{"id":19120,"date":"2025-06-12T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-12T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scienceinsport.com\/sports-nutrition\/?p=19120"},"modified":"2026-04-29T14:36:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T14:36:17","slug":"nutritional-strategy-for-female-athletes-running-a-marathon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scienceinsport.com\/sports-nutrition\/nutritional-strategy-for-female-athletes-running-a-marathon\/","title":{"rendered":"Nutritional Strategy for\u00a0Female\u00a0Athletes Running a Marathon"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Megertu<\/span>
\n

Nutritional Strategy for Female Athletes Running a Marathon<\/h1>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n
\n Written By<\/span>\n

SiS Team <\/h3>\n

<\/h6>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>
5 minutes<\/div>
Share
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\n

Nutrition plays a key role in supporting athletic performance and optimal health. This is particularly important for female athletes where under fuelling was found to be prevalent across a range of sports1,2<\/sup>, including marathon runners3<\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women that have a low energy and carbohydrate intake can often see negative impacts on their sporting performance and post-exercise recovery. It also increases the risk of injury and can have a detrimental effect on health, including bone health and menstrual function4<\/sup>. Having a solid understanding of sports nutrition and being able to implement the below 5 key principles daily can play a key role in supporting both the performance and the health of female marathon runners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.  EAT ENOUGH<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Consuming sufficient energy throughout the day to support day-to-day life and training requirements represents the foundation of every female runner\u2019s diet. This is often unmet by female endurance athletes. Concerns related to body weight and composition can drive this low energy and carbohydrate intake in female athletes, driven by the mantra that the lower the body weighs, the better the performance. This view is too simplistic and can lead to nutritional deficiencies that can have drastic negative effects both on performance and on health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Female endurance runners expend ~3000 kcal per day<\/strong> 5<\/sup>, the amount influenced however by the volume and intensity of training performed, physical activity levels outside of training, as well as the body weight of the athlete. Female marathon runners should adjust this based on their individual needs and training demands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some tips for ensuring an optimal daily energy intake:<\/p>\n\n\n\n