Nutrition For Marathon Runners

Admin
Feb 29, 2024
4 min read

Updated: Sep 11

Keep reading for the science on fueling your body during a marathon or long race. This article focuses on hydration and fueling pre, during, and post-race.

Topics of Conversation:

Why is Nutrition Important?
Macros for Miles
Let’s Talk Hydration
Electrolyte Drink Breakdown
Tips for Your Marathon Training Plan
How About Carbohydrate Loading?
Fuel for Race Day
How to Fuel During Your Race
Post-Race Recovery

Why is Nutrition Important?

The amount of running you’re doing a week to train for a marathon can take a huge toll on your body! This can use up a lot of your body’s energy and even break down your muscle.

Making sure you’re eating enough calories and protein throughout the day is important to rebuild muscle

Macros for Miles: Understanding macronutrients - what are they and why are they important?

Carbohydrates, protein, and fat provide energy for your body.Let’s break down why they’re important for running:

Carbohydrates: Main source of fuel your body uses to get across the finish line!
Protein: Supports lean muscle maintenance + rebuilds damaged muscle from the miles of training done each week.
Fat: Helps to fuel your muscle, especially towards the end of your run when you’re running low on carbohydrates/glucose, to make sure you finish at top speed!

Let’s Talk Hydration

Sweating is your body’s way of keeping your body temperature in check. This can cause a loss of fluids and electrolytes, especially sodium which can put you at risk for dehydration.

In our next section, we’ll review the importance of balancing your electrolytes and how to replenish them with electrolyte drinks!

A great way to combat this is by drinking plenty of fluids.Here are some helpful tips to guide you:

2 Hours before running: Drink 17–20 fl. oz
Every 15–20 minutes during your run: Drink 5–10 oz
After your run: Drink 16–24 fl. oz for every lb. lost*

*Weigh yourself after running to see how much water you lost in your sweat.

Electrolyte Drink Breakdown:

We mentioned that you lose electrolytes in your sweat, but why is it so important that we replenish them?

Electrolytes to focus on are sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium. Evidence has shown that an imbalance of these can lead to muscle cramping and fatigue, which is what we don’t want, especially during a race!

Since most of the research specifically focuses on sodium repletion, we will focus on how to replenish this electrolyte in the following slide.

Sodium needs vary depending on how much salt you can lose in your sweat. Take a look at the chart below to see how different electrolyte drinks measure up, based on your needs!

Recommended Supplemental Sodium:

Non-Salty Sweaters: 300 mg
Salty Sweaters: 700 mg

Brand	Amount of Sodium (mg) Per Bottle/Packet
Gatorade	270 mg
Liquid IV	500 mg
Coconut Water	50 mg

Reminder: While these drinks may help replenish your electrolytes, it is still important that you also drink enough fluid to replete total fluid loss!

Tips for Fueling Your Marathon Training Plan

When making your marathon training fueling plan, you want to first think about how much you’ll be running each day.

For example, if you’re planning on running no more than 2 hours then you won’t need to change your regular eating pattern.

As long as you are getting balanced meals throughout the day, this should be enough to fuel your recovery!

When timing your meals, think about the following:

3–4 hours before running: Have a full meal
1–2 hours before running: Focus on having a small snack with carbohydrates + protein
Within 45 minutes after a run: Thank your muscles for all the work they did with a meal that is high in protein + carbohydrates

How About Carbohydrate Loading?

Carbohydrate loading is a practice of eating many simple carbohydrates 24–72 hours before a race. These include foods like white bread, pasta, and rice.

The evidence reinforcing the benefits of this practice is limited. Also, the amount of carbohydrates needed varies from person to person.In general, studies show that there is no need to significantly increase your intake of carbohydrates before your race. If you have a fueling plan that works for you, stick to it and continue consuming your regular meals throughout the day!

Fuel for Race Day

Today is the day for all your hard work to pay off! Check out the tips below to help keep your nutrition in check:

Don’t be too adventurous with food: Stick with what you know works for your fueling routine.
Pack: Put all of your snacks with your running gear ahead of time so you don’t forget them!
Hydrate: “Top off your tank” with a sports beverage that has electrolytes + carbohydrates, and be sure to minimize drinking 30 minutes before your race to reduce the frequency of bathroom trips during your race!

How to Fuel During Your Race:

Here are some quick tips for supporting your body’s performance while running in your big race:

1–2.5 hour race: Drinking an electrolyte drink during your race is enough to support your body!
3–5 hour race: You may need more fuel to support your body, so think about keeping carbohydrate snacks (ex. squeezable applesauce pouch or a Gatorade sports gel) in your running pouch to have at each 10k mark.There is no evidence clarifying a specific amount of carbohydrates you need during your race. It all depends on how you feel while you’re running!

Post-Race Recovery: Celebrate with the right recovery fuel!

Right After You’re Done: Grab a bottle of water or a sports drink with carbohydrates ASAP!
Hours After Your Race: Continue hydrating with 24 oz of fluid for every pound of weight lost during the race
Have a Meal: Once you’re ready to eat, have a meal that contains lean protein, carbs, and fat. This meal can be low-moderate in fiber. This will help your body to recover from all the hard work you’ve just done!
What If You Don’t Feel Hungry Right Away: That’s ok, have a low-fat chocolate milk or sports drink with whey/plant-based protein to refuel