09/03/2026
I get this reaction when I’m talking to people about adequate fuelling levels for endurance athletes
So often the response is “ there’s just no way I can eat that amount of carbs”
And whilst I completely understand that I promise you, it’s absolutely necessary to find a higher level of carbon tape per hour during endurance training and events
For years athletes have been told to aim for 40 to 60 g of fast acting carbohydrates per hour during long sessions or races
This is a good starting point
But it’s exactly that just a start… as people look to do harder and longer endurance events it is simply not enough to sustain your performance once intensity and duration increase
The, how do you go on the long you go? The faster your muscles drain the glycogen stores.. and when this drops too low, your fatigue ramps up power output fails pay slows and everything starts to work hard harder than it should
This is where a higher carbohydrate intake becomes a performance necessity
At the moment we know that athletes can tolerate up to 120 g of carbohydrates per hour
With the right strategy!
This is possible because the body can absorb carbohydrates through multiple transport pathways in the gut
But the big point here…
You don’t jump straight to 120 g per hour
The only place you’ll be running to the toilet
I see this often enough but
Your gut needs to be trained, just like the rest of your body
If you only ever consume 40 to 60 g/h that’s reasonably all your system can comfortably tolerate on race day
But if you gradually increase in intake during training session sessions, your body adapt
Improving absorption
Reducing GI distress
And allowing you to utilise more fuel when it matters most
Which in the end leads to stronger overall performance
Which is the whole point right?
