Hong Kong Marathon: what’s the best thing to eat in anticipation of the big race? Carbo-loading starts now
- Carbohydrates are required for marathon runners to avoid ‘hitting the wall’
- Don’t forget to eat your breakfast two hours before the race, says expert
The annual distance running showpiece is just three days away. While most of your training preparations should be completed by now, the last but certainly not least concern should be whether your “fuel tank” can cope with the long and gruelling course: up and down, through the tunnels and across the bridges of Hong Kong.
Carbo-loading is a strategy commonly used by endurance runners to maximise the storage of glycogen in the muscles and liver. Otherwise, a phenomenon known as “hitting the wall” may occur during a high-intensity race. It occurs when the body’s carbohydrate fuel tank gets low and the brain and muscles show signs of fatigue, no matter how much training you have done. Every step feels like wading through treacle.
Wong said a 60-kilogram person would probably need to load 600-720 grams of carbohydrates per day for two to three days before the race.
“A bowl of rice will carry 50g of carbohydrates, and, of course, you won’t want to eat 12 bowls of rice a day for this purpose,” he said. “There are other forms of food that can help carbo-loading, which are quite common in our daily meals.”
The dietitian’s suggestion
Breakfast
● Three pieces of bread with three table spoons of jam
● One bowl of cornflakes with one cup of skimmed milk
Morning snack
● One banana with one cup of low-fat yoghurt (150 millilitres)
● Six Marie biscuits
Lunch
● Two bowls of rice
● One baked potato (150g)
● One fried chicken breast (150g)
● One bowl of stir fried vegetables
● One apple
Afternoon snack
● Two pieces of bread with two table spoons of honey
● One cup of low-fat yoghurt (150ml)
Dinner
● Three bowls of rice
● Salmon fillets (150g)
● One bowl of fried vegetables
Supper
● Ten chestnuts
● One cup of skimmed milk
● Strawberries (150g)
The dietitian also reminded runners that they should have breakfast on Sunday, ideally two hours before the race to allow time for digestion.
“Some may think they will carry less weight if they don’t eat breakfast, but this is not true,” Wong said. “You need some form of energy supply before the race and two hours before should be enough time for digestion. But you must avoid high-fat foods such as fried noodles, hash browns, croissants and fibrous foods, which promote intestinal movement.”
Wong also warned runners to avoid celebratory drinking alcohol after the race.
“We need to recover after the race through the three Rs – refill, repair and rehydrate, and drinking alcohol will slow down the recovery process,” he said. “Also, runners should avoid eating a celebratory feast after the race for the same reason.”
The annual running showpiece attracts 74,000 entrants in three different categories.
