International journal of sport nutrition and exercise metabolismApr 5, 2019

Nutrition for Ultramarathon Running on Trails, Tracks, and Roads

Circadian Biology Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Mar 28, 2026

Abstract

Daily dietary carbohydrates of up to 12 g·kg·day may support endurance training adaptations for ultramarathon runners.

Multiple-transportable carbohydrate intake of approximately 90 g·hr during exercise may enhance real-time endurance performance for running distances of three hours or more.
Current dietary practices among ultramarathon runners include glycogen manipulation and low-carbohydrate high-fat diets, though the latter's effectiveness in improving performance is not supported.
Ultramarathon runners may experience varying levels of dehydration, ranging from hypohydration to hyperhydration, influenced by event duration and environmental conditions.
Maintaining euhydration during events can generally be achieved by 'drinking to thirst.'
An individualized nutrition strategy is essential for optimizing training and competition performance in ultramarathon events.

Simplified

Ultramarathon running events and participation numbers have increased progressively over the past three decades. Besides the exertion of prolonged running with or without a loaded pack, such events are often associated with challenging topography, environmental conditions, acute transient lifestyle discomforts, and/or event-related health complications. These factors create a scenario for greater nutritional needs, while predisposing ultramarathon runners to multiple nutritional intake barriers. The current review aims to explore the physiological and nutritional demands of ultramarathon running and provide general guidance on nutritional requirements for ultramarathon training and competition, including aspects of race nutrition logistics. Research outcomes suggest that daily dietary carbohydrates (up to 12 g·kg·day) and multiple-transportable carbohydrate intake (∼90 g·hrfor running distances ≥3 hr) during exercise support endurance training adaptations and enhance real-time endurance performance. Whether these intake rates are tolerable during ultramarathon competition is questionable from a practical and gastrointestinal perspective. Dietary protocols, such as glycogen manipulation or low-carbohydrate high-fat diets, are currently popular among ultramarathon runners. Despite the latter dietary manipulation showing increased total fat oxidation rates during submaximal exercise, the role in enhancing ultramarathon running performance is currently not supported. Ultramarathon runners may develop varying degrees of both hypohydration and hyperhydration (with accompanying exercise-associated hyponatremia), dependent on event duration, and environmental conditions. To avoid these two extremes, euhydration can generally be maintained through "drinking to thirst." A well practiced and individualized nutrition strategy is required to optimize training and competition performance in ultramarathon running events, whether they are single stage or multistage. -1 -1 -1

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Nutrition for Ultramarathon Running on Trails, Tracks, and Roads

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