Fuel The Distance is a complete, science-based marathon nutrition guide designed to help runners understand exactly how to fuel training, racing and recovery. Whether you are preparing for your first marathon or chasing a personal best, this ebook gives you the knowledge and practical tools to build a nutrition plan that works for your body, your training and your race-day goals.
Written by Tom Coughlin MSc, SENR, this guide brings together evidence-based sports nutrition with clear, runner-friendly advice. Inside, you will learn how to set up your daily diet, calculate calorie and macronutrient needs, match carbohydrate intake to training load, fuel long runs, carbohydrate load effectively, manage hydration and electrolytes, train your gut, avoid common race-day mistakes and recover properly after the marathon.
You will also find practical meal plan examples, race-week checklists, pre-run snack ideas, sweat rate guidance, electrolyte sources, cooling strategies, marathon fuelling timelines for different race speeds, and advanced peaking strategies including caffeine, beetroot juice, sodium bicarbonate and more.
This is not a generic diet plan or a collection of random tips. It is a complete marathon nutrition resource built to help you feel confident, prepared and ready to execute your fuelling plan when it matters most.
Daily calorie and macronutrient guidance
Carbohydrate targets based on training load
Example rest day, moderate day and long run meal plans
Race-week nutrition checklist
Carbohydrate loading strategy and example plan
Race morning fuelling guidance
Pre-run meals and snack ideas
Intra-run carbohydrate targets
Sports gel guidance and alternatives
Gut training and runner’s gut strategies
Hydration, sweat rate and electrolyte guidance
Cooling strategies for hot races
Recovery nutrition timeline
Example 4.5-hour, 4-hour, 3-hour and 2.5-hour marathon fuelling plans
Build-your-own marathon fuelling plan worksheet
Access to online calculators to find your specific dietary requirements and fluid needs during exercise
Common mistakes to avoid
10 rules of marathon nutrition
And more!
This guide is for marathon runners who want to take the guesswork out of nutrition. It is suitable for first-time marathon runners, recreational runners chasing a PB, sub-3 hopefuls and experienced runners who want a more structured, evidence-based approach to fuelling.
By the end of the guide, you will know what to eat, when to eat it, how much carbohydrate to aim for, how to hydrate, how to practise your fuelling plan, and how to arrive on race day with a clear strategy.
Fuel your training. Fuel your race. Fuel the distance.
Fuel The Distance is a complete, science-based marathon nutrition guide designed to help runners understand exactly how to fuel training, racing and recovery. Whether you are preparing for your first marathon or chasing a personal best, this ebook gives you the knowledge and practical tools to build a nutrition plan that works for your body, your training and your race-day goals.
Written by Tom Coughlin MSc, SENR, this guide brings together evidence-based sports nutrition with clear, runner-friendly advice. Inside, you will learn how to set up your daily diet, calculate calorie and macronutrient needs, match carbohydrate intake to training load, fuel long runs, carbohydrate load effectively, manage hydration and electrolytes, train your gut, avoid common race-day mistakes and recover properly after the marathon.
You will also find practical meal plan examples, race-week checklists, pre-run snack ideas, sweat rate guidance, electrolyte sources, cooling strategies, marathon fuelling timelines for different race speeds, and advanced peaking strategies including caffeine, beetroot juice, sodium bicarbonate and more.
This is not a generic diet plan or a collection of random tips. It is a complete marathon nutrition resource built to help you feel confident, prepared and ready to execute your fuelling plan when it matters most.
Daily calorie and macronutrient guidance
Carbohydrate targets based on training load
Example rest day, moderate day and long run meal plans
Race-week nutrition checklist
Carbohydrate loading strategy and example plan
Race morning fuelling guidance
Pre-run meals and snack ideas
Intra-run carbohydrate targets
Sports gel guidance and alternatives
Gut training and runner’s gut strategies
Hydration, sweat rate and electrolyte guidance
Cooling strategies for hot races
Recovery nutrition timeline
Example 4.5-hour, 4-hour, 3-hour and 2.5-hour marathon fuelling plans
Build-your-own marathon fuelling plan worksheet
Access to online calculators to find your specific dietary requirements and fluid needs during exercise
Common mistakes to avoid
10 rules of marathon nutrition
And more!
This guide is for marathon runners who want to take the guesswork out of nutrition. It is suitable for first-time marathon runners, recreational runners chasing a PB, sub-3 hopefuls and experienced runners who want a more structured, evidence-based approach to fuelling.
By the end of the guide, you will know what to eat, when to eat it, how much carbohydrate to aim for, how to hydrate, how to practise your fuelling plan, and how to arrive on race day with a clear strategy.
Fuel your training. Fuel your race. Fuel the distance.
