I run DKSV Marathon today

I must admit that I am very disappointed today. I was on 3:50 maker even at 21 miles, while my legs felt tighter and tighter. Not far from 21 mile marker, I had a cramp at my right thigh, then my right calf. I had to slow down to nearly walking. When I attempted to speed up, cramp happens. Then I had cramps at my left thigh, even both arms. I had painfully watched the 4:00 pacer man ran by and there is nothing I can do, I had to walk/run/cramp and eventually I finished 4 hr 12 mins. After I had to change my stride, I also got few blisters on my left foot.

I don't know why this is happen to me, I had harder practice run with water bag on my back for up to 23 miles and I didn't have any hint of cramp at all. When the cramp hit me, my first thought was I wasn't hydrated enough; yet I took drink at almost every aid station. Then I think maybe is because of the drink they provided, it's called Ultima Replinisher drink. (I trained on Gatorade) I don't know if it was suppose to be like that, but it tasted very light. I check out their website, it says it has no sugar and only 10 calories per serving. Maybe that's is also why I felt hungry all the way at later half of my run. I got chunk of banana at two aid stations, and I had my sport gel, that's all. I also think their aid station ran pretty badly. At few stations, I passed all the water and hopping to find a sport drink and I found no one is providing sport drink and I had to settle with a cup of water. Some race use different color of cups for water and sport drink, you can tell from yards away, they didn't have those. And after the bad cramps, I just felt they don't have enough drink for me and I had to stopped at a gas station to buy a bottle of drink myself. But it was too late, cramp won't go away.

Oh, anyway. My dream to run faster than 4hrs had just been shattered, I have to train harder and give another try at next Marathon. By the way, do you like the new medallion design? It's over simplified with just one hollow circle with 5" in diameter. Half marathon has same design but just smaller in size.

=== possible answer to cramp ===

After talk to a few friends, they ask me how much liquid I have taken, I told them a little less than half cup at each station, and there are trotally 10 aid stations (and you can take drink qhwn you run both directions). I did the measurement, and the way I drink water(sport drink) (lose some first so it will spill, then take a few sips, throw away the cup with a little fluid still in it). I was probably taking 120 CC at each station. Before I cramped up, I ran pass aid stations 15 times at most. That's under 2 liter of fluid I took for running 3 hours straight. If at each aid station, I can finish the entire half cup, or take two half cup, I should do better.