To prepare for a marathon, three things are essential: training, recovery and nutrition. Today we're going to focus on the nutrition aspect of marathon preparation, with Guillaume Adam, a Baouwer from the very beginning and an elite runner, who shares his advice and his nutrition plan with you exclusively at the end of the article.
A former French international track and field runner over 1500m, our athlete switched from tartan to tarmac after Cupid shot him an arrow for the discipline while volunteering for the Boston Marathon in 2017. It was a successful change of direction, as evidenced by his time of 2:26 in the New York Marathon, making him the fastest Frenchman in the 2019 edition. Since then, he has alternated between running shoes and trail shoes, as he has also developed a taste for the trails, including a participation in the UTMB. But today, it's marathon running that Guillaume has come to talk to us about. Accompanied by Benoit Nave, our expert nutritionist, who will also be giving you the lowdown, Guillaume will be giving you the keys to successful nutrition for this very special event on the eve of the Paris Marathon! In fact, who better than Baouwer, who has already shone in this race, with a time of 2h23mins13secs in the capital in 2023, to advise you on the nutritional plan to adopt in order to shine in your turn?
PREPARING FOR YOUR MARATHON: PRE-RACE NUTRITION
TIP No. 1: ‘Learn to maximise your physical and mental freshness’.
Guillaume Adam: ‘For me, the key to a successful marathon is to arrive at the start line with as much desire as possible. Running 42.195 km is anything but a trivial endeavour, and it requires total commitment from both body and mind, and to achieve that, you need to feel light in your boots and good in your head. To achieve this, I see two essential rules: adopt a healthy diet in the weeks leading up to the race, but don't make any sudden changes to your usual routine, and above all, avoid feelings of frustration! The preparation is long, sometimes intense and often conscientious, so to make the most of it, it's essential to continue to enjoy your food.'
BENOIT'S VIEW: ‘Preparing your digestive system
‘Of course, the pleasure of eating remains fundamental. However, just a few days before the event, you need to prepare your digestive system, which is likely to suffer from the intensity of the effort. The idea is to prepare it beforehand for this stress by eliminating anything that could adversely affect transit. With this in mind, in the days leading up to the race, I recommend favouring fish, white meat, sweet potatoes, potatoes, quinoa and rice, all of which are easily digested. At the same time, you should avoid certain products that I'd strongly recommend in other conditions, but which will tire your intestines more than anything else here: high-fibre foods such as lentils, cabbage, prunes or leeks; foods that contain a lot of gluten; and fruit, which is best eaten cooked...’.
BENOIT'S EYE: ‘The day before, decline the invitation to the Pasta Party’.
‘Guillaume does well to decline the invitation to the traditional pre-race Pasta Party! By doing so, he avoids the gluten-laden refined pasta that will be served and which will upset your intestines just a few hours before the start. For me, his marathon eve dinner is ideal. Nothing more to say!'
TIP No. 2: 'Ensure carbohydrate replenishment'.
Guillaume Adam: 'The 4 days before the race, I'm very vigilant about carbohydrate replenishment, i.e. making sure that the glycogen stores from which I'll be drawing deeply throughout the marathon are fully constituted. So, in order to have as many carbohydrates as possible in stock, I'm very careful to eat plenty of quality starchy foods at lunch and dinner. The previous day's meal is crucial in this respect. I eat a portion of rice or sweet potato purée, with fish or white meat. Ideally around 7:30 p.m., so that digestion doesn't interfere with the sleep phase. '
TIP No. 3: ‘Breakfast, whatever happens’.
Guillaume Adam: ‘When the alarm goes off on the day of a marathon, it's rare for your appetite to kick in as soon as you get up. Your stomach is in knots with excitement, so you don't feel hungry. It's important not to rely too much on this feeling, and to try as far as possible and as much as you enjoy, to eat breakfast. Ideally, avoid the gluten in bread or the hard fibres in fruit, which will complicate digestion, and the fast sugars in jams or other fruit juices, which will cause blood sugar levels to soar. For my part, I eat a small portion of the previous evening's dinner that I've put aside, usually rice, which I eat about 3h15 before setting off, even if it means going back to bed afterwards if it's still very early’. *As part of our marathon pack, Benoit Nave, our expert nutritionist, and Yoann Conte, the two-starred chef who designs our Baouw products, have come up with a simple, homemade pre-race cake recipe, which they believe is the ideal breakfast in terms of intake and pleasure!'
ADVICE No. 4: ‘Test your nutrition beforehand’.
Guillaume Adam: ‘The marathon is the culmination of too much preparation to take the risk of improvising your nutrition on race day! You need to test your diet beforehand and find out what suits you best, ideally on long runs close to the pace you'll be setting on D-Day!'
PREPARING FOR YOUR MARATHON: NUTRITION DURING THE RACE
ADVICE 5: ‘You're only as good as your friends and family’.
Guillaume Adam: ‘This ties in with tip no. 4 in the sense that for me, during a marathon, you need to be self-sufficient in terms of your nutrition, and not dependent on what you find at the refreshment posts, where you're usually given products from partner brands that your body isn't familiar with. In short, on the tarmac, you're never better served than by yourself. So take your bars and compotes with you, or let your friends and family who have come to cheer you on distribute them to you on the course, in the zones where this is authorised’. To find out more about Guillaume's marathon nutrition plan, see the end of this article!'
L’ŒIL DE BENOIT : « Les gels classiques vs les gels BAOUW »
« Les glucides sont partout. Ce carburant du corps est même devenu la préoccupation numéro 1 des passionnés de sport et de nutrition. Dans ce contexte, les gels énergétiques – ces produits qui promettent un apport en glucides optimal, faciles à mastiquer et légers à transporter – ont le vent en poupe. Pourtant, les gels énergétiques classiques constituent une fausse bonne idée. En effet, leur composition à base de sucres raffinés et ultra-transformés conduit à des effets indésirables. Tu en veux la preuve ? Retourne ton gel énergétique, parcours la liste des ingrédients et nous te mettons au défi de dénicher un seul élément qui pousse dans les arbres... Raison pour laquelle, chez Baouw, nous avons voulu faire de cette fausse bonne idée, une vraie bonne idée, en lançant nos nouveaux gels, 100% d'origine naturelle. Les premiers gels énergétiques issus de la cuisine et non de la chimie. Ces gels codéveloppés avec nos athlètes de haut-niveau et validés en compétition concilient tout ce qui est fondamental pour nous : la quête de performance, la démarche de santé et la gourmandise. »
TIP No. 6: ‘Run on love and fresh water, around 500 ml/hour’.
Guillaume Adam: ‘Another preconceived idea leads marathon runners to use energy drinks during exercise. Once again, I recommend avoiding them. The best hydration is the simplest: water. Just water. Possibly sparkling water, as this will slightly re-dilate the stomach and aid digestion thanks to the mineral salts it contains. As far as volume is concerned, I recommend between 500 and 600 ml per hour, depending on the heat conditions, with regular sips spaced out as far as possible. In other words, don't drink a flask all at once! As far as I'm concerned, I force myself to take 2 or 3 sips every 10 minutes’.
ADVICE No. 7: ‘Beware of the 33rd kilometre wall in the Paris Marathon!
Guillaume Adam: ‘We often talk about the 30 km wall as a myth, but unfortunately it becomes a very painful reality if you don't stick to the nutrition plan you've drawn up. In Paris, the ‘wall of thirty’ turns out to be even more insidious, as it appears violently at the 33rd km, when the road suddenly rises for 500 m, at the bend in a long uphill false flat. To tackle this wall as well as possible and climb it without difficulty, it may help to adapt the length of your stride by reducing it, while increasing its frequency. Also, the effort will be intense, so I advise you to eat a little before, or a little after, but not during!'
PREPARING FOR YOUR MARATHON: NUTRITION AFTER THE RACE
TIP No. 8: ‘Know how to reward yourself
Guillaume Adam: ‘I include the post-race in the marathon adventure. Marathons are not just about what happens during them, but also before and after! I think it's vital to know how to reward yourself after such an effort, which punctuates several weeks of preparation and investment. As far as I'm concerned, after making sure I've rehydrated with enough water, I allow myself a little beer as the icing on the cake and the final touch to a successful experience! Or the suspension points! Because we love this sport too much... (Smiles)!’
L'ŒIL DE BENOIT: ‘Le repas du roi’ (The King's Meal)
« Je suis d’accord avec Guillaume. Après l’effort, le réconfort ! C’est bateau, mais ça fonctionne. Ainsi, après la réhydratation post-course, à base d’une eau gazeuse contenant un soupçon de sirop, et la régénération musculaire, favorisée par la consommation d’une ou deux barres protéinées, j’encourage fortement à enfiler ses chaussettes de récupération et mettre les pieds sous la table pour déguster l’une des deux sublimes recettes de purée, concoctées par Yoann Conte. Pourquoi la purée ? Tout d’abord, parce qu’elle permet de refaire les stocks de glycogène très rapidement et efficacement. Puis, car elle offre une combinaison extrêmement intéressante d’aliments alcalinisant, riches en minéraux et antioxydants, parfaits pour la récup’. Les deux recettes de Yoann – classique ou plus exotique – sont à découvrir dans notre ack ! »
GUILLAUME ADAM'S MARATHON NUTRITION PLAN
In our marathon pack, you will discover a very detailed marathon nutrition plan, adapted to each target effort time, whether you want to cross the finish line in 3, 4 or 5 hours...
NUTRITION :
Avant effort : 1 Barre Extra Baouw
Pendant l'effort: Tu peux soit te concentrer sur les gels énergétiques naturels soit alterner avec des purées énergétiques bio toutes les 30-40 mnutes.
Récupération après effort : 1 Barre protéinée Baouw
HYDRATION :
500 to 600 ml of water, depending on how hot it is. Take 2 or 3 sips every 10 minutes.
