Challenge Wanaka Nutrition

I recently had a discussion with someone about the up coming Challenge Wanaka and the 2014 race nutrition sponsors. It brought up an interesting point and one that all competitors need to be aware of and plan for if they have not done so already.

In the up coming Challenge Wanaka the drink provided by the race organiser/ sponsor will not contain any carbohydrates (sugar). This is very important for athletes to realise and plan for as it may result in them running low on fuel and hitting the dreaded wall, if they were planning a fluid based nutrition plan.

More often than not the drink provided at Iron distance aid stations is a sports drink containing both electrolytes (for hydration) and carbohydrates (for energy). This allows athletes to consume a proportion of their carbohydrate requirements from their drink meaning they do not need to consume as many gels or bars.

However, the Nuun hydration drink that will be available on the Challenge Wanaka 2014 course is an electrolyte only drink. While this is good for maximizing fluid absorption, athletes will need to insure that they are getting their carbohydrate requirements from else where.

So when you sit down to plan your nutrition for Challenge Wanaka make sure you plan where you are going to be getting your carbohydrates from (carbohydrate foods provided at aid stations: CLIF Bars, CLIF Shots and bananas + coke in the final 2 aid stations) and where you will be getting your fluid from Nuun drink and/ or plain water.