Fueling Multi-stage Races

Fueling Multi-Stage Races

Holley Samuel MEd, RD, LD, CSSD, CPT

As training kicks off for this year’s races, you should begin to consider many runners also start to experiment with their race fueling plan during their training runs. If you aren’t currently starting to practice your nutrition for race day, you should be so you can train your gut to tolerate an adequate amount of fuel during your race to maximize performance. While fueling for a half or full marathon may be relatively straight forward, fueling for multi-stage races like relays, challenges, and extra long efforts with multiple breaks between presents a whole host of challenges.

Multi-day events like the Dopey Challenge, Rocky Challenge, and Ragnar Relay Races are increasing in popularity, and nailing nutrition for these efforts can ultimately make or break the whole experience! For the purposes of this article, a “multi-stage race” is defined as any race that has at least 1-24 hours of rest between efforts.

There are four main considerations when it comes to fueling multi-stage races: logistics, pre race fuel, during race duel, and post race fuel. Properly fueling not only improves performance outcomes, but also helps with recovery. In multi-stage events, recovery is one of the biggest concerns since runners often need to finish one race and start another with minimal recovery. 

Logistics

Mimicking the logistics of a multi-stage event should be considered part of your training, and therefore practicing your nutrition in this fashion during training will be helpful. Considering what the weather and climate will be like, about how many hours you will have between efforts to recover, where you are going to go right after you finish one effort along with hygiene and sleeping situations, and how you are going to carry everything you need should all be ironed out and planned as much as possible prior to race day(s). This will help you understand how much fuel you need along with how you should realistically pack and carry it for the race. While some races will provide aid stations and gear check opportunities, others may not, so planning ahead is key.

Pre Race Fuel

Pre-race fuel can be broken down into two categories: carb loading the days leading up to the race and also pre-run fuel before each stage of the race. If the various legs of the multi-stage event as a whole will take more than two hours to run total, carb loading is recommended to top off glycogen stores. For races like Ragnar Relays, carb loading for 1-3 days prior depending on the duration of various legs and size of the team may be necessary. For a challenge like the Disney Dopey Challenge, carb loading for 2-3 days prior to the first race and continuing the carb load through the first few shorter race days will ensure the runner still has plenty of glycogen stores and energy for the marathon on the last day.

What a runner practices with in training will help them nail down what they should eat before their race legs for multi-stage events. Typically, a larger meal containing simple carbohydrates, a small amount of protein, and minimal fat and fiber should be eaten 2-3 hours prior to a race effort. For some multi-stage events this could look like the first meal of the day, or it might be the last meal of the day if the runner is the last to go on a relay team, so looking ahead in race logistics is helpful to plan this out.

If there are less than 2-3 hours leading up to the start of a race leg in a multi-stage event, consuming simple carbohydrates is still a priority, though the dose may be smaller. Check out some examples here. Runners also don’t want to forget about optimizing their hydration in the days leading up to a multi-stage event and also as a part of their pre race fueling strategy.

During Race Fuel

Just like practicing pre run fuel is important, practicing during run fuel is also vital to take the guesswork out of fueling a multi-stage event. Even on race legs or event stages that are shorter than what a typical “long run” is classified as (60 minutes or more), it may be beneficial to incorporate intra run fuel to help expedite the recovery process. Recovering as quickly as possible between stages of a multi-stage race is the key to being able to finish each run strong. A lot can happen in the middle of a race like this, and controlling the controllables- of which nutrition is one- can help reduce risk of acute underfueling related complications. 

Aiming to consume between 60-90g of carbohydrates per hour during multi-stage events (especially if the total time spent running will be over two hours) will help a runner perform their best and also help kick-start the recovery process by keeping glycogen stores topped off. Time is a finite factor in these types of events, so maximizing time by fueling during the race can help a runner multi-task even if the race leg is less than 60 minutes long. This might look like taking a gel just before you start running your leg of a relay or race in a multiple day event, and then taking a gel every 30 mins during the run.

Carrying fluids during the race is also important, as dehydration is also something that can happen easily in these events and be detrimental to performance. Staying on top of both fluid and electrolyte intake will help reduce risk of dehydration. Runners can multi-task staying hydrated by bringing sports drinks during their runs, especially if conditions are hot. Carrying fluids in a handheld bottle or hydration vest and incorporating carbohydrate-containing sports drinks like Gatorade Endurance or Skratch Labs can also help meet carbohydrate fueling needs in addition to hydration needs. Runners should aim for at least 12oz of water per hour and 300mg sodium per hour to maintain adequate hydration, though a lot of runners may need double or triple these amounts depending on the conditions and individual needs.

Post Race Fuel

Post race fuel is perhaps one of the most important parts of fueling for a multi-stage event, as it will kick-start the recovery process. The sooner you start the recovery process as you finish running by refueling, the sooner you will feel ready to run again. 

After finishing a leg or race during a multi-stage event, consuming protein and carbohydrates will help optimize recovery. If a runner has less than 2-3 hours before their next run, their post race fuel will overlap with their pre-run fuel. This should contain mostly carbohydrates and fluids, like having a pack of chews and some salt tabs with water or a gel with some sports drink. 

 If a runner has at least 2-3 hours until their next run, this post-run meal can be more substantial since digestion time is adequate. Consuming 20-40g protein and 60-90g carbohydrates as soon as possible post run will help start to repair muscles and replenish glycogen stores. Keeping fat and fiber minimal at this meal is a good idea, since these can take a longer time to digest and therefore potentially cause GI issues on the next run, but the more recovery time you have between races the more flexible you can be with this recommendation. This may look like taking a protein shake with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with some fruit.

If there are more than 3 hours until the next race starts in the multi-stage event, consuming meals or snacks every 2-3 hours after the initial post run meal described above is recommended to continue the recovery process and start fueling for the next run. These meals and snacks should contain mostly simple carbohydrates, which digest easily, top off glycogen stores most effectively, and provide energy for performance. Don’t forget about hydration too, as this is an important part of refueling too. While runners probably don’t always have access to a scale during these competitions, nor do they need to obsess over weight, drinking 16-24oz of water for every pound lost on the run helps rehydrate in addition to consuming electrolyte rich supplements or salting food.

Finishing Thoughts:

For multi-stage races, make a plan for your nutrition or plan to fail! Start by analyzing race logistics and the environment in which the race is held. Then plan out how much recovery time you’ll have between races so you can start to plan out what nutrition you’ll need for before, during, and after each leg or race. Make these options realistic and accessible, and make sure you practice them during your training.