COACH’S CORNER - Do We Ever Train Our Gut? by Lisa Sherman

February 29, 2024

hear from nutritionist and recreational running coach lisa sherman about the importance of training your gut

As runners, we invest a lot of time and energy into our training and our running goals. We often follow specific training plans for our planned race, completing regular run sessions each week to train our muscles to run further and faster. Many of us will also incorporate other activities such as strength training, mobility work and regular massages, all to help improve and build on our endurance and capacity.

But how many of us also plan out our nutrition and consider regularly training our gut to help support and optimise our running training and performance?

Many a runner has experienced a gastrointestinal (GI) issue during a run such as gut discomfort, nausea, vomiting, heartburn, bloating, intestinal cramps, side stitch, gas, diarrhoea or constipation. Research shows that 60-90% of runners have experienced some form of GI upset during ultramarathons (1), and we know this can impact our performance as our ability to consume nutrition during (and after) the run may become limited (often due to loss of appetite or flavour fatigue), our energy stores become depleted leading to increased fatigue and perhaps having to withdraw or DNF, or just having a really bad day out running, neither of which is a whole lot of fun.

Exercise does cause stress on the GI system, largely due to the reduction in blood flow to the gut (as blood flow is redistributed to our working muscles and extremities), which may impair our GI function and delay gastric emptying and intestinal transit, and also impair digestion and absorption of nutrients. Whilst the reasons for GI issues during exercise are multifaceted and individualised, our GI system does have the ability to adapt and we can train our gut to better tolerate nutritional intake during a run.

We have all heard the golden rule of nothing new on race day – no new shoes, clothing, kit and this should also extend to our nutrition (both food and fluid intake), so many runners will practice race day nutrition on some of their runs, especially the long runs.

Whilst this is a good step, we should consider every run an opportunity to train the gut to help reduce the occurrence or the likelihood of some of these gut issues and provide some beneficial effects including our muscles’ ability to use energy and improved tolerance of food, leading to enhanced exercise performance. This should include not just what we consume during the run, but also what we eat before a run and importantly, what we eat post run to help maximise recovery.

We can take a more structured approach to help train the gut, such as ingesting a higher amount of carbohydrate over subsequent run days or regularly during our runs so that we improve our body’s ability to tolerate the higher amount (2). General guidelines suggest an intake of 30-90g of carbohydrate per hour for endurance exercise however this is dependent on exercise intensity, and also individual needs and tolerability. For exercise over 4 hours, consuming around 90g of carbohydrate per hour (from a mixed blend of glucose and fructose to help nutrient transport and absorption), is recommended however you do need to practice this higher carbohydrate intake.

We should also plan our nutrition for the week alongside our training plan, taking into consideration what sessions we are doing and what availability we have to eat before and after based on our schedule.

Each run session is an opportunity to trial and practice our nutrition including different food and fluid options, concentrations and quantities so that we can work out what our individual tolerance levels are. I like to think of it as continually experimenting on ourselves, be the n=1 and try new things to work out what you have available in your nutrition tool kit to support you on race day.

It is also important to plan ahead to race day and consider what options will be available on course at aid stations and will you rely on these or be more self-sufficient? What is the likely time duration of the race and will you need to consider alternative food options as the length of the race increases? How long will you need to travel to get to the start line and whether you will need to allow some extra time to eat before, and so on.

Ideally our weekly long runs should mimic race day so you are training your gut to adapt and be ready for what you are going to do on the day, including the day before, the morning of and after you have crossed the finish line. As we know – nothing new on race day!

Regardless of whether you experience GI issues during a run, we can all benefit from continually practicing our nutrition during our runs. Ultrarunning is a demanding sport and optimal nutritional intake is essential to support your training, recovery and performance. Experiment and practice different options and it is always a good idea to chat with a qualified nutritionist or dietician, especially one with sports and performance knowledge to help you work out what’s right for you to support your ultrarunning goals.

Lisa sherman is a qualified nutritionist and recreational running coach, helping women train for their first marathons and trail races in NSW. if you would like more information on being trained by lisa, click through here to our aura endorsed coaches page.

References

1. Costa RJS, Knechtle B, Tarnopolsky M, Hoffman, MD. Nutrition for ultramarathon running: trail, track and road. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2019;29:130-140. DOI: 10.1123/ijsnem.2018-0255.

2. Martinez IG, Mika AS, Biesiekierski JR, Costa, RJS. The effect of gut-training and feeding-challenge on markers of gastrointestinal status in response to endurance exercise: a systematic literature review. Sports Medicine. 2023;53:1175-1200. DOI:10.1007/s40279-023-01841-0New Paragraph

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AUTRA News Report 19-02-2025

By Kate Dzienis • February 19, 2025

The latest in race results, covering Cradle Mountain Run, City Run, Oscars 100 Hut 2 Hut and Yaberoo Trail Ultra.

Final 2024 Points Competition Results

By Alexis Oosterhoff • January 30, 2025

Results for the 2024 AUTRA Points Competition have been finalised, and are available on our Points Competition page. Full details of the top 10 (as shared on Facebook during January) are detailed below, and results for all participating AUTRA members can be found in the documents at the above link. It was a real battle throughout the year between our top two finishers, Phil Gore & Kevin "BK" Matthews, with both giving it their it their all at events, and through contributions to the community - volunteering at multiple events, and submitting articles to our monthly newsletter, Ultramag. They finished within 2km of total distance for the year (Phil on 1203.087km, and Kevin on 1205.510km), and it was only Phil's final volunteering effort on 6 Inch Trail Marathon in December that gave him the that very narrow victory. As you'd be aware from previous communications, this marks the end of the Points Competition. With trail running (of all distances) now incorporated into AU T RA's constitution, and after careful consideration of the costs of the competition payouts in it's current form, the committee felt it was time for it's retirement. This marks my seventh and final year of delivering the points competition to membership (2018-2024), after taking on the role from Cheryl Symons. It has brought me great joy in doing so, and I feel like I've had an opportunity to get to know so many of our members through seeing their race (and volunteering) performances over the years! I'm continuing in my role as the AUS/NZL statistician for DUV (from whom we shared the data for the points comp), and you can expect to continue to find your ultra-race result on their site. 1st Place - Phil Gore (WA) - 86 points Phil's achievements this year have included a massive 265.653km (and 2nd place) at the IAU 24h Asia & Oceania Championships, wins at the Red Dirt Backyard Ultra (33 laps), the Australian leg of Big Dog's Backyard World Team Championship (96 laps), and the Soochow/Taipei 24h Ultramarathon (270.826km). He also knocked out an easy (!) 72km at the Light Horse Ultra 24h in between supporting his amazing wife Gemma. Those two 24h wins netted Phil new Oceania 24h Open Male records, IAU Level 1 qualifiers, and pushed him to the top of Australia's 24h trophy board (with only the great Yiannis Kouros having run further). Phil topped-up his points by contributing one article to Ultramag, worked as an Event Director at Herdy's Frontyard Ultra, and volunteered at a further five events through the year. He finished on 86 points. 2nd Place - Kevin Matthews (WA) - 84 points Finishing in 2nd place in the AUTRA 2024 Points Competition is WA's Kevin Matthews. He monstered his way through the year with finishes at Australia Day Ultra 100km, Delirious WEST 200mi, 24 laps at Herdy's Frontyard Ultra, 190km at Light Horse Ultra 24h, 23 laps at Birdy's Backyard Ultra, and also completed Feral Pig 100 miler, Sandman 50km and Six Inch 47km. And to top things off, he contributed five articles to Ultramag, and volunteered at five events. BK ran 1205km in Ultramarathon races this year, all of them AUTRA-listed, and surpassed 100 marathon finishes (including 51 Ultramarathons!) Kevin finished the year on 84 points, a massive 34 points ahead of our 3rd place finisher Sue Robertson. 3rd Place - Sue Robertson (WA) - 50 points Finishing in 3rd place in the AUTRA 2024 Points Competition is WA's Sue Robertson. Sue completed the Ultra Series 100 miler trilogy of Delirious WEST, Irrational SOUTH and Unreasonable EAST, and rounded out her year with the Sandman 50km and Six Inch 47km races. She received 30 points from the racing at AUTRA-listed events, and was awarded a further 20 points by volunteering across eight events and contributing two articles to Ultramag, for a total of 50 points for the year. Thank you Sue! 4th Place - Margie Hadley (WA) - 47 points Finishing in 4th place in the AUTRA 2024 Points Competition is WA's Margie Hadley . She was the top-female finisher at both the No Time to Die Frontyard Ultra & Wild Dog Backyard Ultra, 2nd at Birdy's Backyard Ultra, ran 182km at the Australian 24h Track Invitational and placed 3rd at Coast to Kosci. Margie received 47 points in the competition 5th Place - Melissa Robertson (NSW) - 44 points Finishing in 5th place in the AUTRA 2024 Points Competition is NSW's Melissa Robertson. Melissa took out 1st place at Irrational SOUTH 200 miler, 2nd place at Lakes Trail Festival 100km, 1st place at Hume & Hovell 100 miler, 3rd place at Rumble in the Jungle and 6th place at Ultra-Trail Kosciuszko 100 miler! She also volunteered at the GNW 50km event, receiving 44 points in the competition! 6th Place - Aaron Young (WA) - 42 points Finishing in 6th place in the AUTRA 2024 Points Competition is WA's Aaron Young . Aaron finished in 1st place at each of the Ultra Series "Triple Crown" of 200 milers (Delirious WEST, Irrational SOUTH and Unreasonable EAST), 55 laps at Big Dog's Backyard World Team Championship, and rounded his year out with Feral Pig 100 miler. Aaron receives 42 points, just nudging ahead of Maree Connor (who also finished on 42 points) on a count-back 7th Place - Maree Connor (NSW) - 42 points Finishing in 7th place in the AUTRA 2024 Points Competition is NSW's Maree Connor. Maree had an outstanding year, achieving 2nd place with 221km (and an IAU Level 1 qualifier) at the IAU 24th Asian and Oceania Championships, 1st place at the Lakes Trail Festival 100km, 1st place with 67km at the Southern Sydney 6h race, and 1st place with 116km at the Narrabeen Allnighter 12h. Maree also competed at Spartathlon race this year (for which she contributed an article to the September Ultramag on her experience), receiving 42 points in the competition. 8th Place - Darren Linney (SA) - 41 points Finishing in 8th place in the AUTRA 2024 Points Competition is SA's Darren Linney . Darren completed 34 laps at No Time to Die BYU, 199km at the Adelaide 24h race, and 814km at the Australian 6 Day race, for a total of 1241km raced and 41 points . 9th Place - Tristan Cameron (WA) - 40 points Finishing in 9th place in the AUTRA 2024 Points Competition is WA's Tristan Cameron. Tristan completed the Ultra Series Triple Crown of 200 mile races (Delirious WEST, Irrational SOUTH and Unreasonable EAST), along with Feral Pig 100 miler, for a total of 1154km raced and 40 points. 10th Place - Jen Millum (WA) - 39 points Finishing in 10th place in the AUTRA 2024 Points Competition is WA's Jen Millum . Jen finished 1st at all three of the Ultra Series Trilogy of 100 milers (Delirious WEST, Irrational SOUTH and Unreasonable EAST), and was 2nd female with 35 laps at the Wild Dog Backyard Ultra. With a volunteer stint at the Yaberoo Trail Ultra, Jen finished the year with 39 points in the competition. To view the complete list of members who secured points in 2024 click here and then follow through to Points Summary under the 2024 tab. All winners have already been contacted, with cash prizes distributed for 1st - 7th places, and AUTRA Store vouchers sent for 8th, 9th & 10th.