken to buffer acid).
How do I verify what was taken? I ask my athletes... and they tell me what was missed/taken
Frequently asked questions
What makes Andreas Almgren's marathon debut win impressive?
Almgren ran a negative split (running the second half faster than the first), completing the final 1.2 miles in 5:21 to win in 2:06:01 without a pacemaker. This matters because negative splits on that course typically indicate a strong marathoner rather than just a fast finishing kick.
How much should ultra runners fuel during a six-day race?
Meg Eckert's women's world record fueling strategy used about 45 grams of carbs per hour through gels, plus regular meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner and a midnight snack). This is roughly half what marathoners typically aim for because six-day races are limited more by digestion and sleep than by fuel availability.
What happened at the Javelina 100 Mile race?
Rob Molke won the men's race and Zach Bitter and Jeff Garmire finished in the top five, while neither race leader at the start of the final loop ended up winning. Storms, mud and high humidity made it a patience race where success came to those willing to run conservatively in the middle miles.
How much carbs do elite marathon runners actually consume during races?
Tim Noakes questioned whether elite runners actually take in the carbs they claim to, noting that stated nutrition plans are not publicly verified with actual measurements during races. The debate centers on whether athletes consume planned amounts like 120 grams per hour in practice.