Nutrition for Olympic medals in endurance sports – Marathon, Cycling and Triathlon

03.10.2024, 13:30 CEST

The Olympic Games in Paris are over and it is time to reflect on some of the fantastic athletic performances achieved. In this webinar we focus on Olympic endurance sports which not only require exceptional physical conditioning but also finely tuned nutritional plans. With world leading scientists and practitioners in the field, we will explore the advanced science behind fueling your body for long-duration events, how this is translated to practical strategies and which challenges the athletes face when they are preparing for and performing the most important competitions in their life.

Prof. Jose Gonzales-Alonso
Brunel University London, UK

Prof. Truls Raastad
Norwegian School of Sport Science, Oslo, Norway

Prof. Louise Burke
Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Australia
Australian Institute of Sport

"Fuelling the marathon: What can we learn from the elite?"

Despite the publication of many consensus statements and position stands on sports nutrition, many even directed at high performance sport, the majority of studies of key concepts such as fueling strategies and performance supplements have been conducted on non-elite athletes. So can our current sports nutrition guidelines provide evidence-based practices for the elite, and do the self-chosen practices of the elite teach us anything? The Paris Olympic Games offered two different marathons on its program: the traditional race that apparently killed its first competitor, and the debut of the mixed team race walking event. This session will discuss the latest updates on fuelling strategies for race day, coping with hot weather, old performance aids applied in new ways, and the incentives to study elite competitors.

Prof. Asker Jeukendrup
Loughborough University, UK
Netherlands Olympic Committee
Red Bull Athlete Performance Center
Visma Lease a Bike Pro cycling team

"The evolution of nutrition in road cycling"

Drawing from his extensive experience with professional cycling teams and his academic expertise, Jeukendrup will explore the nutritional tactics that have shaped long cycling events. He will give insights on pre-race and in-race fueling techniques, as well as the latest advancements in the field. Furthermore, he will discuss how to dial in 24h nutrition needs, and how to prepare nutritionally in training the weeks leading up to big events. The presentation will not only cover the scientific aspects but also practical applications, providing a comprehensive understanding of how nutrition fuels the grueling demands of road cycling and support performance enhancement.

Arild Tveiten
Sports Director and Head Coach Norwegian Triathlon Federation
Coach at the national Olympic Committee (Olympiatoppen)

"The nutritional strategy for the gold medal in Tokyo – what was different in Paris?"

Tokyo2020 was many years before the games started, told to be the hottest games ever. Everyone involved in outdoor sports at that game prepared for that in different ways, but all paid extra attention to hydration and cooling strategies. We closely monitored sweat loss and change in body core temperature in training from 2018 to the games 2021. We also looked into what we thought was the optimal nutrition plan for that Olympic. And that amongst a lot of good training gave us an Olympic Gold.
Paris2024 was a different game in many ways and for us training has changed a little and also the hydration and nutrition strategies had adapted to new knowledge. But this time, it didn't give any medals. So what was the difference if any in how we nutrition wise prepared for these Olympics seen from Norwegian Triathlon perspective.