In adventure racing, there are a number of variables that are going to effect this range, including:. In the simplest of explanations, the food we eat consists of three macronutrients: carbohydrates, fat, and protein. At times, our body uses all three of these macronutrients as fuel sources.

However, carbohydrates can be metabolized both aerobically and anaerobically with or without oxygen, depending on the intensity of exercise and are metabolized much faster than protein or fat, making carbohydrates a highly efficient fuel source.

This is why the majority of engineered endurance fuel sources gels, chews, drinks, etc. focus heavily on carbohydrates.

There is definitely a time and place for eating fats and proteins during longer races, which we will address in the " How to Fuel for a 12 Hour Adventure Race " section below. Your exact fueling strategy as to how often you should eat during an event is going to vary based on your needs, and what you've practiced because you should be practicing.

More on that below. However, most endurance sports nutrition experts recommend the following:. Tips from Team HSEC: It's easy to get caught up in the race and forget to eat until all of a sudden you're feeling sluggish and hangry. So while we all keep an eye on the non GPS clock, one of our captain's jobs is to remind the rest of the team to eat and drink at regular intervals.

Personally, I like to eat every 45 minutes, and so almost without fail, every 45 minutes, Captain Geoff will say "EAT! In absence of your own Captain Geoff, an interval timer on a chrono watch can be a helpful reminder to stay on top of your fueling strategy!

While most endurance athletes are familiar with sport specific nutrition items like "gels" or "bars", the reality is you are NOT limited to these types of products.

During an adventure race, you can eat whatever you find your stomach tolerates well, and you find easy to carry, whether it was designed for endurance sports or not. Here are some common examples:. There is absolutely no shortage of nutrition products designed to be used during endurance events or training, and marketed towards athletes.

Things like:. and more. The benefits of these types of nutrition sources is that they are typically high in easily digestible carbohydrates, they are easy to consume, and easy to carry. The downside of endurance specific nutrition products is that you can easily get really sick of them, pretty quickly.

Further, some athletes have a hard time tolerating the high concentration of sugars in these products, and wind up with.

There is no doubt that sports drinks providing liquid calories can be convenient for endurance athletes. When it comes to adventure racing, creating a highly concentrated drink can be an ideal solution for figuring out how to carry enough nutrition, as it's going to be far more calorically dense.

However, there is much debate - at least in the ultramarathon world - about separating your calories from your hydration. And here's why:. Your caloric needs typically don't change drastically during a race if you are consistently moving, however, your hydration needs can vary greatly.

So if you only have liquid calories, you either end up over fueling, or underhydrating. For these reasons, I always recommend that if you are using liquid calories, you also have separate plain water sources available as well, especially if the weather is predicted to be warm.

Pre packaged snacks - like granola bars, trail mix, potato chips, dried fruit, and even baby food - can make fantastic adventure race nutrition. They are easy to carry, and can feel more satiating and easier on the stomach than endurance specific fuels. Tips from Team Hart: if you happen to have kids, or just eat like one, you probably have tons of these options laying around already.

Lunch boxes are just mobile aid stations in disguise. When opting to use everyday snacks as a fuel source during an event, make sure your food choices consist of a high amount of easily digested carbohydrates for example: a rice crispy treat over a high fiber bar.

Take it from me, there's very little on this earth that is more satisfying than a cold piece of pizza pulled out of an aid bucket at a TA 8 hours into a 12 hour race.

While my ultramarathon background has me accustomed to grabbing a hot grilled cheese off of an aid station at 2 am, the reality of adventure racing is that you may or may not have access to such accommodations. When consuming fluids there are several things to consider.

Some of these considerations are duration of the event, pallet fatigue, electrolyte intake, etc. Below are a few options to consider when hydrating for your event:. You may find that one of these hydration options or even a mixture work best for you.

This may vary from event to event, environment, needs, etc. Trial and error while learning your body is the best way to know. Sodium Chloride Salt. It is important to take in the proper amount of electrolytes to achieve desired performance and prevent issues such as cramps, hyponatremia, and hypernatremia.

Often athletes tend to over hydrate and not take in enough electrolytes rather than becoming dehydrated. Below are a few options to consider when hydrating for events:. When fueling for exercise knowing your body and trying out different fueling options and amounts will serve you best in the long run.

These options and amounts may vary with each workout session or endurance event, so having proper knowledge of how and when to implement each is key. Drink Up: 10 Reasons Why Bottles Are Better Than Bladders. Sport Specific Programming vs. Non-Sport Specific Programming. Tools of the Trade: Top Three Traits for Endurance Athletes to be Successful.

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Ultra Expeditions Dec 28, 3 min read. Nutrition Proper Fueling for Endurance Events. Make a plan to ensure your success in your event. Her current interests are working with young athletes on programming and diet to maximize their performance.

Article reference used-Sports Nutrition: A Practice Manual for Professionals. American Dietetic Association. Email address:. Tammi Flynn. Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Your email address will not be published.

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What foods can be tolerated by one may send another to the nearest restroom. Foods rich in carbohydrates such as whole grains, oats, brown rice, quinoa, sweet potatoes, fresh fruits and vegetables should make up at least fifty percent of your energy needs.

Since muscles only store carbohydrates and not protein as glycogen, it is important to fuel on quality carbohydrates to ensure adequate glycogen stores for an event.

If less than 1 hour, there is no need to fuel during the activity. If more than 1 hour, then fuel every 20 - 30 minutes. If endurance training is 90 - minutes, aim for 30 - 60 grams of carbohydrates per hour.

During exercise or an event, the body will respond better with simple carbohydrates, such as those listed below. They are easier to digest. Immediately after an exercise there is a 60 minute window of opportunity that the body has to up-regulate and utilize nutrients to build and repair muscle tissue.

This will depend on the duration of their endurance event. For endurance training lasting 4 to 5 hours, endurance athletes should consume 7 grams per kilogram of body weight. The amount of carbohydrates to take in before you workout will depend on the intensity and duration of your activity. If your workout is intense or will be over 90 min then take in approximately You should choose easily digestible foods that will sit well in your stomach.

The time before is individual and will also depend on the type of workout. Just as important to your performance as taking in the right amount if carbohydrates, is eating sufficient protein.

Whether running sprints, swimming long distances, or lifting weights, athletes expend more energy than the average person and their bodies need additional nutrients to recover from intense physical activity. Proteins are made up of amino acids, and amino acids are the main building blocks of our muscles, bones, skin, tissues, organs, and the enzymes needed for metabolic and physiological processes.

Without these enzymes your body cannot function optimally. When we consume protein, our body breaks it down into individual amino acids during digestion and then uses these amino acids to create new proteins throughout the body.

It is essential to consume an adequate amount of protein; otherwise, the body will have to break down its own muscle tissue to obtain the amino acids that it needs to function. Athletes should aim for 1. The goal for your everyday meals should be for each to include protein, carbohydrates and good quality fats.

Before and during activity you can focus on your carbohydrates but during the rest of your day you can reach for the rainbow and eat a wide variety of fruits, veggies, whole grains, and a mixture of protein sources depending on your preferences.

Each food offers a unique blend of nutrients, and especially beneficial to athletes are antioxidants and phytonutrients that are only found in plant foods. Eating plant based can be a challenge to get in the necessary protein you need but if you eat a wide variety of foods, you will be able to hit your targets while limiting meal boredom.

While coffee is a liquid, it does not actually contribute to your hydration needs! As you exercise, your core body temperature rises. Staying hydrated replaces the water lost through sweating and is essential for thermoregulation, helping to prevent cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

You want to stay ahead of this by starting your workouts well hydrated. The more hydrated you are, the longer or harder you can go before you start struggling with the heat.

Water also helps with transport of nutrients throughout your body, maintaining appropriate blood pressure, lubrication of joints, and help eliminate waste and metabolites. To ensure adequate pre-exercise hydration, athletes should drink If tolerated, drink ½ -1 cup mL 10 to 20 minutes before exercise.

Now that you have sufficient food and water to get you started for your workout, what do you plan to do during each session.

Your requirements will vary, again depending on the intensity and duration of your activity. We are back to talking about carbohydrate intake here. If you plan a session with intensity or are going for longer than 90 minutes, you will need to plan to take in some nutrition during your workout.

If your workout will be hard or long, aim for approximately 30g of carbohydrates per hour and consider adding electrolytes to your hydration strategy if your workout will be longer than 90 min.

More on hydration during activity coming up next. Ideally you want to time your intake so that you will ingest small doses of carbs, evenly spaced out throughout the entire workout. I suggesting you start fueling within the first min of starting your workout and keep a steady flow every min after that.

While you are exercising under intensity or for a long time, you have limited blood flow to your digestive system to allow for absorption and distribution of the nutrition that you take in.

If you take in too much at one time you could get a back up and potentially digestive distress, and no one wants that. When you think about your fueling strategy, you want to think of it as two separate components.

What you are taking in for energy, as we talked about above, and what you will take in for hydration. We have a tendency to think that if we are using liquid fuel options that that counts as hydration, and I suggest that you keep it separate.

An even larger concern is, if the concertation of fuel that you take in, has a higher concentration than your bloodstream, you will not be able to absorb it, leading to lack of energy, cramps and eventual digestive distress.

So, you want to make sure that you are hydrating as well as fueling. Printer Friendly PDF: Nutrition for Adventure Racing and Triathalon.

Skip to main content. Sports and exercise nutrition. TRAINING DIET Carbohydrate Carbohydrate is the most critical fuel source for adventure race training. Protein Protein needs are also heightened to meet daily protein turnover needs and assist in muscle repair.

Good quality sources of protein include: Meats Poultry Fish Dairy foods Nuts and seeds Peas, beans and lentils Eggs To meet high requirements, ideally these should be consumed at every meal. Fruit and Vegetables At least five portions of fruit and vegetables per day should be included in the diet to ensure the athlete meets their daily vitamin and mineral needs.

Base all meals and snacks around the following foods which are high in carbohydrate. Reduce your intake of high fat foods e. chocolate, cakes, fried foods, full fat cheese. Training is a good time to experiment with the type and timing of food you consume before running in order to avoid any digestive discomfort like stomach cramps, diarrhoea or wind.

It is important to trial different carbohydrate replacement drinks sports drinks, gels, bars etc. during your training to make sure that they do not upset your stomach or give you diarrhoea.

Remember to choose a snack containing both carbohydrate and protein within 30 minutes of stopping training see post exercise snack list. Ensure adequate rest in between your training sessions. Fluid Needs During training you will lose fluid through sweating. Pre Event Ensure your last meal the day before the event is high in carbohydrate with a lean protein source.

Eat what worked for you during training and avoid trying new foods at this late stage. A general guide is to drink ml in the 2 hours leading up to the event.

During the Event Take g of carbohydrate every hour e. During the bike leg in an adventure race is a great opportunity to eat compared to the running leg.

Fluids — a general guideline is to drink ml every 15 minutes. For endurance events there is a rare chance that a competitor could drink too much with potentially fatal consequences.