A Fueling Plan Built Specifically for the Hartford Marathon

Every aid station on the course, what it serves, and the exact minute you reach it based on your goal time. Then a fueling plan built on this exact course, so every gel is placed where there is water to wash it down and you never hit the wall in the last 6 miles.

Build my Hartford plan Start with the course ↓
Eversource Hartford Marathon
Saturday 10 October 2026 · 26.2 miles
Water only 1 Water + UCAN Hydrate 14 Gel depot miles 7.5, 14 and 20.5
Map of the Hartford Marathon course with the 15 aid tables marked
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Elevation profile drag along the profile to scrub
26.2 miles ▲ 425 ft gain ▼ 460 ft loss +72 ft high -59 ft low
0 mi 5 10 15 20 26.2 mi +72 ft 0 mi 10 20 26.2 mi +72 ft

Aid tables from the official Hartford Marathon race page and its own course route, checked 18 Sep 2026. Hartford publishes stations on its own route file, not miles; kilometres are converted. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Why the course changes the plan

Why you need to adapt your fueling plan to the specifics of the course

Most fueling plans are generic: take a gel every 30 minutes, wash it down with water and drink your carb beverage in between.

But, what if your planned time to take a gel comes right in the middle of a hill? What if there’s no aid station close by to grab water from?

Often, where each gel goes on the course matters as much as how many you take

It’s these small, often ignored parts of executing a fueling plan that trip runners up and have them hitting the wall or slowing down because of an upset stomach, despite having a well-rehearsed fueling plan heading into the race.

4

things go wrong when you don’t account for the course in your fueling plan

1A planned gel with no water

You plan a gel at 60 minutes, but the next water station isn’t for another 15. That means you either have to wait, take it without water and have it sit, or take it with your carb beverage and take in too much sugar for your stomach to process.

2You miss a table

Hartford's cups hold no carbohydrate at all. UCAN Hydrate is a sugar-free electrolyte mix, so the only carbohydrate the course gives you is three UCAN Edge gels, at miles 7.5, 14 and 20.5. Drink at every table and you can still finish the race having taken in almost nothing. Without a plan for that you either double up later and pay for it, or run the rest of the race short.

3Your plan calls for a gel in the middle of a hill

As intensity increases, your stomach’s ability to process carbohydrates slows down. Couple that with breathing harder up a hill and you’ve got the perfect storm for a gel that can’t be digested fast enough.

4Miscalculating the fluid on the course

The distance between aid stations, the concentration of the carbohydrate drink, and how much you’re actually able to swallow all change how much glycogen you’re actually replacing every hour. Your plan calls for 60 g per hour, but if you only hit 40 g you’ll run out of glycogen before you finish.

So your fueling plan needs to start with one question, and everything after it follows.

Option 1

I am going to use what is on the course

Water at 15 tables, UCAN at 14 of them, gels at miles 7.5, 14 and 20.5.

What that adds up to, and what you still carry.

Fuel off the course ↓
Option 2

I am going to carry all of my own fuel

Your products, your timing, nothing riding on a cup you might miss.

What the course still decides for you.

Fuel from your own kit ↓
Option 1

If you are going to use what the course hands you

Hartford is a good course to do this on. Water comes at all 15 tables with UCAN Hydrate at 14 of them. Below is where you’ll find each station.

Hartford Marathon course strip Elevation relative to the start across 26.2 miles, the 15 aid tables marked by mile with what is at each, and the 12 feeds of the reference plan as numbered dots. +72 ft -59 ft 2.4 4.1 6.1 7.5 9.1 10.4 12.1 14 15.6 17 19 20.5 22 23.6 25 mi 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Water only Water + UCAN Hydrate Gel depot Feed in the 3:45 plan, on a table Feed with no table, water carried

Elevation is stretched to emphasis location. The numbered dots are your recommended fueling options for your 3:45 goal.

Source: the official Eversource Hartford Marathon, checked 18 Sep 2026

1What is on the course

What is provided at Hartford, and where

Water is provided at all 15 tables, from mile 2.4 to mile 25.

UCAN Hydrate at 14 tables, miles 4.1, 6.1, 7.5, 9.1, 10.4, 12.1, 14, 15.6, 17, 19, 20.5, 22, 23.6 and 25. Gels at miles 7.5, 14 and 20.5, UCAN Edge Energy Gel.

The course climbs 425 ft in total and its steepest grade is 2.0%, under the 3% where a climb starts to move a feed. So CarbRate still places yours by the water tables, and the arrival times below carry a minute or two of slack on the climbs.

The Hartford course, table by table
Water stations
15

every table, mile 2.4 to mile 25

UCAN Hydrate
14

miles 4.1, 6.1, 7.5, 9.1, 10.4, 12.1, 14, 15.6, 17, 19, 20.5, 22, 23.6 and 25

UCAN Edge Energy Gel
3

miles 7.5, 14 and 20.5, water at each

2Your goal time

Every table, and the minute you reach it

Put your goal time in and when you arrive at every aid station on the course recalculates. This is the list to put in your pocket, and the one CarbRate builds your feeds on.

Arrival times assume even pace, which is a fair guide on a course with 425 ft of climbing. At 3:45 you reach the first gel station at 1:04.
Build my Hartford plan
All 15 tables at 3:45
mikmTableWhat’s at the tableYou arrive
2.43.9Hydration stationwater0:21
4.16.6Hydration stationwaterUCAN Hydrate0:35
6.19.8Hydration stationwaterUCAN Hydrate0:52
7.512.1Hydration station + UCAN gelwaterUCAN HydrateUCAN Edge Energy Gel1:04
9.114.6Hydration stationwaterUCAN Hydrate1:18
10.416.7Hydration stationwaterUCAN Hydrate1:29
12.119.5Hydration stationwaterUCAN Hydrate1:44
1422.5Hydration station + UCAN gelwaterUCAN HydrateUCAN Edge Energy Gel2:00
15.625.1Hydration stationwaterUCAN Hydrate2:14
1727.4Hydration stationwaterUCAN Hydrate2:26
1930.6Hydration stationwaterUCAN Hydrate2:43
20.533.0Hydration station + UCAN gelwaterUCAN HydrateUCAN Edge Energy Gel2:56
2235.4Hydration stationwaterUCAN Hydrate3:09
23.638.0Hydration stationwaterUCAN Hydrate3:23
2540.2Hydration stationwaterUCAN Hydrate3:35
3The course drink

How much glycogen does the UCAN on the course provide

UCAN Hydrate is 0 g of carbohydrate per 100 mL. A typical cup contains about 200 mL.

But, you likely won’t actually drink that much. Volunteers typically fill cups about half way to prevent water from splashing and you’ll lose a good amount as you run with the cup and what spills as you drink.

On average, you can expect a net intake of about 60 to 90 mL per cup

This is the part most runners don’t account for in their fueling plan, so CarbRate builds it directly in your plan.

We’ll tell you exactly how many cups at each aid station to drink based on how much glycogen you need and how much you’ll be able to supplement with gels.

What the drink is worth per hour
Glycogen left
200 → 60–90 mL

A cup holds about 200 mL. Half-filled, spilled and sipped on the run, 60 to 90 mL of it actually goes down.

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you run out here Planned full cups Real 60–90 mL a cup full empty start finish
Glycogen left across the race, a plan built on full cups against what a cup actually delivers. Illustrative, not your plan.
4What you carry

How many gels you still carry

After you’ve calculated how much of the course drink you’ll likely take at each aid station, you’ll need to fill in your glycogen needs with gels along the course.

A typical gel contains about 25 g of carbohydrate, so use the chart here to calculate how many you’ll need.

If you’ve practiced fueling in training, you can target 75 to 90 g per hour. If you haven’t trained your stomach, err closer to 60 g per hour.

Here’s more on how to practice your fueling schedule to maximize your gut tolerance.

25 g gels to carry, after the course
Finish60 g/h75 g/h90 g/h
3:45 your goal
3:005to56to68to8
3:306to68to810to10
4:007to79to912to12
4:308to811to1114to14
5:009to912to1215to15
5The products

The 2 products Hartford hands you

The gel is UCAN Edge, whose carbohydrate is a slow-release corn starch rather than the glucose and fructose blend most gels use, and the drink is UCAN Hydrate, which is sugar-free. Practise with both before race day so mile 7.5 is not the first time your stomach meets them.

If UCAN does not sit well with you, the closest matches are Maurten Gel 100, Precision Fuel PF 30 Gel and SiS Beta Fuel Gel. Pick one before race week and train on it.

On the Hartford course
Sodium
0 mg
Caffeine
0 mg
Glucose : fructose
slow-release corn starch, not glucose and fructose
Science score64/100
Sodium
300 mg per serving in 16 oz
Caffeine
0 mg
Glucose : fructose
no carbohydrate to split

Get a Fueling Plan Built for Hartford

CarbRate builds you a personalized race fueling plan from your own sweat rate, how your stomach handles gels, and then it coaches you through every feed, live, while you run.

It also customizes every gel and every drink placement to align with the actual elevation profile and aid station on your course.

Build my Hartford plan
Option 2

If you are going to carry all of your own fuel

Even carrying your own fuel, the Hartford course influences 4 things about your fueling plan: the timing of your gels, fluid intake, electrolytes, and caffeine.

1Timing

Set your feed times to Hartford’s tables, unless you carry water

The common advice is to take your gels every 30 to 45 minutes, but that might not coincide with when you hit an aid station.

If you’re not carrying your own water with you, you’ll need those aid stations to wash down your gel.

For a 3:45 finisher, Hartford’s tables arrive 21, 35, 52, 64 and 78 minutes in, then every 12 to 17 minutes.

So, you need to factor this into your fueling plan.

Enter your goal time in the input box below and we’ll show you when each aid station will arrive for your given pace.

If you want a fueling plan with all of these built in, CarbRate does this for you. Start building your plan here.

Feed times assume even pace, which is a fair guide on a course with 425 ft of climbing. Everything below recalculates from 3:45.
Your watch against Hartford’s tables
Gel alarms with water
3 of 11 alarms

For a 3:45 finisher, 3 of 11 twenty-minute alarms land within 2 minutes of a table. Highlighted tables take a gel in a 75 g an hour plan; the first goes down before mile 2.4 from a bottle you carry.

Gel alarm every 20 min Hartford tables, 3:45 pace 4.1 6.1 7.5 10.4 12.1 14 17 19 20.5 23.6 25 start 1:00 2:00 3:00 finish
alarm within 2 min of wateralarm with no watertable taking a gelwater-only table
How many 25 g gels that is, carrying everything
Finish60 g/h75 g/h90 g/h
3:45 your goal91214
3:008911
3:3091113
4:00101215
4:30111417
5:00121518
2Water

A gel needs more water than a cup holds

Research has shown that the optimal carbohydrate concentration is 6 to 8 percent carbohydrate to water.

That means you’ll want about 100 mL (3.5 oz) of water for every 8 grams of carbohydrate you take in. A typical gel contains 25 g of carbohydrate, so you’ll want to aim for about 300 mL (10 oz) of water with each gel.

A good estimate is that each cup of water will provide you 100 mL (3.5 oz) of water. That’s because volunteers typically fill cups about half way to prevent water from splashing and you’ll lose a good amount as you run with the cup and what spills as you drink.

So, if you’re not carrying your own water, have your gel open and prepared to take at the start of the aid station so you can take it early with a cup of water and still have time to grab another cup or two.

What a gel needs and what a cup delivers
One 25 g gel needs
300 mL
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cupsempties fast, no sloshing8%concentration300 mL+2 cupsstill too thick to empty13%concentration200 mL+1 cupsits in your stomach25%concentration100 mL
3Sodium

The course drink covers your sodium, if you drink it

UCAN Hydrate carries about 630 mg of sodium per litre (150 mg per 8 oz) as the maker mixes it, and it is at 14 of the 15 tables.

Aim for 600 mg of sodium per litre (150 mg per 8 oz) of what you drink. So, if you drink the course drink at the tables, you’re covered without adding anything to your gels.

If you’re carrying your own water instead, that sodium has to come from your gel or your bottle. If it’s a hot day or you’re a salty sweater, you should aim for a bit more.

CarbRate can provide your exact amount based on your individual sweat rate and can help you adjust your fueling plan if the weather is hot.

Where the sodium is
Sodium per litre you drink
600 mg / L

UCAN Hydrate at the tables is above the target on its own. Carry water instead and the sodium in your race is whatever your gel or your own drink carries.

NaHartford’s tables630 mg / LNaAim for600 mg / LNaHot day, salty sweater800–1,000
the target for what you drinkthe hotter, saltier end, where CarbRate sets yours from your sweat rate
4Caffeine

Time your caffeine so it helps you when you need it the most

If you plan to use caffeine, it’s best to time it so the benefits kick in when you need them the most.

Caffeine peaks in your blood about an hour after you swallow it, then it slowly falls.

In that analysis of 4.2 million marathon results, the runners who slowed sharply began to do so just before mile 18.6 (30 km).

With a goal finish time of 3:45 that would place your caffeine at mile 15.6 (25 km).

This should provide you with peak benefits from the caffeine right when you need it the most.

When the caffeine is working
Caffeine table, rolling course
mile 15.6
2 hours 14 minutes into a 3:45

Blood caffeine peaks about an hour after the dose, so a mile 15.6 gel peaks near mile 23 for a 3:45 finisher, after the wall has started. In 4.2 million marathon results, the late slowdown began near mile 18.6.

the wall starts mile 18.6 avg, 4.2 M results dose at the start mile 15.6 table · 2:14 peak ≈ mile 23 0 mi 5 10 15 20 26.2 mi peaknone
dose at the mile 15.6 tabledose at the startwhere the wall starts on averagecurve shape illustrative, timings from your goal time

Get a Fueling Plan Built for Hartford

CarbRate builds you a personalized race fueling plan from your own sweat rate, how your stomach handles gels, and then it coaches you through every feed, live, while you run.

It also customizes every gel and every drink placement to align with the actual elevation profile and aid station on your course.

Build my Hartford plan
Built for your exact course

What a finished Hartford plan looks like

This is a real CarbRate plan rather than an example we wrote out: a 68 kg runner, 3:45 goal, trained stomach, drinking the UCAN and taking the course gel, 14 °C at the start. Adjusted finish 3:48. Target 81 g an hour, 307 g in total, as 12 feeds of 25 g.

11 of the 12 feeds land on a real Hartford aid table, so there is water in your hand for every one of them.

#ClockmiWhereWhat
10:141.6No table here · mile 1.6 (water in hand)One 25 g gel, your own
20:354.0Hydration station · mile 4.1One 25 g gel, your own
30:526.0Hydration station · mile 6.1One 25 g gel, your own
41:067.6Hydration station + UCAN gel · mile 7.5UCAN Edge Energy Gel from the depot
51:2910.3Hydration station · mile 10.4One 25 g gel, your own
61:4412.0Hydration station · mile 12.1One 25 g gel, your own
72:0214.1Hydration station + UCAN gel · mile 14UCAN Edge Energy Gel from the depot
82:2716.9Hydration station · mile 17One 25 g gel, your own
92:4418.9Hydration station · mile 19One 25 g gel, your own
102:5920.6Hydration station + UCAN gel · mile 20.5UCAN Edge Energy Gel from the depot
113:2423.5Hydration station · mile 23.6One 25 g gel, your own
123:3825.1Hydration station · mile 25One 25 g gel, your own

The first feed comes before the first table on purpose: CarbRate starts you early, with the water you carry from the start line. Say you are carrying your own instead and it rebuilds this same timeline with your products and more feeds, on the same tables. On race day the app calls each feed by voice as you reach it.

This is one runner. Yours will look different.

CarbRate builds yours from your weight, your sweat rate, your goal time, the gels you already train with, and the race-day forecast. Answer a few quick questions and it is built, with the Hartford course already loaded.

Build my Hartford plan
What CarbRate says about Hartford

What CarbRate flags on a Hartford plan

These are the warnings CarbRate attaches to a Hartford plan, word for word, for the 3:45 runner above.

Plan to carry

Hartford hands out UCAN Edge Energy Gel at 3 points. You need about 12 feeds, so that covers roughly 19% of your carbohydrate. Take them if you want them, and carry the other 9.

Plan to carry

Hartford has UCAN Hydrate electrolyte mix (flavor not named), which carries 0 g of carbohydrate per 100 ml. Drinking 500 ml an hour that comes to about 0 g/h against your target of 81. Drink it for the fluid and the sodium. It is not going to replace a gel.

Quiet on purpose

The first table is at mile 2.4. CarbRate allows 45 minutes for the opening stretch instead of the usual 27, because you start hydrated and fed. So Hartford’s first 2.4 miles never trigger a warning.

Sodium: on the course

UCAN Hydrate carries about 630 mg of sodium per litre as mixed, above the 600 mg per litre target. The race does not publish its own dilution, so that figure is the maker’s standard mix.

Drink it at the tables and your sodium is covered. Carry your own water instead and CarbRate works out how much you need from your sweat rate and the forecast, and puts it on the same schedule as your gels.

Shows inside 10 days
22 days to go

From 30 September the start-line forecast appears here, with what it changes in your plan. On a warm day: more fluid and more sodium.

The short answers

Hartford Marathon fueling at a glance

Every fact on this page in one block, for the runner who wants the answer and nothing else.

Race
Eversource Hartford Marathon, 10 October 2026
Distance
42.195 km / 26.2 mi
Aid tables on the course
15
First table
mile 2.4 (km 3.9)
Spacing after the first table
every 1.3 to 2 miles
Water
at every table
Sports drink
UCAN Hydrate, at mile 4.1, mile 6.1, mile 7.5, mile 9.1, mile 10.4, mile 12.1, mile 14, mile 15.6, mile 17, mile 19, mile 20.5, mile 22, mile 23.6, mile 25
Drink strength
0 g carbohydrate per 100 ml
Gel handout
UCAN Edge Energy Gel, mile 7.5 (km 12.1), mile 14 (km 22.5) and mile 20.5 (km 33), 3 points
Food on course
none published
Personal refreshment
not accepted for the mass field
Published sodium
630 mg per litre in the course drink, maker’s mix
Total climb
425 ft, steepest grade 2.9%
Typical carbohydrate target
60 to 90 g an hour
Gels to carry, 3:45 at 75 g/h
9 to 9 using the course drink, 12 carrying everything

Hartford fueling questions, answered

Is there UCAN on the Hartford Marathon course?

Yes. UCAN Hydrate is at miles 4.1, 6.1, 7.5, 9.1, 10.4, 12.1, 14, 15.6, 17, 19, 20.5, 22, 23.6 and 25, alongside water. UCAN Edge Energy Gel is handed out at miles 7.5, 14 and 20.5.

Where are the gel stations at the Hartford Marathon?

Miles 7.5, 14 and 20.5, which is km 12.1, km 22.5 and km 33. There is water at each of them. Plan to carry the rest of your own.

How many gels do I need for the Hartford Marathon?

It depends on your carbohydrate target and how much of the course drink you take. At 75 g an hour a 3:45 finish needs about 280 g. Drinking one cup of UCAN at every other table covers roughly 0 g of that, which leaves about 12 gels of 25 g, 3 of them handed out on the course, so carry 9. Drinking half a litre of UCAN an hour, carry 9. The grid above works this out for any finish time.

Is the Hartford Marathon flat?

Mostly. Our course profile shows 425 ft of climbing across 26.2 miles, a net change of -34 ft, and a steepest quarter mile of 2.0%, under the 3% where a climb starts to move a feed. So CarbRate still places every feed by the water tables, and even pacing is a fair guide with a minute or two of slack on the climbs.

Does Hartford have electrolytes or sodium on the course?

Yes. UCAN Hydrate carries about 630 mg of sodium per litre as the maker mixes it, which is above the 600 mg per litre target. The race does not publish its own dilution. If you carry your own water instead, bring your own sodium plan.

Is there food on the Hartford Marathon course?

Hartford publishes none. The tables carry water and UCAN Hydrate and nothing else.

How far apart are the water stations at Hartford?

The first table is at mile 2.4. After that they come every 1.3 to 2 miles. The longest gap after the start is mile 4.1 to mile 6.1, about 3.2 km, which is 18 minutes at 4:00 pace and 23 minutes at 5:00 pace.

When will I reach the gel station at mile 7.5?

At even pace: 1:00 into a 3:30 race, 1:04 into a 3:45, 1:09 into a 4:00, and 1:26 into a 5:00. Enter your own goal time in the station table above to see every table.

Where are the aid stations at the Hartford Marathon?

There are 15, at miles 2.4, 4.1, 6.1, 7.5, 9.1, 10.4, 12.1, 14, 15.6, 17, 19, 20.5, 22, 23.6 and 25. All 15 have water. 14 of them, miles 4.1, 6.1, 7.5, 9.1, 10.4, 12.1, 14, 15.6, 17, 19, 20.5, 22, 23.6 and 25, also have UCAN Hydrate.

Can I carry all of my own fuel at the Hartford Marathon?

Yes. Hartford does not take personal bottles from the mass field, so everything you carry starts on you at the gun, with water at every table to top a flask from. Carrying everything at 75 g an hour is 12 gels of 25 g for a 3:45 finish, or 9 if you take the course gels.

How much carbohydrate should I take during the Hartford Marathon?

60 to 90 grams an hour, set by your body size and by how much your stomach has practised absorbing. Start at the rate you have already trained at rather than the rate you want: 90 g an hour is a target to build toward over a training cycle before you race on it.

Do I need to carry water at the Hartford Marathon?

Only for the opening 2.4 miles. The first table is at mile 2.4, about 21 minutes into a 3:45 race, and after that tables come every 1.3 to 2 miles. If your first feed comes before mile 2.4, carry the fluid for it from the start line.

What should I eat before the Hartford Marathon?

1 to 4 g of carbohydrate per kg of body weight in the 1 to 4 hours before the start, from food you have already eaten before long runs. A 68 kg runner eating 3 hours before the start needs roughly 130 to 200 g of carbohydrate.

Your Hartford plan

Build your Hartford plan with the course already loaded

The tables, the UCAN and the course profile above are already in. Add your weight, goal time, sweat rate and the gels you like, and CarbRate builds your feed-by-feed plan for Hartford, then calls each feed by voice on race day.

Build my Hartford plan

The plan is free. Live race-day guidance and the practice schedule are in the app, $9.95 a month or a one-time $49.95 Race Pass that expires after your race.

Fueling guides for the other courses

Hartford, 10 Oct 2026
Free plan, course loadedBuild my Hartford plan