The energy needs of ultra runners vary depending on training conditions and intensity, the running surface conditions, the altitude, air humidity, the temperature.... there are many variables that may impact and determine the energy intake during a long race or training effort. However, a target range of approximately 200-250 cal/hr is something that is very challenging for many athletes during a long race.

 

When both mind and body are tired, when you enter the "bonk" and just struggle to stay "alive" in the race, well, that is the point where nutrition has failed somewhere during the process. Avoiding low moments is a real challenge. I had plenty of those moments and as result I even decided to apply for an Endurance Nutrition course that helped me a lot with useful data.

 

However, being vegan and allergic to some of legumes is quite challenging. I need to find the products and there are huge amounts of interesting products out there. The goal for me is to determine which foods and fluids work for me and in what quantities in order to meet the needed energy requirements. I know now when and how to use the products as result of many ultra-long races and those last races in 2022 gave me a huge amount of feedback.

 

Right now I'm training for my only 100-mile race in 2023 - the UTMB (Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc). That particular race has specific challenges and demands. I know that in order to finish that race I will need a good day, a lot of luck but most of all a proper nutrition plan during the race.
During this training block I'm testing many products and documenting a bit the impact on my body. The thing that I'm looking are natural products with few well defined ingredients easy to digest that are easy to transport and consume during the race. So, high amount of calories, carbs, a bit of fat and after the first 100k a bit of protein will be much appreciated as well.

 

The tough part of testing these products is that in training I rarely run over 40k. This means that the results will never be exact. But on the other hand.... they never are! :)

 

I might document a bit more about this topic. There are many "experts" out there, still not many understand that not everything can be applied on every athlete and must be determined on an individual basis! This is of course most effectively done through consultation with a registered dietician and experimentation during training.

 

Listen to your body and trust the science (sometimes)! ;)