ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights key nutrition considerations for sports nutrition practitioners working to support endurance athletes. Endurance athletes have varied daily energy requirements which are primarily influenced by their daily training schedule and annual training plan. Sports nutrition practitioners should use available training metrics to carefully interpret carbohydrate intake guidelines and create practical food and fluid suggestions integrated into an athlete’s busy schedule, fine-tuned with ongoing feedback. This is particularly important as endurance athletes are susceptible to problematic low energy availability. Practitioners, coaches, and performance support staff should monitor athletes’ markers of health and well-being and be vigilant of signs of disordered eating and eating disorders when working with endurance athletes. Endurance race nutrition strategies centred around carbohydrate and fluid intakes should be rehearsed in ‘race-like’ training sessions and customised for individuals taking into account the environment and race dynamics.
