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by Matthew Tiszenkel
HLTH 1020
Runners, like all athletes, require energy to be able to compete at their peak
performance. Unlike plants, humans do not get energy solely from the sun; they require food
and liquids. This is where nutrition plays a critical role in the performance of runners. The types
of food and drinks a runner consumes could end up helping them or slowing them down. The
aim of this paper is to examine dietary trends amongst both distance runners and sprinters, as
Distance runners are a special breed of athlete. Humans are particularly well adapted
for distance running most likely as an evolutionary imperative to aid in scavenging large areas
as well as to assist in hunting. With that said, distance running still requires a great deal of
physical and mental stamina. For the most part distance runners tend to fall within the normal
BMI range. In a study of 422 distance runners, of the 125 ultramarathon runners, the average
BMI was 23.3 with a standard deviation of 2.8 (Turner-McGrievy, Moore, Barr-Anderson, 2016).
Marathon and half-marathon runners had a slightly higher BMI than ultramarathon runners but
ultramarathon runners had, on average, been running for a greater number of years which
could contribute to their lower BMI. When it came to diet, 51% followed a generally healthy
diet, 17% followed no diet, 8% followed a vegetarian diet, 6% followed a paleo diet, 5% a
pescatarian diet, 5% a vegan diet, 4% followed a low carbohydrate diet, and 4% followed a diet
where they did not consume red meat (Turner-Mcgrievy et al., 2016). Interestingly, the
ultramarathon runners were far more likely to follow a vegetarian or vegan diet than the
marathon and half-marathon runners combined. Additionally, while most runners scored highly
on the REAP scale, a scale which measures the overall healthfulness of ones diet, but vegan
and vegetarian runners scored the highest. Most athletes cited that they followed their diet
because it made them feel good but many of the runners claimed that it was also for
performance reasons, environmental concerns, and for the welfare of animals. Unfortunately, it
is hard to draw a direct correlation between a vegan or vegetarian diet and distance running
performance for a lot of reasons. The largest being that the demographic for distance runners is
largely comprised of educated non-Hispanic white people and so is the demographic for vegans
and vegetarians. Regardless, vegans and vegetarians, as a whole, tend to be at lower risk for
obesity and, assuming they get enough iron, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids, iodine, calcium and
important for distance runners to ensure they are meeting the nutrition guidelines to maintain
muscle mass, keep fat off and to promote adequate bone strength for peak performance.
The nutrition of a sprinter is based on very different principles than those of a distance
runner. Where distance runners tend to be lean, sprinters require a high power-to-mass ratio.
For this reason, they tend to try to increase muscle mass in order to increase power. Too much
muscle mass, however, can be detrimental as there comes a point of diminishing returns. The
added weight requires more power to move than the added muscle provides. Protein intake is
important for muscle growth and increased strength but energy intake is more important for
the performance of a sprinter. During training, it has been shown that a combination of
carbohydrates and proteins enhances stimulation of anabolic pathways. Furthermore,
utilization of amino acids for muscle protein synthesis is improved when amino acids are
carbohydrates could be helpful in reducing the possibility of muscle glycogen depletion during
training. Interestingly, while protein intake is important for muscle growth, the amount of
dietary protein necessary for a sprinter is difficult to determine as the evidence to support high
protein intake for increasing muscle mass is heavily debated in the scientific community.
However, it is unlikely that excess protein intake is detrimental to sprinters trying to gain
muscle mass. On the day of a race, a sprinters priorities should become more focused on
staying hydrated and comfortable. One should stay hydrated, maintain blood glucose levels and
avoid any behaviors that can cause discomfort (Tipton et al., 2007). Furthermore, while this
article will not dive too deep into supplement use, caffeine, in low doses, has been shown to
improve performance in sprinters. Unlike distance runners, dehydration from caffeine use is not
a major concern amongst sprinters. Additionally, caffeine has been shown to improve mental
alertness and decrease reaction time. Clearly, nutrition and diet must vary from one sprinter to
another. It is not rational to make claims about how much protein all sprinters require as that is
largely dependent on the needs of a given individual. Moreover, ones nutritional needs for
training are vastly different than on race day; where sprinters typically compete on an empty
stomach. Lastly, muscle-to-power ratio is key for sprinters as too much weight will take more to
move.
Whether a distance runner or sprinter, one thing is always critical, hydration. Many
companies who create sports drinks and energy drinks make claims about their ability to
increase performance in athletes compared to water alone. Energy drinks are almost always
detrimental as they contain an excess of caffeine which will cause a runner to become
dehydrated quickly and likely induce gastrointestinal distress. Sports drinks however,
much research to support the use of carbohydrate-electrolyte sports drinks for sprinting but it
is unlikely that their use is detrimental as it does promote hydration. In Rollo and Williams
(2009) experiment, eight endurance runners completed three 1-hour performance runs
separated by a week. On two of these occasions, participants were given a taste and color
matched placebo. While on the third occasion, they were given a carbohydrate-electrolyte
solution. The difference between the distance each individual travelled between the two
placebo trials was statistically insignificant. However, the distance travelled when given the
was that ingestion of a carbohydrate-electrolyte solution before and during a distance run does
improve performance. Nevertheless, one must consider the small sample size used in Rollo and
Williams (2009) experiment of just 8 runners. Typically speaking, a sample size becomes
statistically significant around 30. While its impossible to say definitively, the evidence does
In conclusion, distance runners and sprinters have to take their nutrition very seriously
in order to perform at their peak. However, it is very difficult to determine a direct link between
a specific diet and a performance increase in any sport. Yet, it is largely agreed upon that
maintaining a diet that keeps one lean is important for distance runners and a diet and exercise
plan that keeps ones mass-to-power ratio high is important for sprinters. Additionally, the use
In sum, there are general guidelines runners can follow to try to increase their performance but
every athlete is different and a diet and training routine needs to be fine-tuned to the needs of
the individual.
References:
Diet Choice and Distance Running: Results of the Research Understanding the Nutrition
Tipton, K. D., Jeukendrup, A. E., & Hespel, P. (2007). Nutrition for the sprinter. Journal Of Sports
Rollo, I., & Williams, C. (2009). Influence of Ingesting a Carbohydrate-Electrolyte Solution Before
and During a 1-hr Running Performance Test. International Journal Of Sport Nutrition &