A Fueling Plan Built Specifically for the London 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 London plan Start with the course ↓
TCS London Marathon
Sunday 25 April 2027 · 26.2 miles
Water only 10 Water + Lucozade Sport 4 No water 9 Gel depot miles 13 and 19
Map of the London Marathon course with the 19 aid tables marked
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Elevation profile drag along the profile to scrub
26.2 miles ▲ 187 ft gain ▼ 302 ft loss +35 ft high -128 ft low
0 mi 5 10 15 20 26.2 mi +35 ft 0 mi 10 20 26.2 mi +35 ft

Aid tables from the official London event guide, checked 12 Sep 2026. London publishes 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

London had 59,830 runners on the road last year. Tables that busy are easy to misjudge and not get the fuel you need. Without a plan for the next one 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 10 of the 19 tables, Lucozade at 4 of them, gels at miles 13 and 19.

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

London takes more care than most courses to do this on. 9 of the 19 tables have no water, so a gel taken at the wrong one goes down dry. Below is where you’ll find each station, and what is at it.

London Marathon course strip Elevation relative to the start across 26.2 miles, the 19 aid tables marked by mile with what is at each, and the 12 feeds of the reference plan as numbered dots. +35 ft -128 ft 3 5 6 7 9 10 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 mi 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Water only Water + Lucozade Sport No water 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 TCS London Marathon, checked 12 Sep 2026

1What is on the course

What is provided at London, and where

Water is provided at 10 of the 19 tables, from mile 3 to mile 24. The other 9, miles 5, 7, 10, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21 and 23, have none.

Lucozade Sport at 4 tables, miles 7, 15, 21 and 23. Gels at miles 13 and 19, Lucozade Sport gel.

The course climbs 187 ft in total and its steepest grade is 1.1%, so no hill is long enough to move a feed. That is why CarbRate places yours by the water tables instead.

The London course, table by table
Water stations
10

10 of 19 tables, mile 3 to mile 24

Lucozade Sport
4

miles 7, 15, 21 and 23

gel
2

miles 13 and 19, water at both

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 holds on a course this flat. At 3:45 you reach the first gel station at 1:52.
Build my London plan
All 19 tables at 3:45
mikmTableWhat’s at the tableYou arrive
34.8Buxton waterwater0:26
58.0Refill onlyrefill only0:43
69.7Buxton waterwater0:51
711.3Lucozade Sport stationLucozade Sport1:00
914.5Buxton waterwater1:17
1016.1Refill onlyrefill only1:26
1219.3Buxton waterwater1:43
1320.9Lucozade Sport gelsgel1:52
1422.5Buxton waterwater2:00
1524.1Lucozade Sport stationLucozade Sport2:09
1625.7Buxton waterwater2:17
1727.4Refill onlyrefill only2:26
1829.0Buxton waterwater2:34
1930.6Lucozade Sport gelsgel2:43
2032.2Buxton waterwater2:52
2133.8Lucozade Sport stationLucozade Sport3:00
2235.4Buxton waterwater3:09
2337.0Lucozade Sport stationLucozade Sport3:17
2438.6Buxton waterwater3:26
3The course drink

How much glycogen does the Lucozade on the course provide

Lucozade Sport is 6.5 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
3:002to44to65to8
3:302to55to77to10
4:003to75to98to11
4:304to86to109to13
5:004to97to1210to15
5The products

The 2 products London hands you

London names a brand and stops there: Lucozade Sport in the cups and Lucozade Sport gels at two points, with no flavour, no product code and no caffeine status for either. Practise with a gel you have chosen yourself before race day, because mile 13 is the wrong place to meet an unknown one.

If Lucozade 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 London course
Sodium
not published
Caffeine
not published
Glucose : fructose
not published
Sodium
520 mg / L
Caffeine
not published
Glucose : fructose
not published

Get a Fueling Plan Built for London

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 London plan
Option 2

If you are going to carry all of your own fuel

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

1Timing

Set your feed times to London’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, London’s tables arrive 26, 51, 77, 103 and 120 minutes in, then every 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 holds on a course this flat. Everything below recalculates from 3:45.
Your watch against London’s tables
Gel alarms with water
1 of 11 alarms

For a 3:45 finisher, 1 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 3 from a bottle you carry.

Gel alarm every 20 min London tables, 3:45 pace 3 6 9 12 14 16 18 20 22 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 some of your sodium, not all of it

Lucozade Sport carries about 520 mg of sodium per litre (120 mg per 8 oz) as the maker mixes it, and it is at 4 of the 19 tables.

Aim for 600 mg of sodium per litre (150 mg per 8 oz) of what you drink. So the cups get you most of the way there and the rest has to come from your gel or your own bottle.

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

Lucozade Sport at the tables is under the target, so the rest of your sodium has to come from your gel or your own drink.

NaLondon’s tables520 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 16 (26 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, flat course
mile 16
2 hours 17 minutes into a 3:45

Blood caffeine peaks about an hour after the dose, so a mile 16 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 16 table · 2:17 peak ≈ mile 23 0 mi 5 10 15 20 26.2 mi peaknone
dose at the mile 16 tabledose at the startwhere the wall starts on averagecurve shape illustrative, timings from your goal time

Get a Fueling Plan Built for London

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 London plan
Built for your exact course

What a finished London 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 Lucozade 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.

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

#ClockmiWhereWhat
10:091.1No table here · mile 1.1 (water in hand)One 25 g gel, your own
20:273.1Buxton water · mile 3One 25 g gel, your own
30:515.9Buxton water · mile 6One 25 g gel, your own
41:067.7No table here · mile 7.7 (water in hand)One 25 g gel, your own
51:199.1Buxton water · mile 9One 25 g gel, your own
61:4412.0Buxton water · mile 12One 25 g gel, your own
72:0214.1Buxton water · mile 14One 25 g gel, your own
82:2016.1Buxton water · mile 16One 25 g gel, your own
92:3718.1Buxton water · mile 18One 25 g gel, your own
102:5520.1Buxton water · mile 20One 25 g gel, your own
113:1222.1Buxton water · mile 22One 25 g gel, your own
123:3825.1No table here · mile 25.1 (water in hand)One 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 London course already loaded.

Build my London plan
What CarbRate says about London

What CarbRate flags on a London plan

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

Plan to carry

London hands out gels at 2 points. You need about 12 feeds, so that covers roughly 16% of your carbohydrate. Take them if you want them, and carry the other 10.

Not every table has water

9 of London's 19 stations have no water — they pour sports drink or hand out gels only. Your plan already skips them for anything you need to wash down.

In your favour

London has Lucozade Sport at 6.5 g per 100 ml, which is strong. Drinking 500 ml an hour covers about 33 g/h of your 81 g/h target, and your plan has already taken that off your gels.

Only at 5:00 pace

The longest stretch without water on London runs 3 miles, from mile 3 to mile 6. At your pace that is about 35 minutes. Carry fluid through it rather than waiting for the next table. Under 5 hours that stretch takes less than 27 minutes, and CarbRate stays quiet.

Quiet on purpose

The first table is at mile 3. CarbRate allows 45 minutes for the opening stretch instead of the usual 27, because you start hydrated and fed. So London’s first 3 miles never trigger a warning.

Sodium: not published

London publishes no sodium figure for anything at its tables, and it never names which Lucozade Sport it pours, so the 520 mg per litre above is read off a retail label rather than confirmed by the race.

Treat the course as water and carbohydrate, and bring your own sodium. CarbRate works out how much from your sweat rate and the forecast, and puts it on the same schedule as your gels.

Shows inside 10 days
225 days to go

From 15 April 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

London Marathon fueling at a glance

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

Race
TCS London Marathon, 25 April 2027
Distance
42.195 km / 26.2 mi
Aid tables on the course
19
First table
mile 3 (km 4.8)
Spacing after the first table
every 1 to 2 miles
Water
at 10 of the 19 tables
Sports drink
Lucozade Sport, at mile 7, mile 15, mile 21, mile 23
Drink strength
6.5 g carbohydrate per 100 ml
Gel handout
Lucozade Sport gel, mile 13 (km 20.9) and mile 19 (km 30.6), 2 points
Food on course
none published
Personal refreshment
not accepted for the mass field
Published sodium
none, for anything on the course
Total climb
187 ft, steepest grade 1.9%
Typical carbohydrate target
60 to 90 g an hour
Gels to carry, 3:45 at 75 g/h
5 to 8 using the course drink, 12 carrying everything

London fueling questions, answered

Is there Lucozade on the London Marathon course?

Yes. Lucozade Sport is at miles 7, 15, 21 and 23, alongside water. Lucozade Sport gel is handed out at miles 13 and 19.

Where are the gel stations at the London Marathon?

Miles 13 and 19, which is km 20.9 and km 30.6. There is water at each of them. Plan to carry the rest of your own.

How many gels do I need for the London 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 Lucozade at each drink table covers roughly 40 g of that, which leaves about 10 gels of 25 g, 2 of them handed out on the course, so carry 8. Drinking half a litre of Lucozade an hour, carry 5. The grid above works this out for any finish time.

Is the London Marathon flat?

Yes. Our course profile shows 187 ft of climbing across 26.2 miles, a net change of -114 ft, and a steepest grade of 1.9%. Nothing on the course changes where a feed should land, so even pacing and even fueling are both fair.

Does London have electrolytes or sodium on the course?

The race does not publish sodium figures for anything at its tables, and we could not confirm one for the on-course mix. Treat the course as water and carbohydrate and bring your own sodium plan.

Is there food on the London Marathon course?

London publishes none. The tables carry water and Lucozade Sport and nothing else.

How far apart are the water stations at London?

The first table is at mile 3. After that they come every 1 to 2 miles. The longest gap after the start is mile 3 to mile 5, 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 13?

At even pace: 1:44 into a 3:30 race, 1:52 into a 3:45, 1:59 into a 4:00, and 2:29 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 London Marathon?

There are 19, at miles 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 and 24. 10 of them have water; miles 5, 7, 10, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21 and 23 do not. 4 of them, miles 7, 15, 21 and 23, also have Lucozade Sport.

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

Yes. London does not take personal bottles from the mass field, so everything you carry starts on you at the gun. Carrying everything at 75 g an hour is 12 gels of 25 g for a 3:45 finish, or 10 if you take the course gels.

How much carbohydrate should I take during the London 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 London Marathon?

Only for the opening 3 miles. The first table is at mile 3, about 26 minutes into a 3:45 race, and after that tables come every 1 to 2 miles. If your first feed comes before mile 3, carry the fluid for it from the start line.

What should I eat before the London 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. London sets off in waves, so work backwards from your own wave time rather than from the elite start.

Your London plan

Build your London plan with the course already loaded

The tables, the Lucozade 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 London, then calls each feed by voice on race day.

Build my London 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

London, 25 Apr 2027
Free plan, course loadedBuild my London plan