What to eat and drink during a marathon

[fillbilly]

Hi everybody. I'm about four weeks out from the big day and have completed a 30k as part of my training. I ate a bigger breakfast than the 25k workout and had pineapple chunks, a 32 oz gatorade, and a 100 calorie caffeinated goo packet. I did better than the 25k, but still felt like I needed a touch more in the tank by the end. What have people here had success with in terms of food the night before, breakfast day of, and during the event? I've heard liquid calories during the row, but does anyone do more than gatorade?

[jcross485]

I've only done two HM's and one FM but I did all fasted with just electrolytes (Redmond Re-Lyte). Probably not ideal but I seem to train and perform best with a very light and/or empty stomach.

[Dangerscouse]

Personally, I'm not a fan of standard sports drinks and have never used them.

For an FM I always had a 50/50 diluted fruit juice with a teaspoon of sugar and a large pinch of salt (glucose is absorbed quicker than fructose). During it I'd have occasional sports gels, a protein shake alternate with plain water. For breakfast I always had oats and fruit.

We are all different, and have different requirements, but FWIW, I only have a coffee and a banana for any distance up to 32k, so there might not be an actual need to increase your intake. I found that it was also a matter of adapting to the general effort of the longer distances, which would seem like it was an issue of fueling when it wasn't.

Finally make sure that you're generally well hydrated, which is important for at least a few days beforehand. I drink a lot of water, but I know that not everyone else does, and dehydration can have a significant impact on your potential and your perceived effort.

[Nomark]

I can't offer any personal advice, but have you seen this thread? viewtopic.php?f=3&t=194780&sid=e0ee283a ... a4b4233850

There's a wealth of information and strategies in there.

[Sakly]

Agree on hydration, but that's also a topic for general life conditions. I don't over-hydrate before long sessions, but look at good hydration anyway.
In general I don't eat or drink anything in long distances, but I only did a marathon once and it was a low effort one, only to see how the distance feels. So I'm not sure, if this would be the same for a high effort one, but will try out soon.
Typically I don't eat 4-5h before training, I like to have an empty stomach and not much going on in my intestinal tract, that bothers me during harder trainings.

[ahooton]

For my most recent FM I had a few days off prior to it, ensured I ate plenty. Rice, pasta, fruit, veg and didn’t hold back on desserts. Treat yourself mate!

On the day, for breakfast, I ate porridge and fruit and eggs on toast about 3 hours before the race. Made sure I kept well hydrated the few days leading up to it even drinking water throughout the night when sleeping (I did wake up a few times naturally).

During the row I just had 5 cups of water on a table and threw them down my mouth at every 30 minutes point after recovery phase. I had practiced this and hardly missed a beat pace wise.
I had some pieces of banana but to be honest, I can’t eat while rowing so only had one piece and wanted to spit it out!

I was a bit thirsty towards the end, and probably could have done with eating something during the row as I was very tired and flagging, but I just can’t do it so powered through.

Make sure you’ve completely emptied yourself before you start! For warm up I just did a few very light 5 minutes peices to get the body awake and did some stretching. Use a seat pad or towel. Have music or tv because it does get tedious. Try and stick to one pace and make sure you’ve set your drag factor to your preference. I got a huge blister on my heel which I’ve never had before, not sure how that happened but maybe strap up? I used gloves but saw plenty of ergers just going bare with no issues.

Enjoy

[Dangerscouse]

I don't over-hydrate before long sessions, but look at good hydration anyway.

Over-hydration can be just as a bad as dehydration, so this is an important point. Don't think that you can make up for a lack of drinking enough in the days leading up to it in the few hours beforehand. That will quite possibly be disastrous

[c2jonw]

Personal preference has a lot to do with it. It's important to have a plan and try it out as much as possible before the event. If you plan to eat and drink during the marathon, then you need to practice doing so on the fly to minimize down time. Have a couple seating options like a towel or bubble wrap handy so you can swap them out. Don't try any new foods on the day of. As much as I like clif bars they're just too dry to eat while rowing. Bananas and gel pacs go down much more easily. Good luck!!

[Tsnor]

Whatever nutrition plan you choose, TRY IT BEFORE THE MARATHON. You don't need tummy cramps during your piece.

Cyclist have more food storage problems, so have fewer options than rowers. But they have a lot of experience with 4-6 hour races. Here's some info. Good Luck with marathon.

Complete Cycling Nutrition Guide, What to Eat Before, During, and After a Ride https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=deskt ... uTXzk&t=0s