Race Diet of Finishers and Non-Finishers in a 100 Mile (161 km) Mountain Footrace

Abstract

Objective: To determine if food and fluid intake is related to completion of a 161-km ultramarathon.

Methods: Sixteen consenting runners in the Western States Endurance Run participated in the study. Race diets were analyzed using Nutritionist Pro software. Both total intake and intake by race segment (3 total) were evaluated.

Results: Six of 16 subjects completed the race (finishers) in 27.0 ± 2.3 hours (mean ± SD). Non-finishers completed 96.5 ± 20.5 km in 17.0 ± 3.9 h. Overall consumption rates of kilocalories, carbohydrate, fat, and sodium were significantly greater (P < 0.05) in finishers (4.6 ± 1.7 kcal/kg/h, 0.98 ± 0.43 g carbohydrate/kg/h, 0.06 ± 0.03 g fat/kg/h, 10.2 ± 6.0 mg sodium/kg/h) versus non-finishers (2.5 ± 1.3 kcal/kg/h, 0.56 ± 0.32 g carbohydrate/kg/h, 0.02 ± 0.02 g fat/kg/h, 5.2 ± 3.0 mg sodium/kg/h). Kilocalorie, fat, fluid, and sodium consumption rates during segment 1 (first 48 km) were significantly greater in finishers than in non-finishers.

Conclusions: Completion of this 161-km race was related to greater fuel, fluid, and sodium consumption rates. However, intake ranges for the finishers were large, so factors other than race diet may have contributed to the successful completion of the race.

Key words::

• ultrarunning
• fuel consumption
• hydration
• sodium

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors thank Ginger Hook, Dr. Kevin Fogard, Benjamin Holexa, and Bill Butler for their crucial help in the field. The study was supported by the Western States Endurance Run Foundation.

Table 1. Demographic Comparison of Finishers and Non-finishers^a

Table 2. Body Mass Index (BMI) and Body Mass in Finishers and Non-finishers^a

Table 3. Race Diet in Finishers and Non-finishers^a

Table 4. Race Diet by Segment in Finishers and Non-finishers^a

Table 5. Fluid and Sodium Consumption in Finishers and Non-finishers^a

Table 6. Fluid and Sodium Consumption by Segment in Finishers and Non-finishers^a