Noakes’s Comrades advice: no carbs

DURBAN 29-05-2013 Tim Noakes taking at DHS. Picture: S'bonelo Ngcobo

DURBAN 29-05-2013 Tim Noakes taking at DHS. Picture: S'bonelo Ngcobo

Published May 30, 2013

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Durban - Exercise and nutritional scientist Professor Tim Noakes was in Durban on Wednesday to dish out advice on what Comrades runners should be eating before and during the race.

“The worst advice given to Comrades runners is to carbo-load,” Noakes said to an attentive audience.

Noakes, who is professor of exercise and sports science at the UCT, said the idea that a high carbohydrate diet would allow you to run fast was a myth, and many people were unable to metabolise carbohydrates properly.

He provided a practical example with an image of Bruce Fordyce in his heyday, winning marathons at will. Sleek and toned, Fordyce was the epitome of fitness.

Fast forward to 2009: Noakes showed another image of Fordyce, where he had been maintaining his high carbohydrate diet, and the Comrades champion was sporting a small belly.

Noakes attributed this to the runner’s high carbohydrate intake, which he admits he started advocating in the 70s.

Today, Fordyce is 14kg lighter, thanks to Noakes’s high fat, high protein approach to race preparations and general diet, with the veteran runner still able to complete 5km in less than 19 minutes.

Noakes’s advice for race day was to eat biltong along the way and drink water, if your body had adapted to a no-carbohydrate diet.

“Carbohydrate-addicted runners need carbs, but each of us contain enough fat to run the Comrades without them.”

He said the idea that you need to fill your body with carbohydrates for energy was incorrect, as fats and proteins could provide you with the required levels of fuel your body needed.

When it came to keeping your fluid levels up during the race, he warned runners against over-hydrating.

Only drink when thirsty, and only take water from a station every 5km, he said. - The Mercury

* The Comrades Marathon will be run on Sunday June 2.

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