Marathon Nutrition: A Complete Guide

In this guide, we’ll discuss what your marathon nutrition plan should look like including what you should eat before, during, and after the race. In addition, we’ll break down the most important supplements to help marathon runners.

For a marathon runner, food is a vital lifeline that can determines how well you’ll perform. Training to run a marathon not only takes physical training, but also following a nutrition plan and sticking with it.

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Nutrition Guide For Marathon Runners

As a marathon runner, the two things you should be concerned about are your calorie intake and your fluid intake. While most of us can run 1 to 2 hours with little or no water, training for a marathon requires much more than just water. Remember, preparing for a marathon requires enough calories intake to cover the lapses of long-distance running.

Food as Fuel

Did you know that running a mile can burn about 100 calories? Therefore, as a marathon runner under training, a good way to bridge this gap is to consume between 150 to 300 calories every hour. Doing this will help your body have enough fuel to get you through the race.

By the way, running on an empty stomach pushes the body to use stored fat which can translate to weight loss. However, for marathon runners, this is will push your body to a breaking point which is detrimental to your overall health.

Carbs

All nutrients are vital for a marathon runner, but one trumps them all in providing a runner with the fuel needed to carry on till the finish line. Carbs are crucial to a marathon runner’s life. It is the number one source of fuel for the body.

Carbs should make up about 70% of the total calories consumed during training. According to this Runner’s World article on carb loading, it is recommended that a marathon runner consumes 4 grams of carbs for every pound of body weight leading up to the big race.

Some examples of meals that contain a good amount of carbs are oatmeal, pasta, rice, whole grain bread, and cereals. For those on the go, a product like Evogen GlycoJet by Evogen Nutrition is also a great supplement to help with carb loading when you don’t have time to prepare a meal.

Fat

Eating food that contains healthy fats help with your endurance and the absorption of vitamins. It is a good source of fuel for long-distance runners, especially if you are not eating enough carbs before your run. Examples of healthy fat sources are avocados, fatty fish (mackerel, salmon), nuts, olive oil, coconut oil, red meat, chicken with the skin, and butter.

Proteins

Proteins are not only energy-providing food, but are essential to a runner prepping for a marathon. They are a regenerative food that help restore, rebuild, and recondition your body, especially your leg muscles, after a marathon. It also aids quick recovery and reduces the risk of muscle injuries.

Runners need at least 50% more protein than non-runner, which is about 200 grams of chicken per day. Foods that contain high amounts of protein can are eggs, chicken, fishes, beans, pumpkin seeds, broccoli, chickpeas, lentils, and peanut butter.

However, for runners, protein shakes are also a good source of protein on the go. Gold Standard 100 percent Whey blend consisting of 24 grams of blended pure protein concentrate that helps in building lean muscle.

Vital Nutrients and Supplements for Marathon Runners

Supplements can help you bridge the nutritional gap when you are training for a marathon. The following supplements can help you a long way when training for a marathon and on the actual day.

BCCAs

BCCAs have shown to help repair muscle fatigue by producing protein in the muscles and promoting the body to release insulin as fuel by reusing amino acids. They also help reduce the feeling of tiredness during long-distance runs by increasing or maintaining serotonin levels in the body We recommend Scivation Xtend BCAA Powder.

Glucosamine

Marathon runners suffer knee pain and injuries among the many discomforts that result due to long-distance running. Strengthening your joints before a marathon is very important. One supplement that can help is glucosamine. This compound helps with keeping the cartilage and fluid around the joints healthy for your race. We like Joint Support Supplement. Besides glucosamine, it includes other ingredients such a tumeric which is known to have powerful medicinal properties such as anti-inflammation and pain relief.

Calcium and Vitamin D

These two supplements are combined together because they perform the same function in the health of runners and non-runners alike. Bone health is critical when you consider the stress the joints go through during long-distance runs. Calcium and Vitamin D help with calcium absorption which reduces the risk of fractures, sprains, and strain of the joints, especially in women. Food rich in calcium include almond milk, tofu, spinach, and egg yolk while mushrooms are rich in vitamin D.

To see the remaining nutrients and supplements and learn what to eat and drink on the day of the marathon, read the rest of the article HERE.