Nutrition behaviors, perceptions, and beliefs of recent marathon finishers.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the nutrition behaviors, perceptions, and beliefs of marathoners.
METHODS: A survey-based study was conducted with 422 recent marathon finishers (199 men, 223 women). Participants reported their running background, demographics, diets followed, supplements used, and food/fluid intake during their most recent marathon (median 7 days prior), as well as beliefs about hydration, fueling, and sources of nutrition information.
RESULTS: Median finishing times were 3:53 (3:26-4:35) and 4:25 (3:50-4:59) h:min for men and women during their most recent marathon. Most participants (66.1%) reported typically following a moderate-carbohydrate, moderate-fat diet, while 66.4% carbohydrate-loaded prior to their most recent marathon. Among 139 participants following a specific diet over the past year, the most common were vegetarian/vegan/pescatarian (n = 39), Paleolithic (n = 16), gluten-free (n = 15), and low-carbohydrate (n = 12). Roughly 35% of participants took a supplement intended to improve running performance over the past month. Women were more likely to follow specific diets (39.0% vs. 26.1%), while men were more likely to recently use performance-enhancing supplements (40.2% vs. 30.0%). Most participants (68.3%) indicated they were likely or very likely to rely on a structured plan to determine fluid intake, and 75% were confident in their ability to hydrate. At least 35.6% of participants thought they could improve marathon performance by 8% or more with nutrition interventions. Scientific journals ranked as the most reliable source of nutrition information, while running coaches ranked as the most likely source to be utilized.
CONCLUSIONS: Findings from this investigation, such as diets and supplements utilized by marathoners, can be used by practitioners and researchers alike to improve the dissemination of scientifically-based information on nutrition and marathon running.