Doing a marathon tips for eating right on the big day

The 35th Dublin City Marathon takes place this coming Bank Holiday Monday when over 14,500 runners, joggers and walkers will start this 26 mile race.

This is a huge personal challenge and achievement for all the participants, requiring a whole lot of training and planning to make sure they are capable for this, literally marathon, challenge. Part of this preparation is to ensure they have the optimal diet whilst training, competing and recovering. But for the day of the big race what should these athletes be making sure they do?

The race has three waves of start times; 9am, 9.10am and 9.20am with the route starting in Fitzwilliam square; it is vital that competitors don’t start the race on a half empty tank! A meal or snack ie breakfast should be taken two to four hours before race time, that will mean an early start.
 
The meal should be rich in carbohydrates especially ones that are of a low Glycaemic Index (GI) as these will be slowly released and provide fuel during this endurance event.  Good choices would be fruit juice drink, porridge with a sliced banana on top, some toast with marmalade; even if you suffer from a ‘nervous tummy’ why not try eating some smaller portions over these few hours; but remember it is vital that you fill up with some ‘fuel’.

Drink plenty of fluids with your breakfast.  If you are travelling up to the race that morning bring your food with you to eat on your way.  

Hydration is key to any type of exercise. During your training it is important to make sure that you develop a good routine of drinking at least 150mls every 15 minutes. Your body needs to get used to this level of fluids, feeling thirsty is not a good indicator that you are dehydrated. So at the start of the race make sure you are fully hydrated, have a toilet stop (you don’t want to have to stop during the race). Watch out if you are drinking caffeine rich drinks, they may have a diuretic effect on some and may cause cramps and nausea.

Eating enroute is important for any race or training session that lasts longer than 90 mins; so be prepared. Easy snacks to carry could be fig rolls, fruit pastilles or raisins. Some people use special gels, but remember most of these gels need water for your body to digest them properly so ideally you should take them when you know a water station is coming up.  It is vital that you never experiment with snacks during an event, always try them out in training!

It is a gruelling race and anyone finishing is truly heroic in their efforts. We wish the best of luck to all the competitors taking part.  For more information on any of the issues discussed above or for more information on diet and nutrition, please contact Maria at The Community Nutrition and Dietetic Service, HSE Dublin-Mid Leinster by telephone on (044) 9395518 or email community.dietitians@hse.ie