Top 5 Nutrition Tips for Marathon and Ultramarathon Runners
When training for long-distance events like a marathon or ultramarathon, nutrition becomes key to maintaining energy, avoiding injuries, and ensuring peak performance. Here’s a look at five essential nutrition tips to help you perform your best.
1. Prioritize Carbohydrates for Endurance
Carbohydrates are crucial for providing fuel. Before a long run, try a carbohydrate-rich meal that’s easy to digest, like oatmeal or a banana. Aim for 30-60g of carbs every hour during runs to keep glycogen stores full. For ultramarathons, increasing this to 90g/hour may be necessary to avoid energy dips. Everyone's stomach is different, so always practice during your long run before race day.
2. Include Protein for Recovery and Satiety
Protein intake is essential for muscle repair and recovery, especially after long runs. Consider a protein shake or snack, such as Greek yogurt, within 30 minutes after your run. Including small amounts of protein during longer ultramarathon events can also help maintain muscle health and delay hunger.
3. Stay Hydrated with Electrolytes
Proper hydration isn’t just about water; electrolytes, especially sodium, are essential to prevent cramps and maintain energy. For long runs, hydrate with a sports drink that includes electrolytes, aiming to consume 500-1,000 mg of sodium per hour during the race. Ultramarathoners training in extreme temperatures may need even more to prevent dehydration and fatigue.
4. Plan Your Fuel Strategy and Test It
Testing different foods during training helps identify what works best for you, whether energy gels, bananas, or trail mix. Practicing your fueling plan under various conditions can also train your gut to handle diverse foods, which is particularly helpful for ultramarathons where aid stations offer a variety of foods.
5. Use Real Food to Avoid Flavor Fatigue
For longer ultramarathons, mixing real food like pretzels, fruit, or rice balls can prevent flavor fatigue and offer a mix of carbs and fats. High-fat foods like nut butter or avocado are slower to digest but can provide lasting energy, especially during low-intensity stretches.
Extra tip 6. Practice, practice practice
As mentioned above, everyone is different and will react differently on the number of carbs intake, or type of nutrition taken during races (or long runs). Finding the right combination and the perfect timing of your nutrition intake can be a long process of “try and error”, so practice as often as you need until you find the right process. Surprise surprise even if you find the right combination, it might not work 100% of the time, that’s the reality and the beauty of the beast.
Staying fueled and hydrated helps prevent injuries, boosts mental toughness, and keeps you strong until the finish line.
