Marathon Fueling Suggestions from Paralympian Susannah Scaroni, RD

Those “changes” include major victories: Gold within the 5000 meters on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and first-place finishes on the Chicago, Recent York City, Boston, and Grandma’s marathons.

Ahead of lining up once more on the Recent York City Marathon, Scaroni—now an RD—gave Well+Good the within scoop on exactly what her marathon fueling plan looks like.

The day before

Because wheelchair racing involves less impact than running, Scaroni says the training involves high intensity and high volume the vast majority of the time, which suggests she just about at all times follows a high-carb weight loss plan. So she only really starts to zero in on race-specific nutrition the day before.

That starts with sipping on carb-rich drinks: She goals for 80 ounces of fluid, including 32 ounces coming from a sports drink like Gatorade.

Although her pre-race dinner is often provided by race organizers, she likes to follow a little bit of a formula. For carbs, she’ll have some rice, potatoes, or pasta. She’ll also include a lean protein like chicken or fish. “And I do not avoid too many vegetables, but I’m not having a dry kale salad, for instance,” she says. “I’m attempting to have a bit of less fiber, but some cooked vegetables are at all times nice.” 

With the intention to ensure that she’s not up all night going to the toilet, she’ll drink most of her final fluids for the day at dinner in order that she’s also taking in some electrolytes, like sodium, to assist her hold onto them. Then she’ll just have a small glass of water when she’s brushing her teeth.

“Sleep is just as essential as nutrition,” she says. “And never having to make use of the restroom more times an evening is an enormous a part of that.”

The morning of the race

Just like all other morning, Scaroni starts every race day with a big glass of water to rehydrate after sleeping.

She often eats breakfast a pair hours before training, but before a race—particularly one with tricky logistics just like the Recent York City Marathon, which begins on Staten Island—there could also be just a few hours between breakfast and the beginning. So she’ll have an even bigger meal that features complex carbs and protein, like oatmeal and yogurt or peanut butter, perhaps a Clif bar and Gatorade because she knows she has time to digest it—and he or she doesn’t wish to find yourself hungry through the race. Then she’ll bring a Gatorade, Powerade, or Skratch Labs carbohydrate hydration mix together with her on the bus and within the tent just before the beginning.

Coffee can also be a must. “What I like, if I actually have the chance, is to bring my very own AeroPress. I often use about 16 grams of beans and grind those up,” she says. “Or, if I do not have that option and there is a coffee shop, I prefer to get a red eye, which is a cup of coffee with a shot of espresso in it.”

On the course

Scaroni did her master’s thesis on fueling considerations for the particular needs of para athletes. Some have impaired GI functioning because of a spinal cord injury, and even just the position that athletes take inside their sports wheelchairs can interfere with the gastric system. Also, she points out: “Our hands are in gloves, so just the act of eating must be done a bit of bit more thoughtfully.”

Scaroni’s go-to strategy is filling up a CamelBak with 60 grams of carbs from her Skratch Labs hydration mix, then drinking it through a straw (totally on downhills when she doesn’t need to use her hands to push).

Her advice to other marathoners

There is a classic saying in running: Don’t try anything recent on race day. And that applies to your marathon fueling plan, too. Scaroni suggests training with exactly what you intend to eat through the race, all the way down to the precise brands and flavors. “GI issues during running are so prevalent, and I believe really sort of attempting to nail down what your body can tolerate when you’re running is an enormous thing to completing the marathon to the most effective of your ability,” she says. 

Along those self same lines, she suggests also practicing that early breakfast, or multiple small meals, like you’ll need on race day. And about all that free Dunkin Donuts coffee in the beginning village: Only partake for those who typically drink coffee right before a run. “If [you’ve] never had it before,” warns Scaroni, “it is not necessarily the most effective day of the 12 months to try it out.”