EXTREME RACE FOOD SERIES

It took me 4 ultras to realize my ‘late race fatigue’ was actually nutrition related. This is especially common in newer runners. If you had low points in a race, you were more likely limited with the amount of glucose you have burned through in your muscles rather than a lack of fitness. nutrition: Ultrarunners are often limited by their nutrition/hydration/race strategy rather than their fitness.

Develop a plan: Research the race course, predict time between aid stations, create calorie goals between aid stations, decide how much you plan to bring/eat at aid stations, andddddd race!.

Nothing new on race day: Try a lot of diverse foods in training and find what sticks.

A potentially complex topic, read here for more.

Hydration and electrolytes: Drink to thirst and incorporate electrolytes (I prefer salt tabs over a product like Nuun) into your race strategy.

In races of 12+ hours, I find the body to be more capable of digesting fats.

In races of 6+ hours, I recommend eating 15% of calories from proteins to supplement the carbohydrates.

Proteins and fats require a more complicated breakdown in your stomach, where a simple carb can be digested, converted to energy, and use by muscles within ~20 minutes of entering the body.

Eat carbs: Carbohydrates are the rocket fuel of the metabolic system.

While not everyone will be able to handle this much, try eating more if 250 cal/hr is comfortable for you. Eat more and you will likely experience GI distress, eat less and you are increasing your chances of bonking or ‘hitting the wall.’ However, some studies show mountain runners are able to digest up to 460 calories per hour.

150-250 calories per hour: Significant research has been done to quantify the ideal amount of calories per hour to digest.Human bodies are wired similarly, which allows use to have some #lifehacks if you are new to the nutrition game or haven’t nerded out about calorie to gram ratios of fats and carbohydrates. Until we turn into psyborgs, nutrition will be an art, not a science. While the principles outlined below will help you maximize your performance, people have finished ultras with a lot less foresight. If you lack experience, have a gameplan but don’t be afraid to stray from it. Develop a broader scope of data, and then get back to bragging to your friends about your iron stomach. Just because you ran slow for 4 hours once doesn’t mean your body will respond the same way under more trying conditions for twice the duration. If a race has temperatures over 70 degrees, is humid or dry, at altitude or a runnable course, my body will likely respond differently than it has in training.Ī common mistake I see in ultrarunning is for runners to extrapolate the results of their longest last run to project for this race. If I can supply my own food in a race, I can ensure that I’m bringing safety foods that I know I will respond positively to. If my event is over 8 hours, I’m exerting less acute stress on my body and therefore am less likely to experience stomach issues. If I have an iron stomach, I believe I am at a lower risk of GI distress or nausea from eating the wrong foods. That is a scary thought, especially if that is a new distance. Poor nutrition and hydration cripples running performance in an ultra. Will race conditions differ from how I’ve practiced in training?.Am I bringing my own food or relying on aid stations?.Does food generally sit well in my stomach?.Runners have four important yes/no questions that will guide a nutrition plan: This article exists to put what is a very complex topic of race nutrition into a succinct and digestible (get it?!) guide.Įndurance Nutrition Strategy – What should I worry about? Just a man and his grilled cheese. Many of my ultramarathon athletes have approached me, ‘How do I even eat for an ultramarathon race?’ This is one of those existential questions akin to your child asking who is God.

Ask Me Anything: Food and nutrition Q&A for runners.Common Foods for Marathons, Ultramarathons and FKTs.Race Strategy Nutrition for Ultramarathons (congrats, you’re here!).Fueling and Nutrition for Marathons, Ultras and FKTs.Subscribe for updates as we drop other articles:

EXTREME RACE FOOD SERIES

This is the first of a 4 part series on nutrition for endurance athletes.

Extreme race food