Nutrition for
running

You can have the best training plan in the world, but if your nutrition is wrong, your performance will suffer. Running is a high energy-demand sport — a runner burns between 60 and 100 calories per kilometer, depending on weight and pace.

Carbohydrates are the primary fuel for running at moderate to high intensity. Fats sustain long runs at easy pace. Proteins repair muscles after effort. The timing and amount of each macronutrient make a real difference in performance and recovery.

This guide covers everything a runner needs to know about nutrition: what to eat before, during and after running, how to hydrate properly, nutrition for long races and the most common mistakes that hurt training.

For runs up to 60 minutes, water is sufficient. Beyond 60 minutes, your body needs carbohydrates: 30-60g per hour for half marathon and 60-90g per hour for marathon. The most common options are energy gels, chews, bananas and maltodextrin mixed with water.

Hydration during the run depends on climate and intensity. The general rule is to drink 150-250ml every 15-20 minutes. On hot days, consider drinks with electrolytes (sodium) to replace what's lost in sweat. Dehydration of just 2% of body weight already significantly reduces performance.

Critical: test all nutrition during long runs. Every stomach reacts differently to gels and food during effort. Race day is not the time to experiment — use your weekly long run to discover what works for you.