Competition Nutrition - Fuel up

Eating to win

Competition day calls for special preparation to see you ready and confident to put yourself on the line. Now is the time to eat to win. In this section athletes discuss the nutrition challenges in their events and we provide you with strategies for success. Competition nutrition strategies will vary according to the needs of your sport and the practical considerations of your competition timetable and rules. However, the following guidelines should help you gain that winning edge.

Distance walker

"A 50 km walk is a 4-5 hour event. I need to take special steps to load up my muscle fuel stores before I race. Hitting the wall by running out of fuel is no fun, so I take care to prepare well before I race."

Fuel Up for Your EventFuelling up body carbohydrate stores is a key part of competition preparation. Some athletes think that this activity involves great gluttony over the days or night before a competition, often involving foods of low nutritional value. This type of preparation can leave the athlete feeling full and uncomfortable. In addition, if high-fat foods have been eaten instead of true high-carbohydrate foods, then muscle fuel stores may not fully benefit.

You should already be an expert at high-carbohydrate eating, since this is the basis of a winning training diet. You might like to further increase high-carbohydrate foods in the meals leading up to competition, but stick to the eating patterns that you know and trust. Twenty-four hours of tapered Training or rest, together with high-carbohydrate eating will ensure well-stocked muscle fuel stores suitable for most events.

Carbohydrate loading is a more specialised version of fuelling up for competition. This strategy is used by endurance and ultra-endurance athletes who compete in events lasting two hours or longer. Although it has enjoyed a lot of hype and mystery, in simple terms, carbohydrate loading is just an extended period of fuelling up. By extending to three days of an exercise taper and high carbohydrate eating before an event, muscle glycogen levels are lifted above their normal stores. This extra fuel won't make the athlete go faster, but will prolong the time that they can maintain their optimal race pace. Not all athletes can manage the ingredients of relative rest and a high carbohydrate intake, and may need help from a sports dietician to plan a menu. It makes sense to use low bulk and compact carbohydrate foods and drinks to meet fuel intake goals comfortably.

In the past some marathon runners used to include a 'depletion phase' before loading to enhance their muscle glycogen gains. This is not considered necessary by modern sports scientists. In fact, trying to complete the last week of training while depleted can make you feel weak and psyched out. If your event will benefit from extra glycogen stores, stick to the three day fuelling program.

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