A study of carbohydrate loading techniques used by marathon runners.

Carbohydrate loading techniques were studied in a survey of 76 marathon runners. It was found that these runners practised a variety of methods that they believed would achieve carbohydrate loading. Analysis of records of food use showed that the diets actually used by runners did not reach the level of carbohydrate specified in the high carbohydrate phase of the glycogen loading regimens reported in the literature. It is suggested that in a free-living situation, without specific instructions or a knowledge of nutrition and food composition, runners are limited in their ability to achieve the dietary requirements of carbohydrate loading.