How to fuel an adventure race (lessons from the Coast To Coast)
2x Coast To Coast Champion Dougal Allan shares hard-won fueling and hydration strategies for adventure racing, from 12-hour efforts to multi-day epics.
By Dougal Allan
6 Minute Read
Over an 18-year career in endurance sport, I often described myself as an “indecisive athlete.” Between 2006 and 2024, I competed at an elite level in triathlon, adventure racing, and sailing, covering more than ten different disciplines along the way.
Each of these sports involved a high energy output, and with that came a significant demand for fueling and hydration adequately. While the fundamentals remained consistent, the challenge was adapting to the specific demands of each discipline. What worked well for me as a professional IRONMAN® athlete, for example, did not always translate effectively into adventure racing...
Why adventure racing differs from triathlon
Triathlon is, by nature, predictable. The sequence of swim, bike, and run is fixed, and environmental conditions - often warm or hot summer locations - allow for relatively structured planning. As a result, hydration strategies can be refined and executed with a high degree of precision.
Adventure racing, in contrast, involves far more variability. Over the course of my career, I encountered disciplines such as kayaking, inline skating, trekking, mountain biking, swimming, rafting, abseiling, skiing, coasteering, and orienteering, across environments ranging from alpine conditions to tropical climates.
This variability makes nutrition planning inherently more complex. Rather than following a fixed strategy, athletes must adopt an approach that is adaptable, varied, and responsive to changing conditions.
What works (and what doesn’t!)
Despite the differences, the core principles remain unchanged: carbohydrates are the primary fuel source and hydration and electrolyte balance are critical. I still recommend all my coached adventure racing athletes get a Sweat Test, and use the free Fuel & Hydration Planner that is available on the Precision Fuel & Hydration website.
However, applying these principles and learnings requires flexibility.
For example, in colder conditions, fluid requirements often decrease, making it impractical to adhere to hydration targets designed for hot environments. At the same time, energy demands may increase, requiring greater carbohydrate intake.
Another key consideration is flavour fatigue, particularly in events lasting from 12 hours to several days. While gels and sports drinks can form the foundation of a fueling strategy in ‘shorter’ adventure race events, such as New Zealand’s Coast to Coast (which lasts approximately 12 hours), longer races often necessitate a broader range of food options.
In multi-day events such as Godzone or Ecomotion, where intensity is generally lower but finishing times much longer, say 5-7 days, incorporating solid foods becomes both practical and beneficial. Options such as sandwiches, fruit loaf, canned fruit, nuts, boiled potatoes, and simple rice or pasta meals, can improve both energy intake and overall adherence to nutrition intake.
The mode of activity also plays a significant role in the format of fuel you'll use.
Running: Easily digestible nutrition is preferred, as gastrointestinal comfort and the need for focus limit the practicality of solid foods.
Kayaking and cycling: These disciplines provide greater opportunity to consume more substantial food, which can be important in longer events where overall energy intake is high.
Swimming and coasteering stages: These often limit or prevent intake altogether, making it essential to prioritise fuelling immediately before and after these sections.
Understanding these differences allows for more effective planning and reduces the risk of energy deficits.
The importance of discipline
Even the most well-structured nutrition plan is only effective if it's consistently executed.
Factors such as fatigue, environmental conditions, sleep deprivation, and gastrointestinal discomfort can all impact an athlete’s ability to maintain regular intake. When nutrition targets are not met, the consequences are immediate and cumulative - declines in energy, coordination, cognitive function, and mood.
To mitigate this, I have often relied on simple strategies such as setting regular reminder alarms on my watch to eat and drink, or working with teammates to maintain accountability. Over time, it has become clear that discipline in fueling is not just beneficial, but essential for sustained performance.
One of the most significant lessons I learned came during a race in Brazil, where I miscalculated my nutrition requirements and ran out of both food and fluid several hours before reaching support.
The result was a rapid decline in energy and cognitive function, to the point where even basic communication became difficult. Upon reaching transition, I was able to quickly consume fluids and food, and within a relatively short period, performance began to recover.
While the time lost could not be regained, the experience reinforced a critical point: consistent fueling is fundamental, and falling behind can have significant consequences.
Key takeaways
Several consistent themes have emerged from my experience in adventure racing:
1. Maintain consistency: regular fuelling and hydration are essential. It's far easier to maintain energy balance than to recover from a deficit.
2. Incorporate variety: longer, lower-intensity events benefit from a wider range of food options, both for nutritional and practical reasons.
3. Remain adaptable: given the variability in terrain, climate, and race dynamics, flexibility in execution is often required to achieve the best outcome.
Final thoughts:
One of the more surprising aspects of transitioning from triathlon to adventure racing was how different my nutritional approach became.
While the underlying principles — carbohydrates for energy and electrolytes for hydration — remained constant, the way they were applied varied considerably depending on the event.
As race duration increases and conditions become less predictable, the need for consistency, variety, and adaptability becomes more pronounced.
One constant, however, remained throughout: regardless of the discipline or environment, the finish line was always best followed by a beer and a scoop of hot chips!
Further reading
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