{"id":152553,"date":"2025-12-11T11:58:59","date_gmt":"2025-12-11T16:58:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/runningmagazine.ca\/?p=152553"},"modified":"2025-12-11T11:58:59","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T16:58:59","slug":"are-you-falling-carb-short-on-race-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/runningmagazine.ca\/health-nutrition\/are-you-falling-carb-short-on-race-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Are you falling carb-short on race day?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Your biggest race-day problem might not be pace or fitness\u2014it might be carbs, according to a new study<\/a> published in The European Journal of Sport Science.<\/em> Real-world race data shows runners are wildly overestimating how much fuel they take on board, then wondering why the wheels come off at 30K. If that sounds familiar, this will help you reality-check your fuelling and train your gut to keep up.<\/p>\n

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Aid station. Photo: Unsplash\/Capstone Events<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You\u2019re probably not eating what you think<\/h2>\n

The study followed 60 \u201cTier 2\u201d endurance athletes, both marathoners and cyclists, through two official races. The researchers compared three things: how many carbs<\/a> athletes planned to take in, how much they thought they\u2019d taken during the race and what they actually consumed, measured by weighing sports products before and after. On average, athletes planned 38 grams of carbohydrate per hour but only managed about 31.7 grams, and they still believed they\u2019d hit their plan.<\/p>\n

When you zoom in on the runners, the gap gets even more concerning. Marathoners planned roughly 25.9 g\/hour but only took in 21.7 g\/hour. Not only is that a large discrepancy\u2014it’s also well below mainstream race-day guidelines.<\/p>\n

\"Tired<\/p>\n

How far off are we, really?<\/h2>\n

Most sports-nutrition research<\/a> suggests 30\u201360 g of carbohydrate per hour for events lasting 1\u20132.5 hours, and up to about 90 g\/hour for longer efforts. Those marathoners averaging ~22 g\/hour are sitting below the bottom of the recommended range.<\/p>\n

The study also found that better sleep and lower pre-race \u201ccognitive anxiety\u201d (the worry spiral in your head) were linked with higher real-world carb intake. In other words, a calmer, better-rested athlete tends to fuel as they intended to more naturally.<\/p>\n

Run stronger by mastering the 4R nutrition method<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n