Philadelphia Marathon 2026 Fueling Guide: Aid Stations, e-Gels, and a Plan for Every Finish Time

Philadelphia is a fast, well-supported marathon with one detail that changes every fueling plan this year: the drink at the stations has no sugar. DryWater Lemon Lime gives you fluid and electrolytes, so almost all of your carbohydrate has to come from gels, either your own or the three Crank e-Gel stops. The hills come in the middle of the race, and the last ten miles are flat along the river.

This guide starts with what the Philadelphia Marathon has published for this year, shows when you will reach each station at your pace, and gives three plans. The new station list had not been published when we wrote this, so the miles below come from last year’s list, which matches the station sites on this year’s course map. Check the FAQ again in race week.

Philadelphia Marathon 2026: The Confirmed Race Facts

The marathon field grew to 20,000 runners this year and sold out. Security opens at 5:00 a.m. with metal detectors and bag searches, and the start will not wait for the lines. Plan to arrive early, which moves breakfast earlier too.

What Is on the Philadelphia Marathon Course

Two things about the Philadelphia stations matter. First, the drink: DryWater has no added sugar, so a cup gives you fluid and electrolytes, not fuel. Runners who count on course drink for carbohydrate, as many do at races that serve Gatorade, will come up short here. Second, the gel: each Crank e-Gel has 37 g of carbohydrate, more than most gels. That is a lot to take at once if your stomach is not used to it, so try one in training or split it over two stations with water.

The longest gap is from mile 11.8 to 14.4, and it includes the climb up 33rd Street and Reservoir Drive. Take your gel at 11.8 with water so you are not trying to fuel on the hill.

When You Will Reach Each Station at Your Pace

Elapsed time from your start at an even pace. The hills make the middle miles a little slower and the Kelly Drive miles a little faster for most runners, so treat these as a guide, not a schedule.

Pick Your Plan: Three Runner Profiles

World Athletics’ consensus statement gives 30 to 60 g of carbohydrate per hour as the common marathon range and suggests trained runners try up to 90 g per hour for races over two and a half hours. In Philadelphia the course drink adds no carbohydrate, so every gram comes from gels and whatever you carry.

Racing it: at 80 g per hour, a 3:00 to 3:15 race needs about 250 g of carbohydrate. You pass the e-Gel stops at about 1:21, 2:02, and 2:33, which is too uneven to build a racing plan around, so carry your own: seven or eight gels in a belt, or a 500 ml soft flask of concentrated mix. Take the first gel at about 20 to 25 minutes on the flat opening miles, and time the ones around the hills so you take them on the flat before mile 7 and at mile 11.8, not on the climbs. Once you reach Kelly Drive, the river miles are the easiest place to eat.

Steady marathon: at 60 to 75 g per hour, a 4:00 runner needs 240 to 300 g. The three e-Gels give 111 g if you take them all, which leaves five or six carried gels of 25 to 30 g. One simple plan: carried gels at 30, 55, and 80 minutes, the e-Gel at mile 11.8, a carried gel on Kelly Drive around 2:15, the e-Gel at 17.8, a carried gel in Manayunk around 3:05, and the last e-Gel at 22.3. That is about 60 g per hour. Drink water with every gel and use DryWater at the other stations for sodium.

Long day: for a 5:00 to 7:00 finish, aim for 40 to 60 g per hour in small doses every 15 to 20 minutes. The time limit is generous at 16 minutes per mile, but the course drink will not give you carbohydrate, so bring what you need: chews, half gels, or a small bottle of your usual sports drink. Split each 37 g e-Gel into two or three doses with water. Keep some salt in the plan and take your last carbohydrate by about mile 24.

Caffeine, Sodium, and the Gel Size

• Caffeine: the course e-Gels have none. If you use caffeine, bring it: the ISSN supports 3 to 6 mg per kg about 60 minutes before exercise, and a caffeinated gel in the second half works if you have tested it.
• Sodium: DryWater and the e-Gels (230 mg each) supply some. Salty sweaters should add a tested salt product on a mild day, roughly 300 to 600 mg per hour.
• Gel size: at 37 g, an e-Gel is bigger than most gels. Take it with a full cup of water, or split it across two stations.
• Wrappers: tear the top before the station so you can take a cup with the other hand.

Hydration for a Late-November Morning

Late November in Philadelphia averages a high near 12 °C (54 °F) and a low near 3 °C (37 °F). At the 7:00 a.m. start the normal temperature is about 5 °C (42 °F), rising to about 10 °C (50 °F) by noon. Most runners lose less fluid than in their summer training and need fewer stations than they expect. World Athletics warns against drinking more than you sweat, and finishing heavier than you started is a sign of overdrinking.

• Test your sweat rate in a cool long run; many runners overestimate what they need in November.
• Hydration vests are allowed on course but must be empty through security. Fill them with the purified water in the start area.
• Sealed bottles are allowed; open bottles are not allowed through security.
• Seek help for confusion, severe headache, repeated vomiting, or collapse, whatever the clock says.

Breakfast for a 7:00 a.m. Start

Security checkpoints open at 5:00 a.m., there is no bib pickup on race morning, and the start will not be delayed for the lines. Most runners are at the Parkway by 5:30 to 6:00 a.m., which means breakfast around 3:30 to 4:30 a.m. Warming tents open at 5:00 a.m.

• Three to four hours before 7:00: a practiced breakfast of about 1.5 to 2.5 g carbohydrate per kg, such as a bagel with jam, a banana, and a sports drink.
• If that is too early for you: a smaller breakfast of about 1 g per kg at 5:00 a.m. and a bigger snack before bed.
• In the start area, 45 to 60 minutes before your corral: a small, tested top-up from your clear bag, such as half a bagel or a banana.
• Ten to fifteen minutes before the start: an optional gel with water, only if used in training.
• Coffee: your usual dose before you leave; do not count on finding it near the start.

Course Tactics: Where Philadelphia Breaks Fueling Plans

• Miles 0 to 6.5, Center City and Columbus Boulevard: flat and fast, with stations at 2.3, 3.7, and 5.1. Take your first gel at about 20 to 30 minutes and do not bank time.
• Miles 7 to 8, Walnut Street and 34th Street: the first climb, about 25 m up from the river. Drink at 7.1 before it.
• Miles 9 to 11, the Zoo, Lansdowne Drive, and the Belmont area: the hilliest part, with the high point near mile 10.7. The station at 10.2 is on the climb; drink there, but keep the gel for 11.8.
• Mile 11.8, Lansdowne Drive: the first e-Gel, then the longest gap to 14.4, including the 33rd Street and Reservoir Drive climb.
• Miles 15.5 to 16, Fountain Green Drive: a steep drop to Kelly Drive. Easy on the lungs, hard on the quads; settle before the flat half.
• Miles 16 to 20, Kelly Drive to Manayunk: flat along the river, with stations at 16.2, 17.8 (e-Gel), 18.9, and 19.8. The best place on the course to eat.
• Miles 20 to 24, back along the river: stations at 20.2, 21.3, 22.3 (e-Gel), and 24.2. Last carbohydrate by about mile 24.
• Miles 24 to 26.2, back to Eakins Oval: flat. Your fuel should already be in.

The Long-Run Rehearsal That Makes the Plan Real

Use at least two long runs as full simulations. Wake at race time, eat the breakfast, then run with the same belt or vest, the same gels, and the same clock-based alerts. Put your hills between kilometers 11 and 25, like Philadelphia, and practice taking a gel before a climb instead of on it. If you plan to use the course gels, buy Crank e-Gels and try a full 37 g packet with water on a long run first.

The most important rehearsal for Philadelphia: run with water and an electrolyte drink that has no sugar, not with a sports drink. If your usual plan leans on sports drink carbohydrate, you need to replace those grams with gels for this race.

Race-Week Philadelphia Checklist

• Read the final FAQ and course map again; the new station list is due before race day.
• Check your corral when assignments come out in November and plan travel for a 5:00 to 5:30 a.m. arrival.
• Pack the clear bag: tested food, an empty vest or bottle to fill in the start area, and throwaway layers.
• Lay out every carried gel, add one backup, and write grams and clock times on one card.
• Check the forecast 48 hours out; cold changes fluids and clothing, not the carb plan.
• Buy nothing new at the expo to eat on race day.

Turn your finish target, body weight, and preferred fuel into one timed plan around the official Philadelphia stations and e-Gel stops.

Build Your Philadelphia Race Plan

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources and Update Notes