Something shifted this spring - and it wasn’t just the weather.

At the Boston Marathon, we saw fast times across the board. Some pointed to ideal conditions - and that’s always part of the story. But then came the London Marathon. No tailwind. No excuses. Just historic performances.

Sebastian Sawe ran 1:59:30.
Tigst Assefa ran 2:15:41, setting a women’s-only world record.

So what connects Boston and London? It’s not just talent. It’s not just shoes. It’s fueling. 

The Carb Revolution Is No Longer a Theory

For years, endurance athletes were told to limit carbohydrate intake or “train low.”

That thinking has flipped - completely.

At the elite level, the focus now is maximizing carbohydrate availability in both training and racing. Here’s what we’re seeing:

• -Sebastian Sawe took in around 115g of carbs per hour, plus a pre-race gel
• -Yomif Kejelcha used high-carb fueling strategies throughout competition
• -Charles Hicks reportedly took in over 150g per hour at Boston
• -Holly Archer has shown lower perceived effort at higher carb intakes
• -Louise Small averaged over 120g per hour in racing

This isn’t marginal gains anymore. This is a fundamental shift in how endurance performance is built.

Fueling Is Driving the Training

The real breakthrough isn’t just what’s happening on race day - it’s what’s happening in training. Higher carbohydrate intake allows athletes to:

• -Train harder
• -Recover faster
• -Maintain consistency week after week

Instead of digging a hole with every hard session, runners are actually supporting the work required to improve. That’s a big shift. Fitness is no longer limited by how much discomfort you can tolerate - it’s supported by how well you fuel.

Why This Changes Everything

This isn’t just about elites running faster times. It’s about why they’re running faster. When fueling improves, everything downstream improves:

• -Better session quality
• -More stable energy levels
• -Fewer breakdown cycles
• -More consistent progression

We’re seeing it across the board - marathoners, triathletes, cyclists. Better fueling leads to better training. Better training leads to better performance.

What This Means for You

No, you don’t need to jump straight to 120-150g of carbs per hour. But the direction is clear:

• -Underfueling is holding a lot of runners back
• -Carbohydrates are not the enemy - they’re a tool
• -Training adaptations improve when energy availability is high

The key is doing it correctly for your body and your training.

The Bottom Line

We’re entering a new era of endurance performance.

Records that once felt untouchable are starting to fall - not because athletes suddenly got more talented, but because they’re finally fueling in a way that supports their potential.

High carbohydrate fueling is leading that shift. And for the first time in a long time, performance gains are coming from something that also supports better training consistency and long-term development.

That’s a change worth paying attention to.