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What are these guys eating during the 100 mile NUE races because they sure aren't stopping to grab a PBJ?
Nutrition for Chris Eatough and Jeff Schalk
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kittens, lots and lots of cute little fuzzy kittens.
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Just the protein rich meat or do they go for innards and hair as well?tomimcmillar said:
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brains only
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I'll admit, I wondered the same. I saw Eatough swing through and just grab a camelbak at the Lumberjack pit, but that was it.
However, I'm sure these guys get feeds wherever they can, and with 3 spots per lap up north, they can get an awful lot along the way.
I am curious as to just what they use though.
However, I'm sure these guys get feeds wherever they can, and with 3 spots per lap up north, they can get an awful lot along the way.
I am curious as to just what they use though.
I heard that they found a bunch of water bottles with 9 minutes worth of time at Cohutta, and that's all they use. You gotta watch out though, Will Black found one too and got DQed.
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?p=4358296#poststop
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?p=4358296#poststop
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I think you'll find that not a lot of pros like to divulge their race fuel recipes.
Chris's 24 Hour routine has gotten a lot of scrutiny because everyone's looking at him. But I think most of the top 24 hour racers stick to liquid fuel during a race. Not many people can digest solid food AND produce a race pace effort over such a long period of time without having intestinal distress.
For races less than 8 hours, eating solid food is mostly just impracticle. Much of the race is run on your body's energy stores anyway. Electrolytes and hydration are the first priority. Ultimatley, for 100s the most important factor is PRE RACE nutrition. Not just the morning before the race, but the week leading up to it.
Chris's 24 Hour routine has gotten a lot of scrutiny because everyone's looking at him. But I think most of the top 24 hour racers stick to liquid fuel during a race. Not many people can digest solid food AND produce a race pace effort over such a long period of time without having intestinal distress.
For races less than 8 hours, eating solid food is mostly just impracticle. Much of the race is run on your body's energy stores anyway. Electrolytes and hydration are the first priority. Ultimatley, for 100s the most important factor is PRE RACE nutrition. Not just the morning before the race, but the week leading up to it.
Tell that to the pro tour riders. If you've ever been to a 12-24 hour race, or even seen 24 solo, you know what these guys eat. I watched Lance Armstrong stuff his face with some kind of energy/candy bar 1 hour into a 5 hour marathon (mtb) race. I personally could not ride 8 hours without solid food.Scottytheoneandonly said:
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Those snacks might fill the void in their stomachs, but they don't provide the majority of the fuel needed to complete the event.yater said:
It takes time for the gut to process food. Eating a sandwich in a feed zone 2.5 hours into a 5 hour event does more to keep the bonk at bay and satisfy hunger pains than it does to win you the race.
I've done support at a lot of ultra events. Every racer's nutrition is different. My wife uses mostly a liquid diet. The rare solid food items she consumes are done so as "treats" and rewards, a way to break up the event and break from the blandness of drinking liquid diet for 24 hours.
For 100 milers, I've done liquid only and solid food and I personally prefer liquid calories. They're easier to put down and easier to digest.
Of the 3 people I did support for at Lumberjack, none of them were chomping on sandwiches and pasta during the race.
There are three main sources of stored sugar our muscles can use for energy: glycogen (which is stored in our muscles), blood sugar, and sugar stored in the liver that can be transferred to blood sugar by our bodies when needed. Glycogen is by far the most important (and most abundant) source of sugar during races. Blood sugar and the sugar stored in the liver won't get you very far. Glycogen won't be replenished during a race.
Basically, you fuel during the race to try to keep your blood sugar up and that helps you use glycogen at a slower rate (and therefore preserving it as long as possible). One key about endurance training is that it trains your muscles to store more glycogen and permits longer efforts before bonking.
I like to eat trail mix when riding, as opposed to just drinking an appropriate drink mix, but in the end they are doing the same thing in the race setting--just keeping you blood sugar up and giving you a little protein.
I think the Tour riders eat on the bike because their effort level is often not that high in the feed zones and they are on the bike so long each day that it is tremendously difficult to eat enough calories day after day if you aren't eating while on the bike. I have never seen those guys eating when they are pushing it in a breakaway, doing a time trial, or climbing the mountains. Your body just can't digest food well when you are putting out a hard race effort.
Basically, you fuel during the race to try to keep your blood sugar up and that helps you use glycogen at a slower rate (and therefore preserving it as long as possible). One key about endurance training is that it trains your muscles to store more glycogen and permits longer efforts before bonking.
I like to eat trail mix when riding, as opposed to just drinking an appropriate drink mix, but in the end they are doing the same thing in the race setting--just keeping you blood sugar up and giving you a little protein.
I think the Tour riders eat on the bike because their effort level is often not that high in the feed zones and they are on the bike so long each day that it is tremendously difficult to eat enough calories day after day if you aren't eating while on the bike. I have never seen those guys eating when they are pushing it in a breakaway, doing a time trial, or climbing the mountains. Your body just can't digest food well when you are putting out a hard race effort.
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They're not really working that hard most of the time. Isn't 50% of the race spent in 'active recovery' - i.e less than 50% of max effort?
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:lol:yater said:
I somehow missed that line when I read your post earlier......
If only you knew! :lol:
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