Collection: Practical Nutrition plan: Adventure & multi-sport

Training for an upcoming multi-sport or adventure race? it's time to start thinking nutrition. Ideally, a race-day nutrition plan begins months before race-day so you have plenty of time to practice, fail, succeed, fail again and turn up to your event confident to nail your nutrition. 

Here are some tips to help you plan for the ultimate race day experience.

Hydration

Aim: approx. 750-1000ml per hour

• Start drinking early and small amounts frequently (set a watch alarm and practice this in training).
• Why sports drink? PURE Electrolyte Hydration ensures you are hydrating, getting carbohydrates on board (to fuel muscles) and replacing mineral salts (lost in sweat) to help prevent cramping and maintain energy levels.
• Different weather conditions mean different requirements. Be prepared by carrying more hydration than required, especially if it is hot. But don't forget that even is cool conditions you need to stay hydrated.  
• What ever discipline you're doing be conscious of the need to drink (even if you don't have two hands readily available!). 
• Hydration bladders are a great option while on-the-go, but remember you can't visualise how much you are drinking so check that you're meeting your hydration targets (drinking to thirst doesn't prevent dehydration, particularly during the longer events).  
• Don't forget to mix your sports drink up as per the directions.  There are several reasons a sports drink concentration is formulated as it is, including speed of absorption and hydration. If you dilute the strength, you are simply diluting the performance of the product - so make sure you choose a drink which you enjoy the taste of at full strength.
• Protein can also be useful to help the muscles during long stints (2 hours and over) and can be added to your hydration. This is where PURE Endurance Formula can be handy as it has added Whey Protein Isolate to support muscle function during extended endurance events.  It can also help with energy levels & stomach 'fullness' if you aren't able to readily access real food during your race. Tip: for races over 2 hours swap your regular hydration for PURE Endurance Formula from the beginning of the race. 

Carbohydrates

Racing up to 3 hours: 30-60g per hour

Racing over 3 hours: 60-90g per hour

• If your carb aim is over 60g per hour ensure that your carbs come from different sources (so your body is able to absorb the high amount required). For example glucose/sucrose (PURE Electrolyte Hydration, lollies), maltodextrin (PURE Energy Gels), fructose (fruit) and more complex carbohydrates (real food options).
• While fast absorbing sugars are great for energy, be aware that having large amounts over a long time may cause stomach upsets. To combat this, mix up your fuel sources and be sure to include real foods into your plan (remembering it's vital to practice your choices in training to see what works for you, and everyone will be different!).
• Start early and spread your intake out evenly over each hour. Some disciplines are easier to eat while doing so make the most of these opportunities e.g. biking
• Lay out your foods before the race to ensure you have enough carbohydrates per hour of racing (plus extra). Use food labels and the carbohydrate guide to work out carbohydrates per serving.

General Tip and Tricks

• Practice your nutrition plan well ahead of race day during your training so there are no surprises. A solid plan can be the difference between having a great day out and an absolute nightmare of a race.
• Confused about carb loading? (aka having lots of carbohydrate in the days before the event so your muscles store them as fuel). Increase your meal servings by 25% during the 36-72 hour period before the event, and ensure each meal contains carbohydrates. Over this time aim for 3-4 bottles per day of PURE Electrolyte Hydration. This helps to pre-hydrate for race day as well as provide the extra grams of carb required for an effective carb-load.
• Remember you may be skipping meal times so be sure to include foods containing protein and fat to curb hunger and help support muscle function. 
• Training with real food will help train your body to handle real food while on the move.
• Cut and repackage foods/supplements into bite-sized pieces that are easy to get to and easy to eat (snap lock bags are great). It's a good idea to allow for one snap lock bag per hour so you know what you need to get through each hour, but know in advance roughly how many carbohydrates each bag will provide.  Use the nutritional panel on the back of your food to help you with calculating this.  Make sure you consume your zip-lock bag of food during each hour - it's a great visual reminder on keeping your nutrition plan on track during the event.
• Allow for a change of taste buds. Have savoury and sweet options at each transition, you might just be surprised with what works well for you on race day (and sometimes your favourite foods can become your worst enemy).  Don't be afraid to have lots of options available to you in your transition gear bag, and simply select what you want before you head onto the next stage.
• It can be easier to eat real foods earlier on in the race vs. once you're tired so don't be afraid to incorporate food into your plan early on. 
• If you are using caffeine add this in earlier on in the race to allow time for absorption. (Selected PURE Gel flavours have 30mg of added caffeine, about 1/3 cup of coffee).
• Prone to cramp? Add additional salt to your diet in the day or two before race day or alternatively, PURE Electrolyte Capsules can be taken in the day(s) before to provide sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium to support muscle function. 

Carbohydrate Guide

Example Race Day Nutrition Plan: 3-hour event

Example Race Day Nutrition Plan: 6 or 9-hour event

Marewa Sutherland (Kraak), sports and exercise nutritionist (Bachelor of Applied Science BAppSc) and co-founder of PURE Sports Nutrition.