Running blog series: Part 5: Nutrition for runners:

Here is the latest article in the running blog series. This particular article will focus on nutrition for runners.

The average individual expends 1,800 to 3,000 calories per day but some athletes can use more than 10,000 calories depending on the sport (Wilmore & Costill 1994).

So that’s quite a window (3,000 to 10,000) So that’s not overly helpful .

What do the professional athletes eat?

Men consumed 3,055 calories per day, while the women consumed 2,391. On average, they got 27% of their calories from fat, 20% from protein, and 55% from carbohydrate (Erdman et al 2013). However these athletes weren’t all endurance athletes but it gives us a good idea.

So what do the elite Kenyan distance runners consume?


Well it depends on the gender, the distance they run and the bodyweight that they are, but generally it’s around 5000 calories on average and this is broken down as follows:

About 10.4 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight (Onywera et al 2004)
Protein intake amounted to 10.1% of calorie intake. (1.3 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight) (Onywera et al 2004)

That’s a lot of protein you say?

Yep sure is but if you are doing your strength training correctly then you need to up your protein intake. It is vital:

Athletes performing resistance training need about 1.4-2g per kg of body weight per day (Kreider 2010). This is similar to the elite Kenyan distance runners above.

Delaying protein intake by just 2 hours after exercise resulted in no strength gains from training programmes (Hartman 2007, Esmarck 2001, Bohe 2001). If you need a recap on the strength training for runners, click here:


What about supplements?


Commercially available carbohydrate & protein supplements do not appear to enhance performance in male recreational runners (Coletta et al 2013). So it would appear that you’re best getting your nutrition from food!

How should I eat specifically from the start of my training up until the marathon race day?

If you are starting your training to build up to a marathon and you need to lose some weight the best time to do this is in the preparation cycle at the start of you training as this will be when your training intensity is lowest. This phase can last for 16-20 weeks. Some research shows no changes in time trial performance in endurance athletes after 4 weeks on a low carbohydrate diet (Piacentini et al 2012).

The next 8-12 weeks is the build cycle and nutrition is key here. It is not advisable to try to lose weight here as you need to maximise your training and especially your recovery. During this phase you will need it increase your calorie intake as your intensity goes up.

The final phase is the race cycle, which is when you start to reduce your training volume in preparation for race season. Here you will keep your calories up high and in the week before you can get your carbo-loading and hydration levels up. As the below research shows:

Dietary carbohydrate loading improves endurance performance during prolonged running (Willimas et al 1992).

Novice runners that consumed moderate-high carbohydrate the day before & the morning before the marathon had faster marathon times (Wilson et al 2013).

ACSM guidelines suggest a possible starting point for marathon runners (who are hydrated at the start) is they drink ad libitum from 0.4 to 0.8 litres per hour, with the higher rates for faster, heavier individuals competing in warm environments and the lower rates for the slower, lighter persons competing in cooler environments.

If you are running another race reasonably soon again then you need to keep the calories high to allow your body to recover before then next one but monitor any weight fluctuations carefully.


So this has hopefully helped all of you runners with your nutrition but keep posted over the coming weeks for the next important aspect to improve your running.

If you need any further information or would like to book an appointment then call Hawkes Physiotherapy on 01782 771861 or 07866195914



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