What to eat before a marathon - The Food Chain podcast, BBC World Service

What did former world record holder Paula Radcliffe eat before her marathons? And what should runners eat to train for, and complete, their own? Click here to subscribe to our channel 👉🏽 https://bbc.in/3VyyriM Ruth Alexander is joined by one of the most successful marathon runners in history, Paula Radcliffe, who held the women’s world record for 16 years. She shares what it takes to fuel months of marathon training, and what it feels like when things go wrong during a race. Also on the programme is former world champion runner Steve Cram, now a coach and commentator, who explains the common nutrition mistakes he sees among recreational runners. And Performance Director of the dsm-firmenich Running Team, Valentijn Trouw tells us what it’s like to oversee the performance programmes of elite athletes including marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge. Ruth asks them what runners should fuel their training, what to eat in the crucial days before a race, and how to avoid “hitting the wall” on marathon day. 00:00 Coming up 00:11 Introduction to guests 01:00 Quickfire round begins: supershoes or supertraining? 01:40 What’s the best fuel mid-race, gels or real food? 02:38 How many gels is too many? 03:40 Is it ever ok to try something new on race day? 03:50 Caffeine, performance booster or risky gamble? 04:50 Foods to avoid before the race 05:20 How important was food to Paula’s success? 06:45 Do all athletes understand the importance of good nutrition? 07:50 Can casual runners benefit from learning about athletes’ diets? 10:18 How many hours did Paula train for, and what did she eat in that time? 11:53 Do athletes have to think carefully about proportions of macronutrients, ie protein, fat and carbohydrate? 12:46 How much should a marathon runner eat? 14:56 What should people be eating in the days before a race? Should they carb load? 16:07 What did carb loading look like for Paula? 17:18 What did Paula eat on the morning of a big race? 17:50 Is it ok for runners to take foods from spectators? 20:02 What are the common mistakes that marathon runners make around food and drinks? 20:39 Has Paula Radcliffe every made a mistake with nutrition? 21:51 What are the most common mistakes that amateur runners make when it comes to nutrition? 23:40 When the race is over, what do people eat first? 24:19 What does Eliud Kipchoge eat when he’s finished a marathon? 25:06 Final bits of advice from Paula, Steve and Valentijn Check out more episodes of The Food Chain here 👉🏽 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLz_B0PFGIn4f4kxjsAfebFJku6zL3ZyEY Presenter: Ruth Alexander Producer: Izzy Greenfield Video Journalist: Leona Gasper Editor: Sara Wadeson ---------------- This is the official BBC World Service YouTube channel. If you like what we do, you can also find us here: Instagram 👉🏽 https://www.instagram.com/bbcworldservice Twitter 👉🏽 https://twitter.com/bbcworldservice Facebook 👉🏽 https://facebook.com/bbcworldservice BBC World Service website 👉🏽 https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldserviceradio Thanks for watching and subscribing! #BBCWorldService #WorldService #marathon #marathontraining #paularadcliffe #eliudkipchoge