Research Topic
Race Nutrition
13 articles
Pre-Competition Nutrition: The 48-Hour Protocol That Protects Your Race
The 48 hours before competition are about elimination, timing and precision — not eating more. Fibre traps, glycogen topping, sodium loading and race-morning timing are the variables that separate prepared athletes from unprepared ones.
5 min read · 2026-10-20
Pre-Cooling Strategies for Hot-Weather Racing: The Protocol
Pre-cooling lowers core temperature before the starting gun — creating a larger thermal reserve before the performance-limiting 38.5°C ceiling is reached. Here's the evidence.
5 min read · 2026-10-20
Potassium in Ultra-Endurance: The Electrolyte Nobody Discusses
Hypokalemia during ultra-endurance events triggers ECG changes and muscle cramps — but potassium rarely appears on race nutrition briefings. Here's why it should.
5 min read · 2026-10-13
Most Marathon Runners Carry Either Too Many Gels or Too Few. The Calculation That Fixes This Takes About 90 Seconds.
Marathon energy gel count depends on finish time, not distance. A 4-hour marathoner needs 8–10 gels at 60g/hr. A 3-hour runner needs 6–7. The calculation is duration × carb rate ÷ gel carb content — and most runners skip it.
5 min read · 2026-09-22
Glycerol Hyperhydration: The Pre-Race Fluid Loading Protocol
Glycerol hyperhydration can expand plasma volume by 400–700 mL before heat racing. Here's the science behind this underused protocol and how to apply it safely.
5 min read · 2026-09-01
Glycogen Depletion and the Bonk: The Carbohydrate Maths That Prevents It
The bonk — sudden catastrophic fatigue in endurance sport — is driven by hypoglycaemia and glycogen depletion triggering the central governor's protective shutdown. Exogenous carbohydrate from gels prevents it by maintaining plasma glucose and sparing muscle glycogen.
5 min read · 2026-09-01
The Most Underused Component of Endurance Race Preparation Is Not a Training Session. It Is Practising Your Nutrition Protocol in Training — and Most Athletes Never Do It.
GI distress causes 30–50% of DNFs in ultramarathon events and is the most common non-musculoskeletal reason for performance decline in long-course triathlon. The gut is trainable — and training it requires deliberate practice with race-day nutrition protocols during training.
5 min read · 2026-09-01
First Energy Gel Timing: When to Take It in an Endurance Race
The optimal window for a first race gel is 20–30 minutes in — not at the gun, not when hunger signals arrive. Hunger is a lagging indicator of glycogen depletion, and by the time you feel it, your pace has already started to decline.
5 min read · 2026-08-25
Glucose-Fructose Gels: Breaking the 60g Carb Absorption Ceiling
SGLT1 saturates at 60g/hr of glucose regardless of intake. Adding fructose engages GLUT5 — a separate transporter — allowing total carbohydrate absorption to reach 90g/hr. Only gels formulated with a 2:1 glucose:fructose ratio achieve this.
5 min read · 2026-08-18
Energy Gels vs Real Food in Ultra-Endurance Events: The Physiology Is Identical. The Practical Differences Are Not.
A banana and a 25g carbohydrate gel produce the same glucose response — the transporter physiology is identical. But real food in ultra-endurance events solves problems gels create: palate fatigue, appetite suppression, and psychological satiety at hour 8+.
5 min read · 2026-08-18
Taking an Energy Gel Without Water Isn't Just Uncomfortable — It Physiologically Delays the Carbohydrate Reaching Your Muscles. Here Is Exactly Why.
Energy gels are hypertonic solutions (600–900 mOsm/L) compared to plasma (290 mOsm/L). Without water, a gel creates an osmotic gradient that draws fluid into the intestinal lumen — slowing absorption, causing bloating, and triggering the nausea that ends races.
5 min read · 2026-08-18
Chews vs Gels vs Liquid Carbohydrate: Which Fuelling Format Wins on Race Day?
Energy chews, gels, and carbohydrate drinks all supply race fuel — but their gastric emptying rates, palatability profiles, and practical applications differ significantly. Here's the science.
5 min read · 2026-07-14
Caffeinated Energy Gels Work Best in the Second Half of a Race — But Most Athletes Use Them Earliest. The Adenosine Science Behind Why Timing Is Everything.
Caffeine's ergogenic effect in endurance racing is most powerful when adenosine accumulation peaks — the second half of long events. Front-loading caffeinated gels wastes the effect and risks exceeding 400mg total dose across a race.
5 min read · 2026-07-07