Charlie Davis: Marathon Training, Nitrate Loading and Beet It Sport

Charlie Davis did not run 2:14:48 at the London Marathon because of one perfect session.

That result came from years of steady work: learning the sport, building the miles, recovering properly, and getting enough good days stacked together over time.

 

His running started in primary school, after entering an inter-schools cross country race in his borough. From there, he got into the London Mini Marathon, then joined his local athletics club.

Later, at university in Birmingham, Charlie found himself around a strong group of athletes and coaches. That environment gave him a clearer view of what it takes to improve.

“It opened my eyes up to how you can go about doing things to take yourself up a level,” he says.

That progression has since taken him to a 2:14:48 personal best at the London Marathon, where he improved his PB by more than a minute, and a 2nd-place finish at the 50km World Championships in India.

But when Charlie talks about performance, he does not make it sound like a mysterious, unattainable thing to optimise.

He comes back to consistency.

The part that matters most

For Charlie, consistency is not about every day being perfect.

It is about doing enough good work, often enough, for long enough.

“No single session, or week, or even month will give you results no matter how good,” he says. “You have to stack up 7/10 days over a long block and if you manage to do that you will find you are pretty fit by the end.”

That is a super useful way to think about marathon training.

A perfect session means very little if it sits inside an inconsistent block. But repeated solid days, backed up by recovery, food, sleep, and patience, can move things a long way.

Charlie’s own training reflects that. A normal day often includes a run before work, sometimes a gym session, then another run or session later in the day. He tends to keep the harder or longer sessions for the weekend, with sauna work and swimming also sitting around the main running load.

It is a serious routine, but the principle is simple:

Do the work. Recover from the work. Repeat it for long enough to adapt. At least that is the Beet It Sport team's humble surmising after a very informative q&a with Charlie.

What marathon training teaches you

Charlie admits he had to adjust how he thought about the marathon.

Before his first one, he assumed the training would be similar to shorter distances, just with a few longer runs added in.

He quickly learnt it was not that simple.

The marathon asks for something different. The long run becomes more important. Fuelling becomes more important. Recovery becomes more important. You have to be able to hold a rhythm for a long time, and you have to arrive at race day with enough work done without tipping over the edge.

That is also why his move into 50km racing was not a complete rebuild. The pace felt a little more comfortable than marathon pace, but the distance was longer, so the balance changed.

The wider approach stayed similar: build the week well, manage the effort, and respect the demands of the distance.

 

The final week

By race week, the greatest job is no longer to gain fitness.

It is to protect that precious gem you've been creating in the furness of marathon training.

Charlie keeps the final week simple. He reduces his running volume, keeps the routine familiar, and focuses on getting his legs ready for race day. He is also careful about avoiding illness in those final few days.

That restraint and control is super important.

It is easy to panic in race week and look for one more confidence boost. But the work has already been done. The final week is about arriving fresh, calm, and ready to use the fitness you have built.

This is where the smaller details really matter.

For Charlie, one of those details is nitrate.

Where Beet It Sport fits in

Charlie started using Beet It Sport because he was looking for extra performance gains before London.

“Nitrates was by far the most researched supplement that I wasn’t using,” he says. “It gives me that extra 1% when you really need it.”

That is a good way to place nitrate.

Not as a shortcut. Not as the reason the training works. But as one of the details that can support performance and the foundations that are already in place.

In the week of the marathon, Charlie took one Beet It Sport Nitrate 400 shot every day from five days out, then one shot on race day around three hours before the start.

Each Nitrate 400 shot delivers a consistent 400mg dose of dietary nitrate, making it simple to follow a clear nitrate loading protocol without having to guess the amount.

That reliability is important. When you are preparing for a marathon, the final few days are not the time for vague decisions. You want to know what you are taking, when you are taking it, and how it fits into the plan.

The final 1%

The “extra 1%” matters most when it sits on top of consistent training, recovery, and preparation.

For Charlie, that means years in the sport, a strong training environment, consistent mileage, sensible recovery, good fuelling, race-week restraint, and then the final details that help him get the most from the work already done.

That is the useful lesson for runners at every level.

Performance is not built by one magic session, one supplement, or one perfect week.

It is built through enough good days, repeated across a long block.

Then, when race day gets close, you sharpen the details.

For Charlie, Beet It Sport Nitrate 400 is one of those details: a practical, reliable way to support his nitrate loading protocol before key races and sessions.

To dig a little deeper into Charlie’s journey, training, and race-day habits, we asked him a few quick questions.

Quick Q&A with Charlie Davis

How did you first become interested in running?
I started running in primary school, there was an inter-schools cross country race in my borough which I started doing, and then from there I got into the London Mini Marathon and then joined my local athletics club

What was the moment you realised you wanted to take running seriously?
Probably when I got to university, I was quite lucky to end up at Birmingham University where there is a big group full of really great athletes and coaches, and that opened my eyes up to how you can go about doing things to take yourself up a level

You recently ran 2:14:48 at the London Marathon - how do you reflect on that performance now?
I’m super happy with it! London Marathon is a really special day out and so to be able to go and get a PB by over a minute made it even better

What has been your most memorable race or performance to date?
Probably this year's 50km World Championships. The whole experience of getting to represent my country for the first time was amazing, and racing in India was pretty unique as well. Finishing 2nd in the world capped it off quite nicely as well!

You’ve also competed over 50km - how does your approach differ between the marathon and ultra-distance racing?
In a lot of ways it was quite similar, I think the bigger picture of what I would be doing in any given week probably doesn’t differ between the two. My 50km pace feels a little bit more comfortable than marathon pace, but obviously you have to keep it up for longer so there is a bit of a balance to be had there.

What are your main ambitions in running for 2026 and beyond?
For the rest of this year my main aims are to try and improve my times over some of the shorter distances, particularly 5k and the half marathon, before having another crack at a fast marathon at the end of the year.

Who has been a major influence or inspiration in your running journey?
Definitely my coaches. I’ve had a few of them over the years and they’ve all given me so much and helped me to really enjoy and grow in the sport

What does a typical training day look like for you?
Usually I will do a run and sometimes a gym session before work, and then run again or do a session after work. I tend to save my harder/longer sessions for the weekend, I also use the sauna a couple of times a week.

How do you approach fuelling and nutrition during heavy training blocks?
Fuelling is really important especially during a heavy training block. I try to make sure I’m eating a balanced diet and having big portions to ensure I am meeting my body's demands. On heavier days I will supplement that with recovery shakes to make sure my body has everything it needs to recover and adapt to the training I am doing.

What role does consistency play in your performance as a marathon runner?
Consistency is key, especially for the marathon. No single session, or week, or even month will give you results no matter how good. You have to stack up 7/10 days over a long block and if you manage to do that you will find you are pretty fit by the end.

What are the key details you focus on in the final week before a marathon?
The final week is all about making sure your legs are ready to go on race day. I tend to try and keep to a routine I’m used to whilst also reducing the volume of running I’m doing so that I feel fresh. I’m also extra careful to try and not pick up any sickness bugs in that last week.

If you could give one piece of advice to someone preparing for their first marathon, what would it be?
I would say to just focus on getting the miles in. As long as you have done enough running, with a few good long runs in there, and are getting the recovery right you’ll be really strong come race day.

What do you think many people misunderstand about marathon training?
My biggest misunderstanding coming in for my first marathon was that I thought my training would be the same as for shorter distances but with a few longer runs thrown in there. I quickly learned this isn’t the case.

Besides running, what other activities or routines help you recover and stay balanced?
I like to use the sauna a couple of times a week, as it has good benefits for heat acclimation. I also try to get in the pool and swim once a week. I’m really not very good at swimming so I am enjoying trying to improve at that, but I don’t think you’ll see me doing any triathlons any time soon!

In what ways has Beet It Sport impacted your training and performance?
Approaching London I was looking for ways I could find some extra performance gains on race day, and nitrates was by far the most researched supplement that I wasn’t using. It gives me that extra 1% when you really need it

How do you typically use Beet It Sport products around training or race day?
I tend to load for a few days before a session with a shot of Beet It Sport 400mg nitrate, and also use the Beet it Sport Tart Cherry juice in the days after my session to aid recovery. In the week of the marathon I took a Beet It Sport 400mg nitrate shot every day from 5 days out and then one on race day about 3 hours before the start.

How did you first hear about Beet It Sport?
I heard about it from other runners who were already using it and recommended it to me

Why would you recommend Beet It Sport to other runners?
Beet it Sport is the best way to get a reliable dose of nitrate in a convenient easy to drink format for those looking to level up their performance. The Tart Cherry juice is also great for any runners struggling to recover after big sessions.

We are proud to have Charlie as our Beet It Sport ambassador and wish him all the best going forward. 

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