Eating and drinking before a marathon

by Hans, answer by Marius

Eating and drinking before a marathon is one of THE most important things to take care of in your marathon training schedule/preparations.

I received this question :

I'm training for my first marathon in a few months. What and how much should I eat and drink the morning of a marathon?

Hans

The most important thing is actually what to avoid the morning of the marathon. I am very soon releasing a complete marathon manual and this is a small excerpt concerning that, taken directly from that manual :

" On this day, stay away from the following:

1. Apples, pears (these contain non-digestible pectines which can cause stomach cramps)

2. Any dairy product (milk, yoghurt, and many others). These are generally not tolerated well during a marathon.

3. Heavy meat/beef

Routines ;

7 am: Have a light meal but with substance. Bagels, wheat bread, and the like. Just stay away from anything heavy.

9 am: Have another light meal. This is the same as above. If you are a frequent coffee drinker, drink your last cup of coffee at this point.

9:30 to 9:45 am: This is the best time to take a Loperamide supplement to prevent stomach cramps/diarrea, if you choose to take this (see section on stomach cramps in chapter 11 for further information about this)

11 am: Marathon race "

As for drinking, it is enough to drink moderate amounths before the race. If you drink too much, there is a chance of stomach cramps early on in the race.

Also, do practice drinking and eating routines beforehand so that you know what your stomach can take before the marathon.

Good luck with your eating and drinking before a marathon routines !

best regards,
Marius

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