Posted October 5, 2009
To go the distance, Ironman triathlon participants need serious fuel before, during and after the race.
Preparation and refueling is key, said Dr. Steven Greer, director of primary care sports medicine at the Medical College of Georgia Hospital and Clinics.
“If you don’t have enough carbohydrates in your liver, your body starts breaking down your muscles if you’re doing an endurance activity,” he said.
For this reason, endurance athlete’s nutritional needs are higher in carbohydrates. An ideal breakdown of an endurance athlete’s diet, Greer said, should be 60-70 percent carbohydrates, 10-15 percent protein and 25-30 percent good fats. An everyday diet should include 40-60 percent carbohydrates, 30 percent protein and up to 30 percent fat.
On the week of the race, athletes need to increase carbohydrate intake as training decreases, Greer said.
Here’s what local Ironman competitors imbibe and avoid before, during and after the race:
“You can’t start the night before the race,” Michael Grady, of Augusta, said.
He increases his complex carbohydrates and starts hydrating a few days before the race.
“(I) always keep a bottle of Gatorade in my hand,” he said.
The day before a competition, he’ll eat a large breakfast and lunch, and an early dinner.
“You can’t take in enough carbohydrates during the race,” he said.
Paul Butler, a veteran of 19 Ironman competitions and chief financial officer of the Augusta event sponsor ESi, said he starts eating pasta, vegetables and legumes about a week before the race. He also cuts out alcohol intake three days before a race.
Butler also recommends eating two to two-and-a-half hours before the first event, the swim.
During the race, Grady consumes food, gel products that are mostly carbohydrates, and has three water bottles on his bike.
Tom Crute, an Augusta participant, minimizes his carbohydrate intake during training, urging his body to do more with less. He maximizes his carbohydrate intake during a race, giving his body additional energy.
“I’m of the opinion that if I can get an effective workout and depend on my glycogen stores, I’ll be able to be more prepared for those longer races,” he said.
Butler eats peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and Famous Amos cookies while on the biking portion of the event.
Though athletes’ race fuel varies, it’s key to find out what works before the day of the race.
It’s important to remember you don’t just sweat water, Greer said. If you’re a salty sweater, you’ll need a mix of drinks that have sodium, such as typical sports drinks. Crute said that he carries salt tablets just in case.
Post-race, Grady said he’ll down a protein recovery drink.
“After something like this, you’re rarely hungry,” he said, but he’ll start replacing energy he lost to avoid feeling poorly later.
To determine what fluids are needed after the race, Greer recommends weighing yourself before and after the race. You should drink one liter per kilogram of lost weight.
For refueling, competitors should eat 1 gram of carbohydrate per kilogram of weight, Greer said. They also should also eat 1 gram of protein for every 4 grams of carbohydrates. This is important to prevent muscle breakdown and for recovery, he said.
Reach Sarah Day Owen at (706) 823-3223 or sarah.owen@augustachronicle.com.
Date: Sept 29, 2009 To see more of The Augusta Chronicle, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://augustachronicle.com.
Copyright © 2009, The Augusta Chronicle, Ga.