Training, Racing & Eating: a focus on fuelling an ultramarathon – what’s practical?

What to eat? When to eat? How much to eat? Common dilemmas for any athlete when trying to get the most out of their training and competition. In my opinion, there is no better test for sports nutrition than in an ultra marathon race. Yes, most athletes from recreational, club level to elite will recognise the importance of their diet and how this effects their performance. However, there is still the thought amongst some that, as long as you are putting the miles in, you can "eat what you like".

Nutrition won't make an average athlete elite but has the ability to make an elite athlete average

I think there is a lot of truth in this, and that's why now, Sports Dietitians are becoming widely recognised as a crucial part of the athlete team.

When elite athletes are looking for that extra 1% on race day, nutrition is essential. However, for many runners just wanting to complete their first 10k, 1/2 marathon or marathon, it can be viewed as less important and they become completely focused on the physical training. It's true that many will manage to get round the distance without paying too much attention to how they've fuelled their race. Could they have been faster? Often the blame for slowing towards the end will be placed on not enough training, but actually did they run out of energy?

My specific interest in fuelling ultra marathon running (races over 26.2miles) stemmed from the fact that for this length of race, whatever level of runner you are, you simply cannot "get away" with neglecting what you eat. When running for anything from 6-7 hours to multiple days, you will not reach the finish line without adequate energy. In addition, the macro and micronutrient composition becomes more important, along with the mode of delivery (liquid, solid, gels). While a few energy gels might be enough to see you through a marathon, "taste fatigue" becomes a huge issue when athletes try to use the same product over the course of a 24 hour (or longer) race. The body starts to reject the food/ drink and suddenly you find yourself unable to absorb any food whatsoever - this is a big cause of the dreaded DNF. Practice really is essential, as what works for someone is highly unlikely to work just as well for someone else. This is where consulting a Sports Dietitian can help, giving advice and strategies specific to you.

I have been helping an experienced ultra runner and fellow Kilbarchan AAC member John Kynaston with his nutritional preparation for ultra marathon races a few years now and find it useful to assess post race:

•    Overall energy/ carbohydrate intake which was consumed
•    Fluid intake
•    Race result
•   Comparison to guidelines for energy and carbohydrate ingestion during endurance exercise (ACSM position stand, 2009)

He recently completed the Hardmoors 55 mile race in 10 hours 10 mins and in 32nd position (blog: http://johnkynaston.com/2014/03/23/hardmoors-55-race-report-2/). This was 20 mins ahead of his pre race goal and reported post race to have taken in the following:

• 1 slice of fruit bread with jam
• half a small tub of mashed sweet potato and cheese
• 1 cliff bar
• 1 Greek style yoghurt
• 1050ml of flat coke
• 2.5l of Matrix Energy Drink

This works out as ~ 2170 calories and 460g CHO to fuel 10 hours of running - is this enough?

One of the common mistakes athletes can make is trying to match intake with energy expenditure. While runners will be burning in excess of 600 calories/ hour, the body can only absorb ~ 250 per hour. Trying to consume 600 calories while running is likely to impair performance and cause gastrointestinal distress.

Current research suggests an optimal intake of ~ 250 calories and 30-60g CHO to be ingested per hour of running to maximise performance and prevent glycogen depletion. It's important to start fuelling within the first hour as it's much easier to top up glycogen levels rather than waiting until they are depleted.

Looking at the intake above, he ingested 217 calories and 46g CHO per hour which is almost exactly as the guidelines suggest. The majority of this was in liquid form and from sweet foods, but he did feel that energy levels were sustained right to the finish of the race. For a longer race, the addition of protein will become increasingly important and including savoury options to prevent the "taste fatigue" mentioned earlier. While many other factors come into play on race day, I'm sure it was no coincidence that a great race performance was coupled with a nutrition strategy in line with recommendations!

So I would encourage any athletes, whatever level, to give your nutrition an extra bit of consideration when planning your training programme. When you get it right, it definitely has the ability to enhance performance!

Cara :)