
First a caveat: we are not nutritionists, so the following is based on our experience, common sense, and the ‘numbers’ are based on best practice. If you feel you need nutritional advice we recommend finding a sport specific nutritionist, or drop us a note and we can introduce you to one.
What we do know, and what you really really need to know if you are preparing for an ultra, is that getting nutrition wrong during an event is cited in up to 40% of ultramarathon DNFs (Did Not Finish). The key issues are under feeding, developing Gastro-Intestinal (GI) issues, dehydration, and (occasionally) over-hydrating. In this article we will cover some of the key things you can do to minimise the risks of your gut letting you down on race day.
First some numbers. You need to be able to consume around 250 calories an hour whilst on the move, of which you should be aiming for around 90 grams of Carbohydrate (CHO) with a 2:1 glucose to fructose mix.
These are not absolute numbers, we are all different, but they are a great place to start (and note in most research athletes rarely achieve the 90g/hr of carbs, normally hitting nearer 60).
But nutrition planning and training must be a central part of your overall training plan if you are to be successful.
You must practice eating the food for your event in training. Different foods will have an adverse effect on you and your gut when you start adding exercise into the mix. Whilst a rapid visit to the bush isn’t necessarily an event ending scenario, chronic stomach ache, vomiting and diarrhea can be!
What about fat and protein you cry…yes you need both(!) At around Ultra pace you will be taking about 50% of energy from CHO and the other 50% from fat. Yep, you are an Ultra athlete, so you will be fat adjusted…no fancy diets required.
So how do you develop your nutrition plan? Simply start at expected duration, add 15%, and multiply by 250 (or 90)! e.g. 50 miles, I’m expecting to complete in 8 hours, so I’ll plan for 10. That means I need at least 2500 calories, of which I’ll need 900g of CHO. And you need a mix of foods. Not only the numbers above but you should aim for a protein intake of 0.25g per kg of body weight per hr.
OK, that’s the easy bit. Now what foods will you use. As already stated, although gels are tempting they become sickly at some point for most people. We favour a mix of sweet and savoury, as well as ensuring we have some ‘real’ food thrown in the mix. This can include cold pizza (one of our favourites!), mini pies, sandwiches, fruit and nut trail mix, as well as specialist bars and gels. But note that bars and gels aren’t cheap and they aren’t essential as long as you hit your numbers!
If your event is a series of picnics with a run between (!) ensure you find out what food is available beforehand and train with it. But caution, we have seen many event where the ‘menu’ has changed on the day; I suffered my worst ever ‘bonk’ on a 150 mile cycle ride where this happened and the feed stops only had a brand of gel I knew made me sick…and I foolishly was reliant on them, not myself (lesson learned!).
Ideally, build in your own options. Your palate will change significantly over the duration of an Ultra and you need to have the ability to ‘switch it up’ and keep the nutrition going in.
You should be training with event food twice a week, try overloading your gut and getting even more calories in. And make note of what doesn’t work so you can adapt your plan.
As an example, here’s my (zero aid stations) menu for 50 miles, expected duration around 9 hours (calories in brackets):
How much water you need will depend on the weather, and how much you sweat. But you should be aiming for between 400 and 800 ml an hour.
Underhydrate and you will suffer. So, if you are thirsty, drink. If your pee is orange, drink. If you can’t pee, drink (quite a lot!).
We prefer to stay on top of our hydration by calculating desired consumption (see below) and sipping regularly (every 10 minutes for example).
However, overhydrate and you can be very ill (Hyponatremia) – Damian Hall’s infamous leans at the end of his record breaking UK coast-to-coast could have been much worse. He had overcompensated for the heat, ended up with hyponatremia and could have ended up in a lot of trouble.
The best way of knowing how much water you need to take on is to conduct multiple sweat tests in various temperatures, as follows: