Carry mints for their flavour or breath-freshening role, not as the sole fuel for a marathon training run. World Athletics lists 30–60 g of carbohydrate per hour for endurance exercise lasting 1–2.5 hours and up to 90 g per hour for efforts over 2.5 hours, with multiple-transportable carbohydrates at the higher intake range. Compare any mint’s labelled portion with the amount planned for your run, and practise your food and drink strategy in training.
For a marathon-specific session, work out carbohydrate intake across the run and plan drinks as well as food. World Athletics advises practising competition eating in training; a mint can be an extra sweet, but a few mints are not a complete fuelling plan.
If you want a mint before or after training rather than fuel during it, choose a format you can carry and check whether its ingredients and sugar content suit your preference.
If allergens or dietary restrictions affect your choice, check the exact current pack. Mint recipes differ: Tesco Groceries labels Polo Original suitable for vegans, while Marks & Spencer lists beef gelatine in its standard Curiously Strong Mints.
Decide whether the mint is for flavour or part of a measured food plan, then check the portion, ingredients and how you intend to carry it.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Carbohydrate plan | Compare carbohydrate per intended portion with your planned hourly intake. World Athletics lists 30–60 g/hour for 1–2.5 hours and up to 90 g/hour beyond 2.5 hours; its higher range calls for multiple-transportable carbohydrates, such as glucose plus fructose. | For a long run, I want food I can portion and use repeatedly, alongside a fluid plan—not a mint serving mistaken for a full hour’s fuel. |
| Portion size | Keep per-mint, per-serving and per-100 g figures distinct. Tesco Groceries lists 4.4 g carbohydrate per three Polo Original mints and 5.0 g per two Tesco Mint Imperials. | A whole roll or bag might be more than I intend to carry or eat. I need the amount for the portion I would actually use. |
| Mint type | Read sugars and ingredients as well as total carbohydrate. Marks & Spencer lists 0.2 g sugars per 100 g for Sugar Free Curiously Strong Mints; its standard version has a different recipe. | If I am carrying a mint for flavour, I can choose between sugar-containing and sugar-free products without assuming either replaces my long-run fuel. |
| Ingredients | Check the current pack’s ingredient, allergen and dietary statements for the exact flavour and format. GOV.UK says any of the 14 regulated allergens used as ingredients in prepacked food must be clearly labelled in its ingredients list. | I want to check the product I am buying, rather than assume all mints from a brand have the same ingredients. |
| Use during a run | Consider how you will carry portions and take in fluid. World Athletics advises practising competition eating during training. | Before a long session or race, I want to know whether my planned food, drink and timing work for me while running. |
Tesco Groceries lists 4.4 g carbohydrate per three Polo Original mints. That serving is much smaller than World Athletics’ 30–60 g/hour guidance for exercise lasting 1–2.5 hours.
Use the carbohydrate figure for the portion you would eat to plan intake across the run; do not count a mint serving as a complete fuelling strategy.
Marks & Spencer lists 0.2 g sugars per 100 g for Sugar Free Curiously Strong Mints. A sugar-free mint chosen for flavour does not take the place of planned carbohydrate intake.
If the session calls for carbohydrate, plan its source separately and check the label of the mint you intend to carry.
Tesco Groceries labels Polo Original suitable for vegans, but Marks & Spencer lists beef gelatine in standard Curiously Strong Mints. Sainsbury’s warns that its Mint Imperials are not suitable for customers with a peanut or nut allergy because of manufacturing methods.
Read the current pack for the exact product, particularly when changing flavour, format or retailer.
A packet of mints does not address fluid intake or show how you will maintain a planned carbohydrate intake throughout a long run. World Athletics advises practising competition eating in training.
Try your intended food, drink, portions and timing during training rather than introducing a new pattern on race day.
These examples show why the exact product and labelled portion matter; a brand name alone does not establish a mint’s role in a running plan.
Polo Original is a pressed mint sold in a tube.
The peppermint Softmints listed by Tesco Groceries come in multipack rolls and have a chewy centre with a crisp coating.
Tesco Mint Imperials are sold as a 200 g bag of mint sweets.
Sainsbury's Mint Imperials are sold in a 200 g confectionery bag.
M&S lists both standard and sugar-free Curiously Strong Mints; they should not be treated as nutritionally interchangeable.
Waitrose Mint Imperials are sold as mint sweets in a 200 g bag.
These rolls and a tin are options for carrying mints around training. Choose them for their format and ingredients, not on the assumption that one pack provides a complete marathon fuelling plan.
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Four separate rolls offer a way to carry spearmint sweets around training. If you intend to count them towards carbohydrate intake, check the current pack for the portion you would eat and plan drinks separately.
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The five-roll format lets you carry a mint roll separately from the rest of the pack. Check carbohydrate for the portion you plan to use if it will form part of a measured food plan.
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A multi-roll option if you want to keep mints available before or after a run. For any planned intake during a run, check the current pack’s serving information rather than treating a roll as an hourly fuel portion.
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The four-roll pack is an option for carrying peppermint sweets. Check the current ingredient list for dietary suitability and the labelled portion before including them in a food plan.
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The tin offers a different carry format from a roll for someone choosing a sugar-free mint. Do not use the sugar-free description as a reason to count it as planned marathon carbohydrate; check the current ingredients if sweeteners matter to your choice.
No: a roll alone is not a complete carbohydrate and fluid plan for a marathon. Tesco Groceries lists 4.4 g carbohydrate per three Polo Original mints and 19.0 g per 20.4 g serving of peppermint Trebor Softmints. World Athletics lists up to 90 g/hour for exercise beyond 2.5 hours, with multiple-transportable carbohydrates at that higher intake range; plan and practise the portions and drinks appropriate to your run.
Choose them for mint flavour, not as a substitute for planned marathon carbohydrate. Marks & Spencer lists 0.2 g sugars per 100 g for Sugar Free Curiously Strong Mints and names sorbitol and steviol glycosides among its sweeteners.
You can assess their carbohydrate contribution from the exact pack’s labelled portion, but a bag is not automatically a workable long-run food and drink plan. Tesco Groceries lists 5.0 g carbohydrate per two Tesco Mint Imperials; calculate the amount you intend to carry and practise taking it with your planned drinks during training.
Read the current ingredient list and any product-specific allergy advice before choosing it. GOV.UK says that, in the UK, any of the 14 regulated allergens used as ingredients in prepacked food must be clearly labelled in the ingredients list. Product warnings matter too: Sainsbury’s says its Mint Imperials are not suitable for customers with a peanut or nut allergy because of manufacturing methods.
Practise the food, drinks and timing you intend to use during training first. World Athletics advises practising competition eating in training so that you can adjust your approach before an event.