Analysis of nutritional intake in trail runners during competition

Abstract

Introduction: There has been an increase in the number of endurance sports events during the last 20 years, as well as in the number of their participants. An adequate nutritional plan is essential for a satisfactory performance in this type of events, both in professional and amateur athletes. Objectives: The objective was to determine, evaluate, and compare with the current scientific recommendations the consumption of carbohydrates, water, and sodium by participants in a trail-running event. Methods: The competition completed by the athletes was the “Medio Trail de Alcoy 2019” (Alcoy, Spain), with a distance of 30 km. After completing the race, participants filled out a questionnaire about their food and drink consumption during the event, in addition to other questions about their nutritional habits in general. Eleven participants who met the inclusion criteria were included in the study. Results: The result obtained for average carbohydrate intake was 14.93 g/h, for sodium intake was 146.42 mg/h, and for water intake was 399.73 mL/h. In all, 27 % of participants visited a dietitian-nutritionist on a regular basis, and none reported gastrointestinal tract issues during the race. Conclusions: The carbohydrate and sodium consumption of participants was low as compared to current scientific recommendations; however, water consumption was adequate according to them. Our advice for endurance athletes is visit a specialized dietitian-nutritionist to achieve optimal performance in competitions.