appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Lily Canter

If you are hitting the trails this season – for training or a race – make sure you pack in enough fuel during your runs. Almost half of trail runners do not consume enough calories, a new study has revealed.
The findings, based on a study of nearly 2,000 trail runners, found women and men generally ate well before a race. But 48 per cent reported consuming fewer carbohydrates than the recommended amount during events lasting more than 2½ hours.
The researchers also found around half of the women studied showed symptoms of low energy availability (LEA) – a condition in which athletes do not eat enough calories to meet their training demands, causing the body to run at an energy deficiency – and unhealthy eating habits, double the rate for men.
The study results, published in the International Journal of Exercise Science, chime with research conducted by Hong Kong-based nutrition health coach Vicky Sham.

Sham surveyed 262 women runners in Hong Kong to measure rates of LEA.
She found 40 per cent of participants were at risk of LEA and 48 per cent were classified as having unhealthy eating habits.
“Many LEA-related symptoms are silent, invisible and confusing. A runner may attribute fatigue or low energy to her longer-than-usual training, or lack of sleep, or busy work,” Sham says.
In the long term, LEA can cause significant health problems such as weight loss, decreased bone density and menstrual dysfunction.
Some of the warning signs are missing periods – also called amenorrhoea – repeated bone injuries, unexplained tiredness or fatigue, extended illnesses or injuries, slow recovery or a decline in strength and endurance.
It is vital to take in enough energy for the body to perform, to recover and to get stronger
Elliot Froidevaux, Hong Kong-based ultra running specialist
“Ultra runners are susceptible to LEA because of the nature of ultra running, which requires long hours of training with very limited feeding time and opportunity,” Sham says.
“Most people obviously don’t eat a full meal before a run. There are no cafes and restaurants on the trails. Many don’t feel hungry after running because of appetite suppression. You can see there can be many occasions of unintentional underfeeding,” she adds.
As for race fuelling, some runners struggle to take in enough calories despite a detailed nutrition plan, because they feel too sick or nauseous during the race to swallow anything.
Another key problem is failing to eat enough protein and carbohydrates after an intense workout or race, since post-race nutrition is crucial for the next training cycle.
Elliot Froidevaux, a sports endurance nutrition coach and ultra running specialist at Joint Dynamics physiotherapy clinic in Hong Kong, says sufficient rest and adequate nutrition are vital for performance.

“Training for ultra[marathons] requires a lot of energy – pure and simple. It is vital to take in enough energy for the body to perform, to recover and to get stronger. Under-fuelling adds stress to an already stressful situation, forcing the body to work hard with less,” he says.
The amount of calories required during ultra running varies between individuals, but recent research gives a ballpark figure of 90 grams of carbohydrates per hour for intense effort lasting over 150 minutes.
For women, who are more prone to gastrointestinal distress such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and bloating, getting enough calories in can be challenging.
Fuelling is of the utmost importance especially if we want to have longevity in sport
Vriko Kwok, Hong Kong entrepreneur and running enthusiast
This is where trial and error in training comes in. Sham’s advice is to use training to test every food item you plan to eat during a race.
“Never try anything new in a race,” she says.
Ultra runner Alice Moore, the fastest woman in the 2024 Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra Challenge (HK4TUC) – when she still went by her maiden name McLeod – says she is prioritising fuelling in her current training block ahead of the North Face 100 and a 200km (120 mile) race in New Zealand early next year.
Her key to good fuelling is to carry food she enjoys eating, and to make sure it is easily accessible.
“There is no point carrying around a gel with you when you don’t like the flavour, as you will just end up leaving it in your bag and skipping your fuelling. I usually try to consider the rough total amount I would ideally want for a race as a whole and then plan to eat it at fairly consistent intervals,” she says.

Moore’s favourite combination is a mixture of “real” foods and confectionery, with a carbohydrate drink as a top-up.
She says Percy Pig gummy sweets are a firm favourite.
“For long efforts of six hours plus, I like to pack some cheese and pickle submarine rolls and salt and vinegar crisps – it is always good to have savoury options, as you are usually taking on quite a lot of sugar throughout a race,” she says.
She admits post-race fuelling is still a work in progress.
“I find I put a lot more thought and planning into my race fuel – it is the post-training fuelling that needs more work, to try and maximise recovery and ensure that I am fuelled and ready to go for the next session,” she says.
Hong Kong entrepreneur Vriko Kwok ran 303km earlier this year in the Lululemon Further challenge, in which athletes attempt to run further than they ever have. She is currently training for the 2025 London Marathon.
“I vividly remember last year when I started ultra training as a non-runner and trying to run a half-marathon distance in a big training block for the first time. I thought I could just wing it,” she says, adding she had to stop at 14km, 7km shy of her goal, because she was not fuelling right.

“Fuelling is of the utmost importance especially if we want to have longevity in sport. To me, it is about keeping the body at an energy-positive status so that it can continue to function at the optimal level,” she says.
The Canadian Sport Institute supported Kwok while she was training for Lululemon Further, and she learned how best to adapt to meet her fuelling needs.
“I know, based on the weather, how many gels and [how much] water I should consume to keep going. And of course, experience also matters because weather can be tricky. During peak summer training I found myself needing to refuel more often to finish any sort of training,” she says.
Like what you read? Follow SCMP Lifestyle on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also sign up for our eNewsletter here.


5 of the best things to do in Hong Kong this weekend, September 18-20

How Jet Li’s trainer Wu Bin, 89, ages well and still nurtures martial arts talent

Ozempic-maker Novo Nordisk slims down to ‘Novo’

How this Hong Kong Gen Z coffee entrepreneur is filling market gap with her can-do attitude

Wellness

How trail runners should fuel their bodies for success, and to avoid health problems

Vicky Sham runs on a trail in Tai Mo Shan, Hong Kong. Photo: Vicky Sham

Alice Moore (née McLeod), the fastest woman in the Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra Challenge 2024 (above), shares her fuelling tactics for long runs. Experts explain the dangers of not getting enough calories during races. Photo: Action Asia

Vicky Sham at the 2023 Hong Kong 100 trail running event. Photo: Vicky Sham

Hong Kong-based ultra running expert Elliot Froidevaux says fuelling properly is “vital”. Photo: Action Asia Events

Moore on the MacLehose Trail during the Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra Challenge 2024. Photo: Alan Li

Vriko Kwok took part in the six-day Lululemon Further challenge in Lake Cahuilla, California, earlier this year. Photo: Lululemon

How to avoid running injuries for beginners? Stronger hips and core are key, study finds

An injured runner stops during the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon in 2018. A study in Finland has found that strengthening the hips and core before exercising could be the key to reducing injury risk for people new to running. Photo: Dickson Lee

Racers take part in the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon in 2024. Photo: Elson Li

Performing hip- and core-strengthening exercises two to three times a week for 15 to 20 minutes at a time will reduce the risk of running-related injuries, says Dr Mari Leppänen (above). Photo: Tampere Research Centre of Sports Medicine

Use a miniband for dynamic hip flexion exercises like this one. Photo: Tampere Research Centre of Sports Medicine 

Single leg pelvic lifts are good for strengthening hips and core. Photo: Tampere Research Centre of Sports Medicine 

A personal trainer demonstrates a lunge. Photo: May Tse

A woman performs a straight-arm plank exercise with legs raised. Photo: Shutterstock

A lying hamstring curl can be performed in a gym using a machine. Photo: Shutterstock Images

Cardeux Nel, a physiotherapist and trail runner, recommends exercises such as crab walks, side planks, bilateral and single-leg bridges and progressive squats. Photo: Cardeux Nel

Crab walking is recommended to help strengthen the core and hips, so they can provide a stable base for the rest of the body’s movements. Photo: Shutterstock

How positive ageing helps you age well, from lower disease risk to quicker recoveries

Pilates instructor Beth Narain practises at her gym in South Bay, Hong Kong. She explains how she stays positive about ageing - something that both studies and celebrities including Martha Stewart and Paulina Porizkova agree helps you age well. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Narain on holiday in the UK. Photo: Beth Narain

Narain is a former ballet dancer. Photo: Beth Narain

Paulina Porizkova in a campaign for Australian brand Camilla and Marc in 2021. Photo: Camilla and Marc

The Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue 2023, with Martha Stewart on the cover. Photo: TNS

Soon to be 78, Narain has a positive view of ageing.  Photo: Beth Narain

How family inspired a Hong Kong teen’s transformation from chubby to champion powerlifter

Powerlifter Saaina Bajaj trains at a gym in Wan Chai, Hong Kong. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Saaina Bajaj took up powerlifting in Hong Kong after watching her dad lift weights. Now winning competitions, she explains how her brother, mum and fitness influencer Analis Cruz also inspired her, and why she no longer compares herself to others. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Bajaj says she considered herself overweight around the time she moved to Hong Kong with her family in 2017, something that would motivate her to take up powerlifting. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Fitness influencer Analis Cruz inspired Bajaj in her powerlifting journey. Photo: Instagram

Bajaj competed in the 2022 Hong Kong Powerlifting Federation Championship, winning gold in the women’s youth category and silver in the women’s under 64kg category. Photo: Hong Kong Powerlifting Federation

Bajaj won gold in the youth category at the USA Powerlifting Federation Winter Mania in 2023.  Photo: United States of America Powerlifting Federation

Bajaj with her father Dhiraj, mother Prerna and brother Siddhant at The Mixing Room bar in Hong Kong’s Central neighbourhood In February, 2024. Photo: Saaina Bajaj

Bajaj says many women have misconceptions about strength training, thinking it will make them appear bulky. Photo: Jonathan Wong

How do you age well? Ask this super fit Korean couple, 62 and 57, going viral on Instagram

Korean fitness couple Kang Changdong and Kim Sunok (right) are fit, toned, healthy – and in their 60s and 50s. Photo: Instagram/@okdong_fit

Fans love seeing happy moments the couple have with their son and daughter. Photo: courtesy of Kim Sunok

Three years ago, Kim (right) started to work at the company Kang (left) founded in 2008. Photo: courtesy of Kim Sunok

Keeping a strict diet was a non-negotiable for Kang when he was preparing for a “body profile” photo shoot. Photo: courtesy of Kim Sunok

Kim said lifting weights at the gym was the best way to get into the best shape of her life. Photo: courtesy of Kim Sunok

In an Instagram post of a tropical holiday, the couple tuck into rainbow-hued salads. Photo: Instagram/@okdong_fit

Lifestyle

Health & Wellness

Health

Sport

Outdoor

Trail Running

Many trail runners don’t consume enough calories in races, which can lead to long-term health issues. Hong Kong experts advise what to eat


Many trail runners don’t consume enough calories in races, which can lead to long-term health issues. Hong Kong experts advise what to eat.


Healthy eating

Health & Fitness

Trail running and hiking

How trail runners should fuel their bodies for success, and to avoid health problems

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Many trail runners don’t consume enough calories in races, which can lead to long-term health issues. Hong Kong experts advise what to eat

Many trail runners don’t consume enough calories in races, which can lead to long-term health issues. Hong Kong experts advise what to eat