Mario Fraioli's scorecard
Boston Marathon
Monday 17th April, 2023
Within recommended ranges
Just outside recommended ranges
Significantly outside recommended ranges
82g
Carb per hour
390mg
Sodium per hour
608ml
Fluid per hour
641mg/L
Relative sodium concentration
0mg
Total caffeine
How Mario hit those numbers
500ml x PH 500 (tablet)
500ml x PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix
1 x English Muffin with Almond Butter
1.5 x Cups of Black Coffee
1 x Banana
1 x PF 30 Chews
1L x PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix
4 x PF 30 Gel
560ml x Plain water
How Mario's hydration and fueling went...
- Mario is a California based running coach, writer and host of the Morning Shakeout Podcast. He made his 6th appearance at the Boston Marathon in 2023 and his past experience of the race helped him recognise early on that the conditions meant that it wasn't going to be a sub-2:30 day, so he focused on his pacing
- His efforts on the day resulted in him running a time of 2:34:16 and he felt that this was his most evenly paced performance at Boston yet (1:16:43 / 1:17:31), whilst feeling that his fueling strategy was "on point" as he consumed more carbohydrate and fluid than he'd ever previously achieved in a marathon
Hydration
- Mario consumed electrolytes in his drinks both the night before and morning of the race in the form of PH 500 tablets, which would have helped him avoid starting the race significantly dehydrated. In future, to ensure he starts optimally hydrated, we’d recommend an even stronger electrolyte drink such as the PH 1500
- Mario started the race with a 500ml Soft flask containing PF 60 Drink Mix, which he drank by Mile 4. He picked another of these up around Mile 16, but again finished it quickly and felt like he could have benefited from a third serving
- Alongside seven cups of water from aid stations, this fluid intake resulted in Mario averaging ~608ml (21oz) per hour, with a relative sodium concentration of ~641mg of sodium per litre (mg/32oz)
- Mario did feel the need to pee from Mile 10 to Mile 14 before the feeling subsided. One way he could have reduced the likelihood of this feeling occurring is to increase the sodium concentration of his drinks so that it more closely matches his sweat sodium concentration - we know from his Sweat Test that Mario loses 962mg of sodium per litre of sweat (mg/32oz). Sodium plays a key role in helping the body retain fluid, so he could consider carrying Electrolyte Capsules in future races to help increase his sodium intake so that his intake more closely matches the amount of sodium he loses in his sweat
Fueling
Quick Carb Calculator Recommendation
30g
carb 30 mins before
60-90g
carb per hour during
- Mario carb loaded leading into this event, whilst reducing the amount of fibre in his food the evening before and morning of the race to help avoid gastrointestinal issues on the day
- He finished his pre-fueling 20 minutes before race start with a PF 30 Chew. This tactically timed final dose of 30g of carb will have caused his blood glucose to rise in time for increased demand at the muscles, resulting in his stored glucose (glycogen) being spared so he could utilise it later on
- During the marathon, Mario took on ~60g of carbohydrate from PF 60 Drink Mix in his Soft flasks and another 120g via PF 30 Gels. This meant he averaged ~82g of carb per hour, providing him with an additional ~328 kcal of energy to use every hour.
- For context, the most Mario has ever fueled previously was when he managed a total intake of 460 kcal (~115g of carb across the whole 26.2 miles) during the California International Marathon, in 2018
- While 82g per hour is more carb than most marathon runners consume, it actually sits just below the Fuel & Hydration Planner’s recommendation of 90g/h for an event of this duration and relative intensity, based on the most recent scientific literature
- Mario didn’t take any caffeine on board during his race, but he did have one-and-a-half cups of black coffee during the morning of the race which would have contributed to his enhanced focus and reduced perceived effort due to the ‘long half life’ of caffeine
- Typically a black coffee contains ~100mg of caffeine, meaning he would have taken on board 150mg total. To optimise his caffeine intake in future races, he could have benefitted from an additional boost to get his total intake up within the general 3-6mg per kilo of bodyweight recommendations
- An easy and effective change to his current fueling plan in order to achieve this, would be to swap two of his PF 30 Gels for PF 30 Caffeine Gels
Conclusions
- Mario was delighted to finish his 6th Boston Marathon in a time of 2:34:16 and he reaped the benefits of practicing his fueling strategy in training, which meant he fueled his race day with more carb than ever before
- Looking to future races, Mario may want to consider adding caffeine to his race-day plan, as well as using Electrolyte Capsules alongside the plain water he drank to increase the relative sodium concentration of his intake, which in turn may help reduce the urge to pee
Key info
Mario Fraioli
Male
Sweat sodium concentration
962mg/L
Sweat sodium classification
Moderate
* determined by a PH Advanced Sweat Test
Result
Overall Time
2:34:14
Event information
Sport
Running
Discipline
Marathon
Event
Boston Marathon
Location
Boston, USA
Date
17th April, 2023
Website
Total Distance
42.2km / 26.2mi
Total Elevation
271m / 889ft
Race conditions
Weather Conditions
Mild
Precipitation
Rain
Min Temp
8°C / 46°F
Max Temp
12°C / 54°F
Avg Temp
9°C / 48°F
Humidity
50%
Athlete feedback
Race Satisfaction
9/10
Hydration rating
8/10
The bottles of PF60 drink mix were game-changers. I wish I coud have had another one
Energy levels
9/10
I felt tremendous through the hills and afterward, better than any other time at Boston
Toilet stops
No
I felt like I needed to use a porta potty between miles 10-14, but luckily that feeling passed
GI comfort
9/10
Cramping
No cramping
Mario's Thoughts
I realised early on that going sub-2:30 wasn't on the cards, but I'm happy with how I managed my emotions, pacing, and nutrition.
Mario's full stats
| Carbohydrate (g) | Sodium (mg) | Fluid (ml) | Caffeine (mg) | Relative sodium concentration (mg/L) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | |||||
| Total intake | 210 | 1,000 | 1,560 | 0 | 641 |
| Per hour | 82 | 390 | 608 | 0 | |
Data Confidence
1
2
3
4
5
There is an adequate level of accuracy in the data collected and the numbers reported. The athlete manages to recall what they ate and drank including most specifics (brands flavours quantities plausible estimations of volumes). However there are estimations made within the data which affect the overall confidence level in the data reported.