GI Stress

Up to 63% of athletes must deal with varying degrees of GI distress, which in its most severe form can bring even the best-trained athlete to their knees. Women happen to be more susceptible than men to GI distress as well as individuals with preexisting GI issues (reflux, lactose intolerance or irritable bowel syndrome).

** From NYC Triathlon Consulting Services via trifuel.com

Prevention
Many of the biological and mechanical factors are beyond our control; however, eating while training to stimulate digestion may help to increase blood flow to your digestive organs and reduce GI distress. Moreover, studies have shown that older athletes who have been training for many years have much lower prevalence of GI upset than younger athletes.

To reduce race day jitters, pack everything the night before so you are not rushing in the morning. If possible, pick up all your race info/bib the day or night before. Arrive at the race site with plenty of time to check that you have all of your gear and your bike is ready. Leave time to wait in the bathroom line! Get your body marking and/or race chip and begin your pre-race warm-up. It may be helpful to listen to music that you enjoy. Just try to stay as relaxed as possible.

Adjust your diet 2 days prior to decrease fiber intake. Reducing fiber a few days before your race will allow the body to adjust to the dietary change and decrease the risk of unwanted bowel movements. It is also a good idea to reduce intake of fiber on race day if you are prone to GI distress. Avoid higher fiber sports bars like Power Bar Harvest, Cliff Bar, Fig Newtons, etc. Instead, choose low-residue foods like saltines or pretzels to obtain your solid food nutrition.

If you are prone to GI distress, avoid fructose on race day. Fructose is not only found in fruit, but also in most processed sweets; candy, cookies etc., in the form of high fructose corn syrup. Table sugar is a combination of glucose and fructose.

Reduce osmolality of race day foods and fluids. Choose sports drinks with an osmolality less than 300mOsm or less than 6% carbohydrate (works out to no more than 8 grams of carbohydrate per 100 mL. When consuming gels or other solid foods during a race make it a point to drink an adequate amount of water to ensure optimal absorption and avoid possible negative GI consequences.

Stay hydrated. Aim for fluid intake of 4-8 ounces every 15 to 20 minutes when exercising for more than one hour.

Make sure to experiment with your pre-race and race-day nutrition plan many times prior to race day. This will allow you to figure out what does and does not work for you, and to reduce the chances that GI issues will ruin your race.

By Molly Gerster, MS, RD