High-Octane Fueling

Eat the right foods at the right times for multi-day adventures

- Morgan Sjogren

“I feel drunk!” My words slurred and vision blurred as I stumbled on day two of my first-ever, multi-day trail run—traversing the Sierra Nevada Range from east to west (and back), totaling 50 miles. Despite knowing that I needed significant amounts of calories and fluids to power me over the 12,000-foot Mono Pass, I figured that a few Pop Tarts, bags of jellybeans and water would suffice. The result was the worst bonk of my life deep in the wilderness.

The adage that if the furnace is hot enough it will burn anything may be true, but when the fire is stoked over 24 hours it burns differently, and it becomes significantly harder to carry the logs (aka fuel). While multi-day trail endeavors vary greatly— from FKT attempts to stage races like Trans Rockies, from challenging 100-milers such as Hardrock 100 to recreational fast packing—several key fueling considerations remain the same.

Carbs Are King

According to Kristen Chang, MS, RDN, CSSD (a trail runner who works with ultra marathoners on diet plans), “Similar to ultramarathons, the major fueling goals for multi-day trail runs and races are to minimize the energy gap between intake and expenditure, consume adequate levels of micro nutrients and prevent over or under hydration.”