Nutrition for Relays

I'd like to hear suggestions for nutrition during a relay race like the Hood to Coast. What should runners be drinking/eating for optimal recovery between legs? We typically have 6 - 8 hours to recover between legs of 5 - 8 miles. Any other fueling suggestions? Thanks so much!

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Permalink Reply by Robert Kunz on January 28, 2010 at 4:09pm: Teri,
The key is to use glycemic index to fuel and recover properly. High glycemic during and immediately following, and low glycemic the rest of the time. So, EFS drinks or liquid shot while running. When you finish a leg have one serving of Ultragen w/water,..then wait at least 15 minutes. The rest of the time focus on low glycemic foods that help stabilize blood sugar..this means graze on whole grains, fruits, veggies, nuts, healthy fats and healthy proteins.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Teri on January 28, 2010 at 4:21pm: So the plan of most teams to survive on Red Vines, Chili Cheese Fritos, and beer is ill advised? Ha ha. What about electrolytes? Many relays are during the summer, and you have no choice but to run through the heat of the day. Any advice to offer there?

I am planning to write this information up as an informational post on my relay website, so I appreciate all of the help!

Robert Kunz said:
Teri,
The key is to use glycemic index to fuel and recover properly. High glycemic during and immediately following, and low glycemic the rest of the time. So, EFS drinks or liquid shot while running. When you finish a leg have one serving of Ultragen w/water,..then wait at least 15 minutes. The rest of the time focus on low glycemic foods that help stabilize blood sugar..this means graze on whole grains, fruits, veggies, nuts, healthy fats and healthy proteins.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Robert Kunz on January 28, 2010 at 5:02pm: EFS and Ultragen ave all the electrolytes you need..no additional pills are needed...unless, of course the Red Vines, Chili Cheese Fritos, and beer start wreaking havoc on your stomach..he, he!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Teri on February 3, 2010 at 10:23am: Thank you so much for the information. I have written up a post about relay nutrition - http://www.runningrelays.com/?p=2268 - with a lot of shout outs to what you guys are doing here. I will be trying some of your products as soon as I work through some of the things I already have.

I do have one more question that I think is very appropriate for relay runners. Can you enlighten me about the causes of g.i. distress (i.e. not being able to make it to the porta-potty)? Last year, 3 different people on my team had some pretty serious issues. Some of it was probably nerves, some probably undertraining. What are the nutritional causes? I'd like to write up a piece about how to avoid these issues entirely, and I want to make sure I cover all my bases. Thanks for any information you can provide. Again, I'll provide a very generous shout-out for the information you are providing!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Robert Kunz on February 3, 2010 at 11:55am: Teri,
thanks for the great review. The cause of GI distress is the underlying theme/purpose of this web sight. Each of the nutrition programs have some evidence showing they may be a culprit. Unfortunately, everyone is different, so it takes the diligence to go through each program to figure it out. I also urge you to be careful with GELS as most use gelling agents (thickeners) which have been shown to slow gastric emptying..this leads to poor absorption and port-o-potty stops.; ▶ Reply to This