{"id":21031,"date":"2026-05-15T14:31:23","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T14:31:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scienceinsport.com\/sports-nutrition\/?p=21031"},"modified":"2026-05-27T14:52:26","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T14:52:26","slug":"how-nick-bester-the-executed-london-marathon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scienceinsport.com\/sports-nutrition\/how-nick-bester-the-executed-london-marathon\/","title":{"rendered":"Fuelling the Work: How Nick Bester Executed at the London Marathon"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/span>
\n

<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n
\n Written By<\/span>\n

Lauren Charlton<\/h3>\n

<\/h6>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>
7 Min<\/div>
Share
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

How Nick Bester Executed at the London Marathon<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

There’s a difference between turning up fit and turning up ready to perform. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Nick Bester, the two are inseparable, and both are built on one consistent principle: fuel the work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Off the back of a demanding marathon block (Valencia, Tokyo, and London), Bester delivered a controlled 2:23:03<\/strong>, using precision, consistency, and a fuelling strategy he trusts to achieve this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Performing When It Counts <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

“I’m really happy with the way the London Marathon wen<\/em>t,” Bester says. “What an iconic and special race to take part in.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After multiple marathons in a short window, expectations were uncertain.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0quite know what to expect\u2026 It was a case of hoping for the best but almost expecting the worst.\u00a0So,\u00a0to execute and run 2:23:03\u2014I was really satisfied.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What stands out isn\u2019t just the time\u2014it\u2019s the execution under fatigue. And that comes back to preparation, especially nutrition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0carrying fatigue into a race, fuelling becomes even more critical.\u00a0You\u2019re\u00a0not just supporting\u00a0performance; you\u2019re\u00a0protecting it.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Progress Built on Continuity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Bester\u2019s journey didn\u2019t start at the front. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy first 5k was just over 25 minutes. My first marathon was 3:17.\u201d<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From there, the philosophy was simple: keep improving. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTrain a bit harder, a bit smarter, and keep going.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That same mindset now underpins his fuelling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fuelling is Not Optional<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve\u00a0always believed: train hard, race hard, fuel hard.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As his training load increased, so did his carbohydrate intake. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn a marathon now, I aim for around 100\u2013120g of carbs per hour.\u201d<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But this level of fuelling\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0happen overnight.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u00a0have to\u00a0train your gut. The more you practice in hard sessions, the better your body adapts.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Early on, it was a challenge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI struggled to take on fuel at intensity, but I practised until I could.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Practice increasing your fuelling during long runs;\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0suddenly jump up on race day. High-carbohydrate gels such as the\u00a0SiS BETA Gels<\/a>\u00a0provide almost double the carbs of a regular gel per serving, and they use dual-source technology from two different carbohydrate types to optimise absorption and minimise gastrointestinal stress.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Day-to-Day Fuelling: Setting the Foundation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0At 77kg, Bester\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0underfuel\u00a0to try to match the look of the athletes around him; he fuels to match the work\u00a0he\u2019s\u00a0asking his body to do.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m\u00a0heavier than a lot of the guys I race against, but\u00a0I\u2019ve\u00a0always\u00a0fuelled\u00a0hard.\u00a0I\u2019d\u00a0rather feel strong than slightly\u00a0underfuelled.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That distinction matters. Because in endurance performance, the cost of\u00a0underfuelling\u00a0is\u00a0almost always\u00a0greater than the cost of slightly\u00a0overfuelling.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Underfuel, and\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0not just risking a bad session.\u00a0You\u2019re\u00a0limiting output, reducing training quality, impairing recovery, and\u00a0ultimately capping\u00a0adaptation. One\u00a0underfuelled\u00a0session might feel manageable, but consistently missing energy needs\u00a0compounds\u00a0quickly: lower glycogen availability, higher perceived effort, poorer recovery between sessions, and a greater likelihood of that late-run fade.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Slightly\u00a0overfuel, on the other hand, and the downside is minimal, especially when intake is aligned with training demands. You create a buffer.\u00a0You ensure glycogen stores are topped up, you support higher intensities, and you give your body the resources it needs to adapt to the work you\u2019re doing.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s\u00a0the mindset behind Bester\u2019s day-to-day approach:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n