Advice on nutrition for 50 mile hike

diesel_doglet

Hi All,

I am doing the 'Longmynd Hike' - a 50 mile hike over the Shropshire hills in a few weeks am after some advice on nutrition for the hike.

We have been doing some training - the farthest is 12 miles and I was absolutely worn out at the end! - Although I had eaten during the hike I felt so hungry!

Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts on what to take to eat?

Also I am thinking of getting some HIGH5 ZERO Hydration Tablets to pop in my water bladder to keep the electrolytes up. Does anyone have any thoughts on these?

Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
DD

Manxman_in_exile

[Bananas and dried fruit]


I'm not sure I'd put hydration tablets in a Camelbak (or whatever). I think I'd prefer to keep any tableted stuff in separate water bottles (or vice versa) so you can just drink water when you want rather than having to rely on just the hydro stuff.


[Bananas and dried fruit and nuts]


You can make your own isotonic drink by mixing half and half water and fruit juice and adding some salt. I'm sure you can find recipes on the web (running sites, hill walking sites etc).


[Bananas and dried fruit and nuts and Soreen malt cake/bars]


If you are aiming for 50 miles, I'd suggest that you want to do at least one training session of 30 to 40 miles. It used to be said for marathon running that to be able to complete the distance for the first time that you needed to have at least one run of 2/3rds distance under your belt.


Regarding nutrition on the walk I'd be inclined to go with bananas, some dried fruit (not too much or you'll dehydrate!), nuts (not salted) and Soreen malt/cake bars (cyclists love them). Maybe some energy bars or gels. I would avoid chocolate.


If you go for energy gels, try them out beforehand to make sure they "agree" with your stomach.


EDIT: Actually might be a good idea to have some salted nuts as a backup. Also 30 - 40 miles training might be a bit far - I think you need to have comfortably covered at least 25 miles a couple of weeks before. Finishing may depend how determined you are!

Manxman_in_exile

Out of interest - how long are you expecting to take? I'm guessing 15 - 20 hours? (Unless you are super fit as some of the competitors must run the whole distance).


I'm a bit curious as there are a few long distance walking events on the Isle of Man and my wife and I have done some very long days climbing Munros in Scotland.

flea72

Is this an organised event with feed stations, or will you need to carry all food/drink with you? How long are you planning on completing it in. I take it, its not a non-stop event and you are splitting the walk over a few days?

As already said, test out gels before the day as they can cause an upset stomach. Electrolyte tabs/isotonic drinks are not necessary, just stick with water. Snacks on the go, i make a trail mix of dried apricots, nuts, cheerios and m&ms/chocolate chips.

Tbh i wouldnt be worrying about food/drink if you are struggling with 1/4 of the distance, as the likelihood is you wont go the full distance. No amount of energy drinks will get you through 50 miles, if you cant walk 12 easily

Twoplus

It looks like this hike starts at 1 pm so I suggest you have a lunch of slow release carbohydrates, pasta is good option but avoid anything with a high fat content. You have 24 hours to complete, so unless you run some of it you are going to be doing a lot of this in the dark.
There are drink stations, so take gels, jelly
sweets, flapjack, dried fruit and perhaps a sandwich. Keep things light as you don't want to be carrying extra weight.
A breakfast is provided at 6am, so again go easy on the fatty foods. Porridge and toast is probably best.
You really need to be covering a greater distance in training but the race is soon.... Good luck.

parking_question_chap

Whilst the bulk of your nutrition should come from carbohydrates, dont totally ignore fats and protein they are important too. Try and eat as much normal food as possible. Take some caffeine gels but try and avoid taking these until you are really struggling

Agree with taking some electrolyte tablets, these will make a big difference as its likely to still be warm in a couple of weeks time.

Make sure you have comfortable socks and shoes that are suitable worn in rather than new. Take some plasters and Vaseline in case of blisters.

PasturesNew

This is probably useless to you if you're not local to your intended route - but I had a friend who would go out the night before and "hide" food/drinks along his route so he didn't have to carry it.