Muscles rely on carbs, stored in the body as glycogen, to produce force and, thus, power running. 'Because they've not had a specific day when they're going to run, they've had to delay the nutritional strategies they're going to implement before they race,' Stephen Mears, a lecturer in sports and exercise nutrition at Loughborough University, said before the attempt.īefore he started at 8.15am on October 12, Kipchoge will have been increasing the amount of carbohydrates in his diet, Mears says. This uncertainty meant Kipchoge's food preparations couldn't begin early. In preparing for the attempt, the organisers created a window (October 12 to October 20) when the run could happen. The right foodĬarbohydrates are key to sustained performance in endurance sports – and marathon running is no different.

A 1:59:59 marathon is the equivalent of running 100m sprints in just over 17 seconds – 422 times in a row. Equally, the 10,000m (10km) male world record sits at shade over 26:17 and Kipchoge had to repeatedly run 28:26.

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