I enable endurance athletes to overcome lack of energy and gut upset so that they can fuel their bodies with confidence and race to their full potential. Subscribe to my weekly 'Fuelling with Purpose' newsletter to receive endurance nutrition insights directly in your inbox.
Fuelling With Purpose — 11 March 2025
🚀 Endurance highlights1️⃣ Carb confusion: Is more always better?The endurance nutrition world is currently split between two extremes: On one end, some elite athletes are pushing carbohydrate intake beyond 120g per hour, while others advocate for a very low-carb, high-fat (keto) approach. This article by Alex Hutchinson takes a deep dive into the latest research on how many carbs endurance athletes actually need. The science has evolved from the long-standing 60g per hour recommendation to findings that suggest 90g or even 120g per hour can be beneficial, especially when mixing different carbohydrate sources like glucose and fructose. At the same time, a new study has found that as little as 10g per hour might be enough to provide performance benefits, particularly by maintaining stable blood sugar levels rather than solely relying on muscle glycogen stores. The reality is that there's no one-size-fits-all approach. While research overwhelmingly supports high carbohydrate intakes for endurance performance, individual responses vary, and fuelling strategies should be tested and tailored to each athlete’s needs. What’s important to keep in mind is that carbohydrate intake should match the intensity of the effort. Higher-carb fuelling is most beneficial for high-intensity sessions and racing, not the other way around. Carbs should support performance demands, not dictate how hard an athlete pushes. 2️⃣ Fuelling for performance: My chat with Liz from Tribe of Runners
In my latest podcast appearance, I had the pleasure of chatting with Liz from the Tribe of Runners podcast about all things endurance nutrition. We covered a lot of ground. Everything from how I got into sports nutrition and my personal journey in endurance sports to the biggest fuelling mistakes I see runners making. We also dove deep into key strategies for training and racing nutrition, including the importance of fuelling with purpose, why fasted training isn’t the magic bullet some make it out to be, and how to build a nutrition plan that actually supports performance. If you've ever wondered how to tweak your fuelling to feel stronger in training and avoid gut issues on race day, this episode is for you. 3️⃣ Running on empty? The hidden dangers of low energy availabilityThis is the third publication I’ve seen and shared this year talking about nutrition and injury risk. The more research emerges, the clearer it becomes that fuelling properly isn’t just about performing well—it’s also about staying strong, resilient, and injury-free. This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the relationship between diet, disordered eating risks, and running-related injuries in adult distance runners. The findings reinforce that low energy availability, where an athlete isn't consuming enough to meet both their training and basic physiological needs, is a major risk factor for injuries, particularly stress fractures and soft tissue damage. Low energy availabilty isn’t just about feeling fatigued or underperforming; it’s a severe problem with long-term consequences. Chronic under-fueling weakens bones, slows down recovery, disrupts hormones, and increases susceptibility to overuse injuries. Bottom line: if you’re training hard but not giving your body enough to sustain both performance and recovery, you’re not just leaving gains on the table, you could be putting yourself at risk for injury and long-term health issues. 🕵🏻♀️ Retail finds*This week's product review: Tailwind Nutrition Rapid HydrationElectrolyte drinks are increasingly popular. Tailwind recently released an alternative with less carbohydrates than their signature product. Features & benefits
Things to keep in mind
Final take This drink could be helpful during short training sessions where replenishing electrolytes can be beneficial such as in the middle of summer. The addition of carbohydrate makes it convenient to supply some energy and support with fluid absorption. Special thanks to my client Kristina from Coast To Mountain Running , who sent me a package with a wide range of products to review, including these electrolyte samples. 👩🏻🍳 Kitchen creations🏃🏻♂️ Want to work together?When you’re ready, here are 3 ways I can help you:
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Gaby Villa
I enable endurance athletes to overcome lack of energy and gut upset so that they can fuel their bodies with confidence and race to their full potential. Subscribe to my weekly 'Fuelling with Purpose' newsletter to receive endurance nutrition insights directly in your inbox.
💡 Fuel forThought From gut issues to victory: The strategy behind a backyard ultra win Last week, Patto from the Backyard Ultra Podcast sat down with IntensEAThlete and Fuel To Thrive Academy graduate Mitch McInnes, who recently became the last one standing at the I’m Still Standing Backyard Ultra in Sydney. Mitch McInnes Mar 25 · Backyard Ultra Podcast 51:54 In this episode, Mitch shares what it really took to hit 40 yards (a new PB!) and take the win, something he had been chasing for a...
💡 Fuel forThought Introducing Fuel For Thought! A new section in the newsletter where I share ideas and reflections that come up in my work with athletes, from real-life training questions to patterns I keep seeing again and again. These insights are grounded in evidence, but they’re also shaped by practical experience, the kind you don’t always get from textbooks. Why I talk more about carbohydrates than calories If you’ve been reading my newsletter or following my content for a while,...
🚀 Endurance highlights 1️⃣ Sticky science: How honey might help your muscles recover 🍯 This study looked at whether honey could help reduce muscle inflammation caused by overtraining. Over six weeks, 42 military graduates went through tough physical training. They were split into two groups: one took a honey supplement daily, and the other had a placebo. The researchers measured markers of muscle inflammation before and after the trial, including C-reactive protein (CRP) and creatine kinase...