What James ate to run 2 marathons only 6 days, and 3000km, apart.

My ridiculously fit friend, James, qualified for the prestigious Boston marathon, which he ran last month.

That in itself was a great feat, and would have been enough for most.

But not James.

Only 6 days later, he ran the Big Sur marathon – considered by some one of the most scenic, but hardest courses in North America, with the 560 foot climb at Hurricane Point!

The first ever Boston 2 Big Sur challenge was open to only 400 of the fittest... and craziest athletes.

Unbelievably, James ran the second hilly marathon almost as fast as his first (both not his PB, but a very impressive 3:16 and 3:21.

Marathons and long endurance events are notorious for sucking all that muscle fuel- muscle glycogen – from your muscles. By 32km (mile 20), many runner “hit the wall”, running out of muscle glycogen.

So, how was James able to recover enough to run a second marathon only 6 days after the first? I can’t help but take some of the credit, as his unofficial dietitian ...(although, he knew what he had to do!).

Evidently, what James ate and drank leading up to his marathons was crucial, as well as what he ate the day before the marathon. Click Here for more information on what to eat before a marathon or half marathon. Here I’ll focus on what I suggested he eat/drink during, and after his marathons.

What I told James to consume DURING his marathons:

When running for more than 90 minutes, you should be consuming carbohydrates, to slow down the depletion of your muscle glycogen stores. You want to start getting those carbs in earlier than later- so start within the first 30 minutes! You also want to make sure you’re drinking enough.

In terms of fluid, you need about 4-8 oz every 15-20 minutes.

You also need about 30-60 g carbs every hour.

The easiest way to meet your carb and fluid needs is with a sports drink. If you drink 4-8oz of a sports drink every 20 minutes, you’ll be consuming about 25-50g carbs per hour.

James used gel packs as well- which provide about 25g carbs. If you prefer gels, make sure you take them with 8oz of water to prevent stomach cramps.

What I told James to consume AFTER his marathons:

It’s pretty well known that what you eat and drink after a competition or hard training session will have a direct impact on your recovery. Specifically, you can speed up the rate at which you replace the fuel in your muscles- muscle glycogen- so that you’re able to train (or walk) the next day...and even run a marathon a few days later.

What James ate and did after finishing his Boston marathon would be crucial, since he needed to recover properly to be able to run another one of them in a few days.

Not only is the marathoner’s muscle almost out of glycogen at the end of a marathon, but the pounding the body takes over that distance breaks down muscle fibres, making it hard for the body to re-fuel.

You don’t want to delay replenishing your glycogen stores- the more you wait to consume carbohydrates, the slower your recovery will be. Research has shown that athletes have a 1 hour window, right after exercise, that allow them more enhanced glycogen storage. Take advantage of this window (is what I told James!).

Athletes should consume 0.5-0.7g carbs/ pound of body weight (1-1.5g/kg) within 30 minutes of completing intense endurance exercise.

It doesn’t matter if these carbs are taken in liquid or solid form. Some studies have shown that high-glycemic foods turn into glycogen faster (see below for a list of moderate to high glycemic foods and their carb content).

Runners should, again, consume 0.5-0.7g carbs/lbs (1-1.5g/kg) 2 hours after a race.

Some studies have shown that consuming some protein (10-15g) with those carbs helps promote faster recovery, and also helps repair those torn muscle fibres. Milk and yogourt are great recovery foods since they contain both carbs and protein. Adding peanut butter to those free bagels is another great idea, as is packing some trail mix to snack.

You also need to replenish those lost fluids- 2-3 cups fluid for every lbs lost.

Marathoners should also make sure they satisfy their salt cravings during recovery.

It’s important that runners don't rely on their hunger or thirst, since these will likely be depressed after a marathon.

James had trouble eating after Boston- he wasn’t hungry, and didn’t even want to think about food. He relied on a new recovery sports drink, that contains both carbs and protein, and snacked on bagels and nuts.


And guess what? It worked... because he did great!

Congratulations James!!

Carbohydrate content of moderate-high glycemic index foods:
Energy gel= 25g
Energy bar= 30-45g
1 cup cereal with 1.5 cups milk = 45g
A large bagel= 50-60g
1 cup yogurt with cereal= 60 g
Instant oatmeal made with 1 cup milk, with a banana= 65 g
2 cups juice= 60-75g
Banana and 4 fig newtons = 70g
Bagel with 2 tsp jam= 90g