I don't but I read in an interview with Brian Sell of Hansons-Brooks running project that he and another guy on the team drink a gatorade/red bull mixture during the first part of a marathon.

Only an hour? I thought it was ~2000 calories, which would be maybe 16-20 miles (16 if you're going really fast, 20 would be more realistic at long run pace). For races, it's a good idea to carb load and also consume energy during the race (gels, sports beans, etc.). However, if it's a long run, there's a bit of debate as to whether you should consume calories during the run. Sure you should carb load and eat before you run (we're talking 3-4 hours beforehand, not right before - GI reasons), but a lot of people argue that by not consuming gels during training, you train your body to rely more on its fat burning system than its glycogen burning system. Have a look at greg mcmillan's site:
http://www.mcmillanrunning.com/[/URL" target="_blank"> there's an article about it somewhere.

The 4:1 recovery thing is right on

The original question isn't about eating before running, it's about energy drinks and the benefits of them..

I think they're talking about things like red bull or tab..

Those drinks are full of caffeine and taurine. Caffeine means that you can work out harder and longer because it suppresses lactic acid, meaning you don't "feel the burn" as quickly as normal. The taurine gives you a burst of energy.

I've never had any of these things before running but I do sometimes drink it before a long ballet class if I'm feeling tired.  It wakes me up, gives me the energy to work and maintain good form so I don't risk injuring myself, and allows me to work longer..

In my experience, Red Bull provided a HUGE burst of energy when I drank some during a run.  Of course, it was after 2:00 am and I had been running since 6:00 am the previous morning, so my body definately needed a jolt!  I only had about a third of a cup of the stuff, and it kept me running for another 50K. 

Be sure not to overdo it, though. I doubt that it's a good idea to take in a large amount of caffeine when working hard, especially if you're going to be running at a higher heart rate (I was moving fairly slow by that point).

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Mark

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