How to Fuel Your Long Run: A Practical Guide to Running Nutrition

Running nutrition is one of the most searched topics in running and one of the most misunderstood. The advice has shifted significantly over the last few years, and if you are still running on one gel an hour, you might be leaving a lot on the table.

This guide covers everything you need to know about fueling your long run, from what to eat before you head out to how to avoid bonking at kilometre 25.

Why Fueling Your Long Run Matters

Once you are running longer than 90 minutes, your body's glycogen stores start running low. Glycogen is stored carbohydrate in your muscles and liver. When it runs out, you hit the wall.

Most runners know this. What fewer runners know is how much fuel their body can actually absorb during a run, and how to train the gut to handle it. Get that part right and you run stronger for longer. Get it wrong and you spend the back half of every long run just trying to survive.

The Old Advice vs. What Runners Are Actually Doing Now

A few years ago, the standard advice was 30 to 40 grams of carbohydrate per hour. One gel every 60 minutes. That is what most running books still say.

The reality in 2026 is that most competitive marathoners are targeting 60 to 90 grams of carbs per hour, and elite athletes are pushing past 100 grams. Research has caught up with practice. The gut can absorb significantly more when you train it to, and more carbs mean more sustained energy output and better pacing consistency across the second half of a race.

This does not mean you should immediately start taking three gels an hour on your next long run. Your gut needs time to adapt. But it does mean there is likely room to fuel more than you currently are.

Before Your Long Run

Start fueled. This sounds obvious but a surprising number of runners head out on long runs under-fueled because they train early and do not want to eat at 5am.

For runs longer than 90 minutes, try to eat 2 to 3 hours before. Something like oats with banana, or toast with peanut butter, gives you stable energy without sitting heavy. If you are running first thing and cannot eat a proper meal, even a banana or a couple of slices of toast 30 to 45 minutes out is better than nothing.

Some runners use a small gel or sports drink right before the run to top up glycogen without a heavy pre-run meal. Worth testing in training before you commit to it on race day.

During Your Long Run: A Simple Framework

Here is a starting framework that works for most runners:

For runs between 90 minutes and 2 hours, aim for 30 to 45 grams of carbs per hour. One gel every 45 minutes, or one gel plus some sports drink, gets you there.

For runs over 2 hours, push toward 60 to 90 grams per hour. Two gels per hour, plus sports drink if you can handle it. If you are training for a marathon or working through a structured half marathon plan, this is the range to work toward across your training build.

Start taking fuel around 30 to 40 minutes into your run, not at the first sign of fatigue. Fueling before you need it is the whole point. And pair every gel with water to help absorption. Taking gels without water is one of the most common causes of GI issues during runs.

Solid Food vs. Gels

On runs longer than 2.5 hours, relying entirely on gels can cause taste fatigue and GI distress. The same texture, the same sweetness, kilometre after kilometre, starts to feel unpleasant.

Mix it up. Real food options like dates, banana pieces, rice balls, or energy chews give your gut variety. Salty options such as pretzels or rice cakes with miso help with sodium replacement, which matters a lot on longer efforts.

This is especially important if you are preparing for a trail race, where you are often out for 3 to 5 hours or more and carrying your own nutrition.

Hydration

Aim for 400 to 800mL of fluid per hour depending on heat, humidity and your personal sweat rate. Running in Australian summer? You will be at the higher end. A cool winter morning in Melbourne? Probably closer to 400mL is fine.

Sodium matters alongside fluid. It helps you absorb and retain water. Sports drinks handle this automatically, but if you are only drinking water on longer runs, consider sodium tabs or electrolyte products.

After Your Long Run

This is where a lot of runners let things slide. Getting carbs and protein in within 30 to 60 minutes of finishing your long run significantly improves recovery. A simple recovery meal, rice and protein, a smoothie with protein powder, or eggs on toast, is enough.

Skipping this window is common, especially after early morning runs. But if you are doing consecutive weeks of long training, this consistency compounds. It is part of why strength training for runners also emphasises post-session nutrition as a key variable in the recovery equation.

Training Your Gut

Here is the part most people skip. GI distress during runs is often not a sign that your gut cannot handle gels. It is a sign it has not been trained to handle them yet.

Practice your fueling strategy on your long runs, not just on race day. Use the gels and drinks you plan to use in the race. Build up the volume gradually over weeks.

This is the same principle that makes Zone 2 training effective. Consistent, progressive effort over time builds a system that holds up when it counts. Your gut training should mirror your running training.

Gear That Makes Fueling Easier

Running nutrition only works if you can carry and access your fuel on the run. A few things that make a real difference:

A running vest or belt with easy-access pockets for gels and a soft flask. Once you are doing runs longer than 2 hours, a handheld bottle gets tiring. A vest keeps your hands free and your fuel accessible.

An electrolyte mix you actually like the taste of. Bland products get abandoned mid-training block.

A GPS watch. Pacing your fueling requires knowing your effort level. Pair this with an understanding of your training zones if you are not sure. It takes the guesswork out of knowing when to push and when to back off.

Sunglasses that work across changing light. Long runs often start in one light condition and finish in another. A 2 to 3 hour run that begins at 6am crosses through dawn, low sun and full morning light. The Adaptor lens transitions from near-clear in low light to darker as the sun comes up, which means you are not squinting through one or losing visibility in the other. If you want to compare lens options across conditions, the lens guide runs through it clearly. For runs in brighter conditions, the photochromic range is worth a look too.

A cap or visor. UV exposure during long Australian runs adds up, even in winter. The UV index in Australia stays meaningful year-round, and a couple of hours outdoors means real cumulative exposure.

Where to Start

Start with more fuel than you think you need and adjust based on how you feel. Most runners under-fuel on long runs, not over-fuel.

Use your long runs as gut-training sessions, not just fitness sessions. Every run over 90 minutes is an opportunity to practice your fueling, test a product, refine your timing and figure out what your gut can handle under load.

If you are building toward a first long race or just trying to stop falling apart in the final stretch, the framework above is a solid base to work from. Progress is consistent practice. That goes for the running and the fueling.

To find sunglasses that can go the distance with you, head to Find Your Pair for a quick fit quiz, or browse the full range at All Running Sunglasses.