Kelsey HigginsonSports Nutrition Coach and Founder at Clutch Day Coaching

Nutrition for track athletes

30 Mar 2025 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

0:57

In this concise instructional video, the presenter addresses the common problem of fatigue in track athletes who compete in three or more events at a meet. He proposes a simple “compete, eat, repeat” protocol: immediately after each event, consume carbohydrate‑rich foods to replenish muscle glycogen. He explains that carbohydrates are the primary fuel for muscle energy tanks and that a lack of carbs leads to the “hitting the wall” feeling in later events. The speaker also stresses the importance of rehearsing this fueling routine during practice so the body adapts to eating and running in quick succession. The overall message is that strategic carb intake between events can sustain performance across a full meet.

Chapters

If you're a track athlete and you're competing in 3 or more events in your meet, you are probably getting to that last event dead tired and unable to compete whatsoever. The way that you can get around that is fueling your body ahead of time and then refueling your body in between every single event. My rule is you compete, you eat, and you repeat. Okay, you— whenever you compete, you should be eating right after, and then you compete again, you should be eating right after. And the things that you want to be eating are mainly carbohydrates. Carbohydrates fill up your muscle energy energy tanks. It's super important. If you get to your last event and you just feel like you hit a wall, that is a very good indication that your body is on empty and that you didn't have enough carbs prior. So if that happens to you, try having carbs in between every single event and see how different it feels. And the last thing I'd say is practice is a really important time to practice your fueling strategy so your body gets used to eating and running within a short period of time.