Successful Jungfrau Marathon with myLoop

Markus has successfully participated at the Jungfrau Marathon in September. Thanks to myLoop and his incredible stamina, he was able to run a time of 4 hours and 50 minutes – congratulations!

How are you a couple of weeks after the race?

I feel fully recovered. I did a run in the morning after the marathon, a regeneration run. I always warm up and cool down after my trainings sessions and I do slow recovery, e.g. slow runs or walking 30-60 minutes. I like this more than resting or laying on the couch. Doing a little bit is better than doing nothing. For me I recover better if I keep moving and I wanted to check if there was any pain or injury in my body, so I did a run in Interlaken. It was good and thankfully I sustained no injuries. I was a bit tired but it was more in my mind than in my feet and body. I enjoyed the last few hours in Interlaken, it was a pleasure to be there and part of the race, it is a beautiful part of Switzerland.

Did you have any injuries afterwards?

Nothing at all, and my glucose levels stayed in range most of the weekend. The day after the race they were more of an up and down because of the recovery, as my muscles needed more energy to refuel but myLoop helped to keep them in range. After the race I had my usual Cordon Bleu with potatoes to replenish my carbs afterwards. I did not have sore muscles therefore had my usual amount of protein like any other day. At the end of the run my glucose levels were varied but this was to be expected, I did not have any hypos or anything which was the most important thing for me. myLoop also worked well the night after the race. I had cookies and Ovomaltine rocks with me in case there was a hypo but this did not happen.

Can you talk us through your plan the night before and the morning of the race? (nutrition, sleep, pump/insulin adjustments, set changes) Looking back is there anything you would change?

I was staying in a hotel so had breakfast there the earliest they served which was 7 a.m.. I started "Ease-off" one hour before the race. It was perfect, the only thing was ten or twenty minutes before the race I had low glucose levels around 4.4mmol/L I ate some Dextro Energy tabs and it went up. It was perfect for the start of the race between 5 - 6.6mmol/L. After this I did not use any other adjustments until the 10km mark, the station there had granola bars which worked well to keep my glucose up. I ensured to inform the system of all the extra carbs using the add meal option on the app. At Lauterbrunnen station you could get soup which contained no carbs, but had salt. During the first 25km I sweated a lot so I needed to replenish the salts and that was the perfect nutrition for that. I also had Coca Cola the last two kilometers.

What supplies did you carry? Was there anything you wish you had brought that you didn't?

I carried my hypo treatment and my phone. The system helped a lot, I kept it in closed-loop all of the time. I trusted it as if there is an ongoing low glucose level, the system will stop the insulin delivery and alarm. I wore the pump on a pump belt and clipped it to my clothes. I had no issues with it, it was on my waist and I put the shirt over it so it was supported well. The clip works very well for me. The cannula was on my abdomen and the continuations glucose sensor was on my arm. No I had everything I needed.

How was the terrain? Was it cold at the top?

The terrain was perfect for me halfway, at Lauterbrunnen it turned into a hike and not a race. The first part of the marathon I was able to run and some of the second bit which was pretty good. I met many people in front of me who started too fast but when the hill got steep they could not keep this up. Thankfully, we experienced perfect weather conditions, at the top it was actually too hot in the sun. I did not really have any issues with the altitude. It was not my first run that high up. The Grossglockner trail was also pretty high up, so I know that feeling, but this race was easier because we started at 800m and only the last 300m it felt a bit more difficult. The views were breathtaking but I am not sure maybe it was because of the altitude! I was happy to do it under five hours and go down in the cable car.

As the second half of this marathon is very steep and has different physical requirements did this have any affect on you glucose levels?

I am not sure if the altitude influenced my glucose levels. Most of the time I was running or hiking so I do not know if it is the altitude or the activity itself that influenced them. If the finish is in this altitude, I do not really have any tips, as you go up and and go down quite quickly . If you stay there longer maybe there is an effect. This would need to be incorporated into training for a race like that.

Did you learn anything new doing this Marathon?

If the race is in the mountains, train in the mountains. Just run in the mountains for preparation, it is also good for the technique and also for coordination purposes. Next time I would like to carry a first aid kit with me and also carry this in training, with more hypo treatment and more to drink to practice this. I would like to give more attention to the glucose levels and the system, to see if there is something I need to do to act faster.

Is there anything you would do differently?

No I was really happy with the race.

Can you outline what your main goals for your glucose levels? Did this go to plan?

I had changed the personal glucose target to 5.5mmol/L three weeks before the race and the the loop learned to keep me at my target or in this range. With "Ease-off" on this was the perfect glucose target for me. Interestingly the first week I changed the personal glucose target to 5.5mmol/L, my total daily dose increased from 30 units to 40 - 45 units and now I am back to 25 - 35 units per day. Before the race I gained a little bit of weight which helped with energy and I have more muscles now and for me this is the best position to be in.

How did myLoop help with running the marathon?

myLoop was perfect that day, the loop and the race, everything. On the homepage they write: the most beautiful run in the world. And it was really a perfect day.

Any tips for other myLoop users preparing for an event like this?

Everything I eat, I inform the myLoop. Even if insulin is not required I use the add meal option to inform the system how many carbs I have eaten. I think it works very well with more information. Also if there is a hypo I let the myLoop know I have treated it and with how many grams of carbs. For me the loop is getting better and better. If I forget to add something, I get annoyed that I forgot but myLoop works hard to compensate.

You had the opportunity to visit the insulin pump production facility. What comes to your mind spontaneously as a YpsoPump user?

It was cool to see the production line and to have a talk with the people involved. I am impressed how fast the insulin pump is produced and that such a small thing makes such a difference.

Does visiting the production facility change how you feel about using the pump in your daily life and during marathons?

Now I feel much safer than before, I know what is inside and how perfect it fits together. I saw how much precise work goes into making just one pump.

What did you find most surprising or interesting about the manufacturing process of the insulin pumps?

It is fascinating, I know it is a medical product and it must be produced perfectly, but it was nice to be there and speak with the staff. The quality check is very high level, even if there is a small scratch on the screen for example, it is not allowed to be distributed. For the amount of pumps produced I thought the production area would be bigger, its amazing everything is close together and it makes total sense like that, it was very compact.

The awareness of diabetes and the treatments is very important, if there is more awareness we can change the diabetes world to be more positive.