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NUTRITION PLAN IN TRAIL RUNNING RACES: THE THREE ENERGY SOURCES

| Cristina Tasselli |

The nutritional and supplementation plan for a competition or training must be developed considering various aspects, including the profile of the track, the weather conditions, and the time of day.

The 3 main energy sources used by trail runners are gels, bars and energy drinks. They have pros and cons but taken alternately and with a precise sequence they perform an excellent synergistic job.

Tab. 1 Pros / Cons

The 4 fundamental rules to always keep in mind are:

  1. It is necessary to develop a nutritional and supplementation plan for the competition or training when the duration exceeds 3 hours, below it is sufficient to have eaten an adequate meal
  2. The energy sources used perform a complementary and different function for which it is necessary to carefully evaluate their content and digestion time
  3. In the choice of gels it is preferable to focus on those with a high content of carbohydrates immediately available; for bars it is better to opt for mixes in terms of type of sugars
  4. Energy drinks also contribute to water intake, as well as maintaining constant blood sugar levels (if taken regularly, every 20-25min in small sips). They do not replace pure water

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