This past weekend, Rio de Janeiro’s coastline became the stage for one of the biggest running celebrations in Brazil: the Rio Marathon. And for those who were there, you know — it wasn’t just a race, it was a full-on event.
Let’s start with some perspective:
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There were around 25,000 runners in the Half Marathon and another 15,000 in the Marathon.
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That makes the Rio Marathon one of the largest road races in Latin America.
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The average race-day temperature ranged from 21°C to 26°C (70°F to 79°F) — sounds fine, but under the sun and on hot pavement, it hits hard.
Now let’s talk numbers — because that’s what Running Nerd is all about:
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A marathon runner burns an average of 2,500 to 3,500 calories, depending on body weight, pace, and conditions.
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You take around 50,000 to 60,000 steps to complete a marathon.
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Less than 1% of the world’s population has ever finished a marathon.
The global average finish time is 4 hours and 21 minutes — if you’re faster than that, congrats, you’re ahead of the curve!
Nutrition: the fuel behind performance
With such a physical demand, nutrition plays a critical role. A marathon isn’t just about muscle endurance — it’s a strategic game of energy management.
Throughout the race, your body depletes glycogen stores, loses fluids and electrolytes, and that has a direct impact on performance. That’s why fueling properly before and during the race is key to finishing strong.
And speaking of fuel, here’s what Z2 brought to the course to support the runners:
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A total of 65,000 energy gels were distributed between the Half and the Full Marathon — included in race kits and on-course fueling stations.
Now let’s translate that into energy:
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That’s over 6.5 million calories made available to runners!
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Which is roughly equivalent to:
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18,000 Big Macs
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32,000 slices of pizza
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81,000 bananas
Yep, the energy was covered.
See you at the next starting line!
