How Are South Africa’s Top Trail Runners Fuelling Their Bodies?

by | Mar 13, 2024 | Sports, Featured, Industry News, Opinion, Run, Running Training Insights, Training

An honest look at what pro-athletes are really eating to refuel after training sessions. What, how much, how long after. A discussion around endurance-training and nutrition, to answer the question: Do we complicate eating when it comes to training? Understanding if there is such a thing as “healthy” and “unhealthy” and asking how to be more intuitive with the ways we eat while doing such an extreme sport. 

HOKA-athlete Matt Bouch, adidas-TERREX professional Bianca Tarboton & New Balance sponsored trail runner Kyle Bucklow share their go-to post-run-meals, talk about their relationships with food, food philosophies and share the nutrition insights gained over their running years.

Cover Image PC: Johann Minnaar

Bianca Tarboton – adidas TERREX Athlete (the intuitive eater, whose secret weapon is ostrich mince bolognese):

Over the last two years, Bianca has been racing on the international circuit following her string of unthinkably impressive wins at-home. Not only competing for the title of first female, Bianca is an-overall-podium contender, with her recent local victories including first female and third overall at 35 km UTCT and the first female and third overall at MUT Marathon 2023. Now, consistently captivating audiences worldwide with her remarkable performances (1st at the 15km Adidas TERREX Infinite Trail Series 2023, 2nd at 35 km Eiger Ultra Trail 2023, and 12th at Marathon Mont Blanc 2023), much of Bianca’s success is credited to her mature and health-conscious approach to nutrition and effective fueling strategies.

Nutrition - Bianca Tarboton
Photo By Francis W

Carving her path to success not only through her athleticism but also through her keen understanding of nutrition tailored to her training demands. While Bianca says that she does not come from a scientific background, her years of race experience and personal experimentation have led her to invaluable insights into post-training refuelling and hydration strategies.

For Bianca, the key to optimal performance lies in prioritising a high-protein, high-carbohydrate diet, especially after intense training sessions lasting over an hour. Understanding the significance of immediate refuelling, she prepares and packs a protein-carb-packed smoothie for after her runs. Her winning recipe includes a heap of Wazoogles plant-based protein powder, a banana, cup of oats, peanut butter and yoghurt. Having learnt from previous years filled with afternoon-energy-slumps after intense training blocks, her approach to rapid replenishment has since significantly impacted her recovery, and combated the mid-day fatigue.

After smashing her carpark-smoothie, Bianca returns home for a hearty, proper meal. Some of her go-to’s are as simple as repeating her pre-run breakfast: a bowl of cereal (her favourite being Woolworth’s strawberry granola) with another scoop of protein powder, nuts, seeds and yoghurt. If she finishes around lunch time, she enjoys sourdough (from SouthYeaster), with eggs, cheese and avocado, or her personal favourite, a homemade bolognese with ostrich mince.

Bianca says that while her training meals and eating habits remain pretty consistent, her post-race cravings offer a glimpse into how she honours her body’s demands intuitively and restriction-free. Despite her usual preference and veggie-rich day-to-day diet, Bianca finds herself craving foods which are pretty straightforward, like a beef burger with a bun and chips. This preference, she explains, stems from sensitivity of her stomach post-race, favouring bland, easy-to-digest options. Adding that she always feels “pretty hectic from all the gels, carb-mixes and sugars after a race, so her body doesn’t crave vegetables because of their high-sugar and carb contents.” 

Admitting that hydration isn’t her forte, as she hasn’t really delved into extensive research on the topic; Bianca says she simply drinks according to thirst, particularly feeling the urge to drink more after her high intensity runs. Typically, she opts for water, but after particularly hot and sweaty sessions, she does prioritise an electrolyte. Nevertheless, her hydration-principle is simple and straightforward, “drink according to your body’s signals,” which is easily gauged by both thirst and monitoring the colour of your urine. Bianca says, “if there is any yellowing of my urine, then I’ll drink more.” Sometimes she mixes her hydration up by enjoying a fruit juice or kombucha, but always follows her instincts and intuition, rather than strict guidelines. Her primary focus lies in fueling herself adequately after runs, with hydration playing a secondary role in her routine. 

While the fitness world is flooded with lots of confusing jargon on what to, and not to eat, and diet-culture still seems to dominate the narrative of our food choices; Bianca does maintain the important truth on the critical role of ‘protein!’ The impacts of a protein-deficit diet are extensive, and from personal experience, Bianca says she now prioritises it through eating a varied diet that includes her favourite plant-protein-Wazoogles, ostrich meat, yoghurt, eggs, cheese and nuts. 

Her flexible eating approach means she isn’t fussing about how much of what protein she eats, and always eats to a point of satisfaction and satiation. She adapts her diets on harder versus easier training days, which she naturally tends to feel hunger, consequently eating more to replenish the calories lost.  

In her approach to nutrition, Bianca advocates for simplicity and intuitive eating. She believes in listening to her body’s hunger cues and avoiding excessive food fixation, which she views as counterproductive. Simplifying her food strategy has not only enhanced her performance but also brought about a healthier relationship with food, steering clear of restrictive habits that can lead to underfueling, potential health complications (such as REDs) and chronic injury. 

For Bianca, meal planning revolves around simplicity and prioritising fueling. She stresses the importance of getting adequate calories post-training and cautions against the dangerous trend of neglecting refuelling. Bianca encourages athletes to let go of rigid notions of “healthy” eating and instead focus on providing their bodies with the necessary fuel to support their rigorous training regimes. Consequently, too “healthy,” can ironically be “unhealthy.”

Bianca Tarboton’s approach to nutrition underscores the symbiotic relationship between fueling and performance. By honouring her body’s needs, simplifying her food choices, and prioritising immediate post-training refuelling, Bianca exemplifies how nutrition can be optimised to achieve peak athletic performance.

Matt Bouch – HOKA Athlete (The well-studied flexitarian):

100-miler athlete, Matt Bouch, boasts an impressive list of race finishes and victories, which include: 1st at 2022 Drakensberg Grand Traverse (220km), 2nd at  2023 Addo Ultra (76km), 4th at 2023 MUT by UTMB 100 miler, 1st at Three Peaks Challenge (48km) and 3rd at 2024 Pass 2 Pass Ultra (65km).

How Are South Africa’s Top Trail Runners Fuelling Their Bodies?
Photo by Ramon Mellett

While many know Matt for his incredible landscape photography, and creative eye, he harbours a lesser-known passion for scientific inquiry, specifically for sports performance data. Every facet of Matt’s training and recovery regimen is meticulously planned, and reflects his fascination for optimising his athletic achievements. Matt shares his insights on the crucial art of refuelling, offering an integrative blend of scientific precision with practicality. 

For Matt, the weekends are dedicated to his long-runs, where he spends 5 to 10 hours in the mountains. These endurance sessions mean that his post-run refuelling happens between 11 o’clock and lunchtime, morphing into a brunch-lunch-second-breakfast hybrid. Whether at home, in the car, or at a nearby coffee shop, Matt strategically starts his run where he knows he can easily refuel “10-15 minutes after a session.” Emphasising the importance of eating immediately after a run, Matt underscores from firsthand experience that delaying his refuelling only hampers his recovery and has previously left him extremely fatigued. The repercussions of an extended eating window after a run, are particularly evident during consecutive training sessions, where the cumulative effects of exertion only intensify.  

Consequently, Matt’s energy-replenishing-go-to-meals are a carefully choreographed affair that include a balance of carbohydrates and protein. When on the go, it’s a steri-stumpie or Woolworths chocolate milkshake, or a slice of Bootleggers’ banana-bread layered in nut-butter; before returning home to cook-up something nutrient dense like a chicken and roast-veg wrap (sometimes two), or his signature, 4x eggs, ½ an avocado and 2-3x slices of sourdough. Other times, it’s simply toast with peanut butter and a banana, adding a whey shake on the side, or leftovers from the night before. Whatever his choice, his meals are consistently geared towards meeting the protein-carb-combo to tick-box his nutritional needs. 

With an incredibly diverse and varied diet, Matt admits “it’s difficult to notice or attribute one specific food or meal as being better for recovery;” but maintains that the magic is really in eating enough. The evident pros of a balanced, well-fuelled diet comes with the ease of slipping on your shoes to smash yet again, another training run, day in and day out. 

Adjusting and refining are naturally a part of finding the perfect food and training formula; a process which consequently led Matt to seek nutritional advice from Andy Brodziak (Tritanium Coaching). Andy flagged Matt’s need to ramp-up on protein, encouraging him to meet approximately 140g per day (2g per kg of body weight), which he sources predominantly from whey, eggs, chicken, nuts, and seeds. While this diet adjustment is recent, Matt said he is excited to observe this changes’ long-term effects on his running performance.

Amidst his disciplined approach to nutrition, Matt remains attuned to the psychological complexities of food; confining that his “ chubby early twenties –  thanks to poor life choices,” led him to be more weight and body consciousness today. While he’s moved beyond this complicated food and body-image relationship, he agrees that eating enough in endurance running is sadly not as prioritised as it should be. “Guys will finish a run and grab a beer, or a coffee,” and while he doesn’t deny beer and coffee are great, alone they simply aren’t enough to sustain or restore the energy-spent. 

“You really do need to eat and people don’t understand how depleted their bodies are after training. Your glycogen stores are depleted and your muscles have worked, and by not putting all that stuff back in, depriving yourself of food and nutrients is only doing damage and compromising your training.” 

Trying to challenge the prevailing narrative within not only the trail community but in the fitness world, of “earning,” meals; Matt advocates for a shift towards greater awareness and dialogue around nutrition’s pivotal role in athletic performance. Cautioning against physical exertion with food rewards, Matt strongly believes that “if trail runners ate more, they would be surprised at how much harder they could train, how many more miles they could put in, and consequently, how their racing would improve.” 

In a sport dominated by discussions around PBs, longest races to-date and summits, Matt advocates for greater attention to the less glamorous yet indispensable topic of nutrition. ”Just as one wouldn’t skip a run or change a workout, food should be considered a vital aspect of training as well,” and he urges everyone to question and pay more attention to their dietary choices while training. 

While he continues to fine-tune his nutritional approach, Matt emphasises two key principles: simplicity and preparation. Admitting to the drawbacks of relying on convenience foods like bars and shakes, partly due to the complexity pushed and marketed by sports brands, Matt returns to the fact that eating should not be complicated. He recommends having a supply of wholesome ingredients readily available for making nourishing meals after long runs; avoiding the petrol-station-hanger-scramble for something sustenance-rich. He suggests being prepared for post-runs by packing simple items like bananas, nut butter sachets, and water, which then lay the groundwork for future elaborate meal planning.

Rather than getting lost in the details of individual meals and spreadsheets, Matt advocates for a holistic view of nutrition over the course of days and weeks, one which prioritises a well-rounded, whole-food-based diet. While the planning involved in training may seem tedious, Matt maintains that proactive preparation and simplifying what one eats, where one can, eventually leads to an intuitive style of eating. 

Kyle Bucklow – New Balance Athlete (The vegan – whose hydration flask would carry beer while racing if he could):

Bucklow is known for his finish-line-sprint alongside his loyal four-legged companion, Agape, and his tradition of enjoying a mandatory celebration beer (or several) after every race. What many don’t know is that the New Balance Elite, who’s foothold is tightly fixed to the podium, is fuelled exclusively on a plant-based diet. 

Nutrition Kyle Bucklow
Photo By Zac Zinn

Kyle’s typical post-long-run meal always includes a variety of heavy water based fruits like melons or citrus, followed by avocado toast with sprouts, and if not stretched for time, a side of roasted cherry tomatoes. The formula to his staple meal is typically a whole avocado with 3-4 slices of sourdough. Included in his refuelling-routine, is a cup of blueberries – whether frozen or fresh, blended into a smoothie or just as a snack. 

With “PROTEIN!” being plant-based-fear-monger’s biggest concern, Kyle says he sources his from a variety of foods. Smoothies blended with pea-powder, nuts and seeds, as well as from his legume and grain rich lunches and dinners – a favourite and regular (having it 3-4 times a week) being a home cooked lentil based curry with rice. 

While Kyle has long been an advocate for this way of fueling, he does not forgo the challenges of a plant-based diet, which include, finding a quick-on-the-go meal throughout the day or even being catered for at a post-race-village. He admits to often, always unintentionally, falling short on the immediate-refuelling part of training. Kyle prefers to avoid processed, convenient and unhealthy foods, which unfortunately affects his training performance later on in the day, but for him, these food choices impact the overall long term picture of health. 

Weekdays, with the rush between training sessions and work, often make refuelling difficult; sometimes only getting a proper meal in 2-3 hours post run. Nonetheless, Kyle says he consistently gets his fruit in during this window period of post-run and proper-refuel-meal. He also tries his best to cook a large dinner the night before a long training session and keeps the leftovers for the morning-after. Relying predominantly on hunger cues, Kyle eats to feel when it comes to the harder, longer sessions. Saying, “the longer the run, the more I eat. Finding that I eat more than double the amount of food after a long training session.” Weekends are a lot easier for the professional athlete, with more time on his hands to really indulge in a balanced meal and enjoy the process of cooking. 

Kyle recently underwent an experimental dietary change a few months back, a strict health-focused diet, which eliminated seed oils and saw him consume ample fruits, greens, and protein-heavy meals. While he has since deviated from this regimen and returned to a more-balanced, freer way of eating, the benefits of this healthy-eating-routine were noticeable. Kyle said during his rigorous training period of running 150+ kilometres weekly with twice-daily sessions his recovery was swift and enhanced, and his energy levels well sustained. Presently, Kyle finds himself unable to maintain the same training intensity without experiencing post-training fatigue. Although his race performance remains consistent, he continues to explore this discrepancy between a more strict diet and his current, less regimented eating habits. 

Hydration, Kyle confesses, “is one area that he neglects a bit,” because he doesn’t particularly enjoy training with a pack or running with water bottles. He does, however, make up for this by ensuring he rehydrates with at least 1-litre post sweat-session. Humorously adding that he enjoys a “beer or 2,” as well. Well he knows that a “post-run-beer does not replace calories, and only really dehydrates you,”  he says, “it doesn’t stop me.”

Kyle Bucklow’s insights offer a perspective on plant-based post-run nutrition, highlighting the importance of balance and flexibility within the context of rigorous training and competition. Despite the general reticence in the trail running community to delve deeply into discussions about food, Bucklow finds joy in sharing and learning how others fuel themselves before and after training or racing. And he also makes for the perfect next guest-feature on the Game-Changers show, as South Africa’s very own, plant-powered professional trailrunner.

Nutrition Take-aways:

All three athletes, while different in their refuelling approaches, share similarities. The top three take-aways: 

  1. Refuelling after a training session increases recovery time, supports the body & prevents energy-dips and the chance of injury. 
  2. Eating enough is essential to healthily tackling endurance-type of sports. 
  3. PROTEIN! Whatever you prefer (vegan, vegetarian, meat-eating), must be prioritised. 

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