nutrition on the race

[Ian]

Hi all,This is my first ultra marathon event .Whilst I have done triathlons and marathons before ,I am keen for any advice on food and drink strategy for this race.My issue is I find it difficult to hold food down whilst running and I have in the past used gels and chocolate.Therefore I dont think wood fired pizza at the half way mark will help.
Any tips,hints,tricks???
Cheers

[Shane]

An excellent book, and my bible at the moment, is 'Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes' by Monique Ryan, Second Edition. Check out the reviews online. It is the best out there that I can find.

Happy training (and eating)!

:-)

[Andrew]

Really it's down to what works for you and the best way to fin out is by trial and error (ideally before race day!)

There's a similar book I live by (Endurance Sports Nutrition by Suzanne Giard Eberle), which explains what and why your body needs certain foods/electrolytes/fluids, and also covers different sporting disciplines, different climates and even includes a section for vegetarian atheletes.  Thankfully it's an easy read too.

It's helped me understand why I feel so bad some days and good on others, and therefore what I need to do to get myself back on track.

Bon Apetite!

[DaleMorris]

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[Nick]

Ian, not sure of your tri experiences but if you've done Iron distance then you might have some nutrition experience at that level  / distance which can be somewhat translated across to this run (given that the event times may be similar in duration).
Obviously there are tons of products on the market but I have had very good experiences using a combination of Endura Optimizer (powedered supplement, mixed with water), gels and Saltstick electrolyte tabs for endurance events up to 14hrs (I guess you've probably heard of Opti and Saltstick), and I am aware of many others doing the same. That said, I think a lot of people would 'top up' their nutrition in the back half with a sandwich or two, bananas etc.
In an Ironman, for example, you should typically consume roughly 1 gram of carbohydrate per kilogram body weight per hour of exercise.
In a longer enduro event, you can probably get away with slightly less (eg somewhere between 0.75-1 gram of carbohydrate per kilogram body weight per hour) but you need to have a rough idea of your potential timeframe: clearly there is a big difference in carb requirements if you are thinking 12hrs but take 18hrs instead.
The types of foods and fluids which are most suitable depend on the intended intensity of your exercise and your individual tolerance - and I note your comments about holding down solids. The higher your intensity (and, again, probably linked to whether you are aiming for 12 or 18hrs!), then go for options which are easily digested and absorbed -  sports drink, Opti, gels and lollies. If you are aiming for lower intensity, then unlike your experiences in triathlons / marathons you might be able to tolerate foods such as fruit (esp. bananas), cereal bars, sports bars, plain sandwiches, crackers, yoghurt, nuts etc. It is useful to include a combination of sweet and savoury foods to avoid 'flavour fatigue'. Including some salty options such as Vegemite sandwiches, pretzels, crackers, potato chips etc. can also be useful, especially in very hot conditions or when fluid losses are high.
Sorry if I'm repeating stuff you already know but hope it is otherwise of some benefit. I guess you can always over cater and have some different food available in your special needs bags at different feed stations, even if you don't ultimately end up eating it...
Anyway, whatever you do, make sure you practice your nutrition before the event! And, yes, Monique Ryan's book is extremely good.
Cheers

[Nick]

I should also add that if some legend was prepared to trot out a wood-fired pizza at the halfway mark, there is no way in hell that I would turn it down!!

[Paul]

G'day Ian

Last time i took some of my own nutrition in the form of Endura protein/carb bars and gels.  I did train prior to the event to eat whole foods while I ran.  This was usually dried fruit, chocolate and bread products.  Last time I found the food at the check points was fantastic.  There was a sausage sizzle at checkpoint 3 and I smashed about 5 of them.  There were noodles and soup at checkpoint 4 and coffee and scones at checkpoint 5.  I found that my body demanded anything it could get it's hands on and tolerated everything provided very well on the day.

From experience, I would recommend trying small amounts of whole food on your longer training runs.  It feels strange at first but soon enough you'll get so used to eating on the go that it will become second nature.

Hope this helps somewhat.

Paul

[Eddie]

From experience in the mountains and on the trails, I can say that all the sports nutrition products such as gels, bars... will do the job for the first 6 or 7 hours of the race maybe but you will most likely get sick of them at some stage. When you get tired, cold and your body is struggling to stay healthy enough to keep racing, you will need some kind of food that you really like and that you are looking forward to eat, but definitely not something that you know you have to eat to get some carbs down your body. I had some pizza slices prepared for the back 50km of the race as well as some beef jerkey and some lollies.

All in all, it's whatever works for you but think about what you'd want to eat in a time where even the thought of opening a mars bar sounds like a big deal.

Enjoy!!

[David]

Last time I found the food at the check points was fantastic.  There was a sausage sizzle at checkpoint 3 and I smashed about 5 of them.  There were noodles and soup at checkpoint 4 and coffee and scones at checkpoint 5. 

I doing suppose you can recall whether the soups and noodles were meat based or Vege based, can you? I'm a bit concerned that it's going to be chicken noodle soup, beef soup etc which doesn't help vegetarians!

[dave]

Last time I found the food at the check points was fantastic.  There was a sausage sizzle at checkpoint 3 and I smashed about 5 of them.  There were noodles and soup at checkpoint 4 and coffee and scones at checkpoint 5. 

I doing suppose you can recall whether the soups and noodles were meat based or Vege based, can you? I'm a bit concerned that it's going to be chicken noodle soup, beef soup etc which doesn't help vegetarians!

according to the More Information on this very site, veg patties will be available at CP4, which is good for me too.

http://www2.thenorthface.com.au/100/more-information.html#checkpoints

[Simone]

Always trying to get this right and some days it works better than others. Not a fan of gels but can tolerate a few of them if I space them out and have other food such as energy bars etc in between. Baked sweet potato sprinkled with cinnamon and salt n pepper is GOLD! Digests well and is real food. Salted chips are great, gel chews, vegemite sandwiches etc. I agree that you need something more substantial in the second half as you get cold and tired. Last year we had white rice with vegies, tofu and soy sauce that our support crew warmed up for us before we got to the 67km CP. Hit the spot and just as well, as we were unable to eat much after that other than chews/electrolyte.

Only other advise is eat every hour and plan your carb intake  so you stay on top of it. And Fluids of course.

I have found that I cannot tolerate wheat as I used to so have tried to muck around with other things this year whereas last year the fruit buns and the sandwiches worked well. Now they bloat me and give me stomach cramps, but am managing with the potato, chips, rice etc. Working it out is all part of the fun!We tried a liquid nutrition that many of the elites use and one of us ended up vomiting and the other with the runs! Obviously an aqurired taste!

I find that what I eat in the days leading up to the race is just as important. Liquid food the day before with just a small amount of chicken and vegies for dinner. More carbs the 2 days before that as well as fluid loading for a few days. And sleep!

Good luck!

Simone