A Fueling Plan Built Specifically for the Richmond 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 Richmond plan Start with the course ↓
Allianz Richmond Marathon
Saturday 14 November 2026 · 26.2 miles
Water + Tailwind 16 Gel depot miles 14 and 21
Map of the Richmond Marathon course with the 16 aid tables marked
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Elevation profile drag along the profile to scrub
26.2 miles ▲ 438 ft gain ▼ 553 ft loss +78 ft high -115 ft low
0 mi 5 10 15 20 26.2 mi +78 ft 0 mi 10 20 26.2 mi +78 ft

Aid tables from the official Richmond FAQ, checked 12 Sep 2026. Richmond 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

Richmond had 4,950 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 16 tables, Tailwind at all of them, gels at miles 14 and 21.

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

Richmond is a good course to do this on. Water and Tailwind Rapid Hydration come at all 16 tables. Below is where you’ll find each station.

Richmond Marathon course strip Elevation relative to the start across 26.2 miles, the 16 aid tables marked by mile with what is at each, and the 12 feeds of the reference plan as numbered dots. +78 ft -115 ft 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 mi 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Water + Tailwind 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 Allianz Richmond Marathon, checked 12 Sep 2026

1What is on the course

What is provided at Richmond, and where

Water is provided at all 16 tables, from mile 2 to mile 26.

Tailwind Rapid Hydration at every table, but there is very little carbohydrate in it: half a litre an hour of it is about 13 g. Gels at miles 14 and 21, GU Original in Vanilla Bean and Strawberry Banana, with Noogs sour chews handed out at the same two miles. Pretzels, gummy bears, Oreos and Coke at miles 16 and 22, and pickle juice at mile 23.

The course climbs 438 ft in total and its steepest grade is 2.7%, 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 Richmond course, table by table
Water stations
16

every table, mile 2 to mile 26

Tailwind
16

every table from mile 2 to mile 26

GU Original Energy Gel
2

miles 14 and 21, 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 is a fair guide on a course with 438 ft of climbing. At 3:45 you reach the first gel station at 2:00.
Build my Richmond plan
All 16 tables at 3:45
mikmTableWhat’s at the tableYou arrive
23.2Pinnacle water stopwaterTailwind0:17
46.4Pinnacle water stopwaterTailwind0:34
69.7Pinnacle water stopwaterTailwind0:51
812.9Pinnacle water stopwaterTailwind1:09
1016.1Pinnacle water stopwaterTailwind1:26
1219.3Pinnacle water stopwaterTailwind1:43
1422.5Pinnacle water stop + energy stopwaterTailwindGU Original Energy Gel2:00
1625.7Pinnacle water stopwaterTailwind2:17
1829.0Pinnacle water stopwaterTailwind2:34
2032.2Pinnacle water stopwaterTailwind2:52
2133.8Pinnacle water stop + energy stopwaterTailwindGU Original Energy Gel3:00
2235.4Pinnacle water stopwaterTailwind3:09
2337.0Pinnacle water stopwaterTailwind3:17
2438.6Pinnacle water stopwaterTailwind3:26
2540.2Pinnacle water stopwaterTailwind3:35
2641.8Pinnacle water stopwaterTailwind3:43
3The course drink

How much glycogen does the Tailwind on the course provide

Tailwind Rapid Hydration is 2.5 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
3:004to46to68to8
3:305to67to89to10
4:006to78to911to12
4:307to810to1112to13
5:008to811to1114to14
5The products

The 2 products Richmond hands you

The gel is GU Original in two flavours, one of which carries 20 mg of caffeine, and the drink is Tailwind's hydration line rather than its fuel one, so there is very little carbohydrate in the cup. Practise with the gel before race day so mile 14 is not the first time your stomach meets it.

If GU 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 Richmond course
Sodium
60 mg
Caffeine
0 mg (Vanilla Bean: 20 mg)
Glucose : fructose
glucose and fructose
Science score92/100
Full write-up, who it suits →
Sodium
320 mg / 16 oz
Caffeine
0 mg
Glucose : fructose
not published
Science score87/100
Full write-up, who it suits →

Get a Fueling Plan Built for Richmond

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 Richmond plan
Option 2

If you are going to carry all of your own fuel

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

1Timing

Set your feed times to Richmond’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, Richmond’s tables arrive 17, 34, 51, 69 and 86 minutes in, then every 9 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 438 ft of climbing. Everything below recalculates from 3:45.
Your watch against Richmond’s tables
Gel alarms with water
2 of 11 alarms

For a 3:45 finisher, 2 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 from a bottle you carry.

Gel alarm every 20 min Richmond tables, 3:45 pace 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 21 23 25 start 1:00 2:00 3:00 finish
alarm within 2 min of wateralarm with no watertable taking a geltable not taking a gel
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

Tailwind Rapid Hydration carries about 680 mg of sodium per litre (160 mg per 8 oz) as the maker mixes it, and it is at every table.

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

Tailwind 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.

NaRichmond’s tables680 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, rolling 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 Richmond

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 Richmond plan
Built for your exact course

What a finished Richmond 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 Tailwind 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.

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

#ClockmiWhereWhat
10:161.9Pinnacle water stop · mile 2One 25 g gel, your own
20:343.9Pinnacle water stop · mile 4One 25 g gel, your own
30:525.9Pinnacle water stop · mile 6One 25 g gel, your own
41:087.9Pinnacle water stop · mile 8One 25 g gel, your own
51:269.9Pinnacle water stop · mile 10One 25 g gel, your own
61:4412.0Pinnacle water stop · mile 12One 25 g gel, your own
72:0314.1Pinnacle water stop + energy stop · mile 14GU Original Energy Gel from the depot
82:2016.1Pinnacle water stop · mile 16One 25 g gel, your own
92:3818.1Pinnacle water stop · mile 18One 25 g gel, your own
103:0220.9Pinnacle water stop + energy stop · mile 21GU Original Energy Gel from the depot
113:1922.9Pinnacle water stop · mile 23One 25 g gel, your own
123:3825.1Pinnacle water stop · 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 Richmond course already loaded.

Build my Richmond plan
What CarbRate says about Richmond

What CarbRate flags on a Richmond plan

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

Plan to carry

Richmond hands out GU Original Energy Gel at 2 points. You need about 12 feeds, so that covers roughly 14% of your carbohydrate. Take them if you want them, and carry the other 10.

Plan to carry

Richmond has Tailwind Rapid Hydration, Strawberry Lemonade, which carries 2.5 g of carbohydrate per 100 ml. Drinking 500 ml an hour that comes to about 13 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. CarbRate allows 45 minutes for the opening stretch instead of the usual 27, because you start hydrated and fed. So Richmond’s first 2 miles never trigger a warning.

Sodium: on the course

Tailwind Rapid Hydration carries about 680 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
63 days to go

From 4 November 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

Richmond Marathon fueling at a glance

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

Race
Allianz Richmond Marathon, 14 November 2026
Distance
42.195 km / 26.2 mi
Aid tables on the course
16
First table
mile 2 (km 3.2)
Spacing after the first table
every 1 to 2 miles
Water
at every table
Sports drink
Tailwind Rapid Hydration, Strawberry Lemonade, at every table
Drink strength
2.5 g carbohydrate per 100 ml
Gel handout
GU Energy Labs GU Original Energy Gel, mile 14 (km 22.5) and mile 21 (km 33.8), 2 points
Food on course
none published
Personal refreshment
not accepted for the mass field
Published sodium
680 mg per litre in the course drink, maker’s mix
Total climb
438 ft, steepest grade 5.1%
Typical carbohydrate target
60 to 90 g an hour
Gels to carry, 3:45 at 75 g/h
8 to 9 using the course drink, 12 carrying everything

Richmond fueling questions, answered

Is there Tailwind on the Richmond Marathon course?

Yes. Tailwind Rapid Hydration, Strawberry Lemonade is at every table, mile 2 to mile 26, alongside water. GU Energy Labs GU Original Energy Gel is handed out at miles 14 and 21.

Where are the gel stations at the Richmond Marathon?

Miles 14 and 21, which is km 22.5 and km 33.8. There is water at each of them. Plan to carry the rest of your own.

How many gels do I need for the Richmond 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 Tailwind at every other table covers roughly 30 g of that, which leaves about 11 gels of 25 g, 2 of them handed out on the course, so carry 9. Drinking half a litre of Tailwind an hour, carry 8. The grid above works this out for any finish time.

Is the Richmond Marathon flat?

Mostly. Our course profile shows 438 ft of climbing across 26.2 miles, a net change of -114 ft, and a steepest quarter mile of 2.7%, 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 Richmond have electrolytes or sodium on the course?

Yes. Tailwind Rapid Hydration carries about 680 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 Richmond Marathon course?

Richmond publishes none. The tables carry water and Tailwind and nothing else.

How far apart are the water stations at Richmond?

The first table is at mile 2. After that they come every 1 to 2 miles. The longest gap after the start is mile 2 to mile 4, 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 14?

At even pace: 1:52 into a 3:30 race, 2:00 into a 3:45, 2:08 into a 4:00, and 2:40 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 Richmond Marathon?

There are 16, at miles 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 and 26. All 16 have water. Every one of them also has Tailwind Rapid Hydration, Strawberry Lemonade.

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

Yes. Richmond 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 10 if you take the course gels.

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

Only for the opening 2 miles. The first table is at mile 2, about 17 minutes into a 3:45 race, and after that tables come every 1 to 2 miles. If your first feed comes before mile 2, carry the fluid for it from the start line.

What should I eat before the Richmond 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 Richmond plan

Build your Richmond plan with the course already loaded

The tables, the Tailwind 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 Richmond, then calls each feed by voice on race day.

Build my Richmond 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

Richmond, 14 Nov 2026
Free plan, course loadedBuild my Richmond plan