Among the World Marathon Majors, a collection of the six largest marathons in the world, Berlin is the only event to offer a bottle-passing service. Even there, only a handful of top professionals are able to take advantage of the service: This year, volunteers passed bottles to only 19 men and 15 women, while all other elite runners had their bottles placed on numbered tables, which they grabbed on the run. Taking the wrong bottle is one of the many ways a nutrition plan can go wrong.
But what exactly is in those bottles? It depends on the runner.
“Athletes all have something different in their bottle,” says Scott Fauble, the top American finisher at this year’s Boston Marathon. “Some athletes like powders that you mix with water, some like gels that they tape to the outside of their bottles. Some take caffeine, some people can’t. Athletes have to figure out what agrees with their belly.”
Identifying the right kind of fuel can be a major hurdle for runners, elite and amateur alike. And missing it during a race can spell disaster.
“Fuel is a major limiter of performance in the marathon,” said Sara Hall, a professional runner who owns the third-fastest marathon time ever for an American woman. “Getting the right fuel and hydration that you know will sit well in your stomach when you’re clicking off fast paces is crucial to maintain that speed. It’s why you see some athletes go back for a bottle if they drop it. It’s worth it to lose that 10 seconds.”
Schulke’s partnership with Kipchoge began in 2017, when he was randomly assigned to assist the Kenyan. Kipchoge won the race, but rainy conditions thwarted his attempt to set a world record. When Kipchoge returned to the race in 2018 for another attempt, his team requested the same partnership.