CHARITY RUNNNING GUIDE TO RACE DAY FUELLING



Charity runner’s beware - It’s big, it’s bad, it’s ugly and when we hit it, we feel as though we’ve had the wind knocked out of our sails - HITTING THE WALL!
NO matter if you have signed up for a half marathon for charity or a marathon for charity, a 5k for charity or a 10k for charity, you or have chosen one of the fantastic charity runs London has to offer – even if you are  travelling to a international marathon. The wall has no boundaries and if there is one thing guaranteed to bring out a cold sweat in charity runners, it’s the fear of hitting the dreaded 'Wall'. The good news is with run for charity by your side and the right preparation you can prevent the worst from happening.

Why charity runners hit the wall

When charity runners are  performing our duties, whether training or on race day, when we run our body  making use of a combo of carbs and fat to push us along. Although our body’s primary source of energy is complex carbohydrates, as our glycogen stores start to deplete, we will use more and more fat. This is a problem due to the fact our bodies take longer to draw energy from fat – naturally we slow down.
Unfortunately, the danger for charity runner’s is trying to maintain the same intensity and speed while our body is low on carbs, inevitably we will hit the heinous wall!
The Run for charity tip: look to keep your glycogen stores topped up - you will hopefully avoid the wall and - in theory – smash your charity running event.

Using gel’s for your charity run
Most major marathons will have a nutrition sponsor and if your charity running event does not it is always with checking with your charity if they have any advice or partnerships with nutritional companies. It is very important to look after your body at your charity running event, even cups of water containing electrolytes can stop you hitting that wall (or at least delay it ). Charity runners will greatly benefit from strategically digesting gels and energy bars, especially those participating in more strenuous events such as marathons for charity or obstacle races for charity.

Are gels for everyone?

Although gels and other nutritional supplements are far and away the easiest and quickest way to absorb carbs into your system,  they do not agree with everyone.Our ability to tolerate gels often relates to how efficiently our bodies can absorb carbs whilst exercising. It can sometimes  also relate to if our stomach has been trained to absorb these products.
When preparing for your charity run if gels don’t agree with you, one other possibility is because you didn’t take them with water - crucial with just about every gel. The only way to find out what works for you is to practice with different types of energy sources during training.
In fact, you can source carbs from other ‘healthier options’, such as a banana, which contains about 20g of carbohydrate  (enough to keep you going for 20 minutes) or a slice of orange, which will have about 6g of carbs (enough for six minutes). Or you could simply carry with you an isotonic sports drinks - most of which contain about 30g of carbs. This is a good alternate option because you can happily sip the drink at regular intervals without getting your hands sticky whilst messing about with gels.
Don’t try anything new at your charity running event.
This is such an important rule, but unfortunately it is broken so many times. Trust us, if there is key piece of advice to follow, it has to be this and we will repeat: DON’T TRY ANYTHING NEW ON YOUR CHARITY RUNNING EVENT DAY. Because the last thing you want to be doing on race day is running to the toilet or feeling unwell or even worse - not actually finishing the race.
Nutrition in the lead up and on your charity running event day is a very personal thing. What works for one individual may not work for another. Experiment and make sure get it right and we will hear you yelling ‘What wall?’ Get it wrong and find yourself immersed in a very long and uncomfortable day. The most successful charity runners will plan their race nutrition well in advance- not the day before the charity running event.
Good luck!
Location: Putney, VT 05346, USA

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