First Things First: Digestion
Ultra’s can mean many things to athletes. Most importantly are the distances. Shorter ultra’s (less than 50K) may require more of a liquid and/or semi-solid nutrition plan because the intensity is higher, more blood is shunted to the working muscles and less to the stomach for digestion, all resulting in a less efficient digestive process. Liquid sources are easier to digest. During these lengths of races, focus on eating higher carbohydrate, low to moderate protein and little to no fat.

Longer races (greater than 50K) have the opposite effects and athletes competing in these distances find it much easier to eat more solid foods because of the lower intensity and more blood is available to the stomach for digestion. For these distances, focus on eating moderate carbohydrate, moderate protein and some fat. The body requires more protein as well as fat during longer duration, lower intensity training and racing.

Burn, Baby, Burn: Calories
During an ultra, it is impossible to fully replenish the calories that you are burning. It is important to train your body nutritionally during training to figure the amount of calories your body will be “happy” with absorbing. Each athlete is different and with these differences come significant ranges of calorie intake. Research in laboratories has shown that most athletes can absorb roughly 120-330 calories per hour of activity. However, the demands of ultra-running are greater and some athletes can and will eat upwards of 400 calories or more per hour. The quantity will be different among all athletes. The key is to experiment with different calorie levels in training under diverse conditions in order to pinpoint what your body prefers. Remember, different environmental conditions and terrain could affect your nutrition intake significantly.

Watch the Clock: Timing
Maintaining good hydration and fuel status are crucial components for ultra-running success. Do your homework about the course you will be competing on and scope out the spacing and selection of the aid stations to determine if and what you should carry on you. Similar to calorie intake, it is difficult to know exactly how much fluid you should consume since each athlete has a different sweat rate but in general, it is wise to consume roughly 4-8 ounces of fluid every 15 minutes. Drinking more frequently is preferred because it helps to prevent dehydration better. Don’t forget the electrolytes with your fluid. You will be sweating out precious sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium and it is important to replenish these throughout the race.

It is also good practice to consume your preferred source of calories 1-3 times per hour in regular 20-30 minute intervals to maintain blood sugar and avoid energy “highs” and “lows”.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Choices
Remember, an ultra is a very challenging endeavor and is probably one of the most physically, mentally and nutritionally taxing events you will ever do. An ultra is not a “normal” race and therefore requires combining traditional and nontraditional nutrition methods to ensure success to reach the finish line. Traditional nutrition includes energy bars, gels, sport drinks and sodium replacement tablets. These are the staples for many endurance athletes and definitely should be part of your nutrition arsenal.

But over several hours, you body will crave different types of food and thus enters the nontraditional items. Many ultra-runners have had good success using sugar candy such as Skittles or red licorice, higher fat candy such as M&Ms, ginger root or lozenges for GI distress, boiled potatoes rolled in salt, Poptarts, peanut butter and honey (or jelly) tortilla wraps, granola bars, soda, meal replacement beverages and tofu and cheese (really!), to name a few.