Adventure Racing Food
There are many events which might fall under this description, including mountain marathons (such as the Original Mountain Marathon or OMM, and the Lowe Alpine Mountain Marathon or LAMM), the Marathon Des Sables held in the Sahara, some fell running events, triathlon and other multi-discipline events (which might include biking, kayaking or other disciplines), ultra-marathons and more. Typically we're talking more than one day, often based around running, in challenging terrain.
Do adventure racers need to eat? You bet they do: food for adventure racing is a vital contributor to success! Crucial points to remember are weight (those cans are probably a no-go...), convenience (complex cooking when you're shattered... nah!), great taste (you've got to want to eat it), good calories and good nutritional balance.
When working hard, typically expending more energy than backpackers and hillwalkers, it's important to keep feeding the machine (that's your body) at regular intervals. Little and often is a good mantra to live by. You will probably want to eat something at least every 2 hours, every hour might be even better.
On the go, stuff like flapjack works well, as all those oats mean slow-release energy. Fruit and nuts are easy. Be careful with energy bars and energy drinks/gels: if you do want to use them (not everyone finds them palatable), ensure they are designed for slow release use, not for track athletes, for example. Check the ingredients and the cost: more conventional foods could be better value.
An overnight stop means a chance to eat some great-tasting hot nosh which will cheer you up as well as providing more of those vital calories. Am I going to recommend dried meals? You bet! And not just because we sell them, either, they really are a great choice. Freeze dried meals are easy and quick to prepare, very tasty (if you choose the right ones) and really make you feel good after a hard day.
After a possibly uncomfortable night's sleep (an ultralight single skin shelter and a snoring partner are not a recipe for night-time bliss!), a hot breakfast is a good idea: oats to the fore again, for that slow energy release.
Useful Links
The Original Mountain Marathon. The OMM grew out of the KIMM and is held in the UK. A 2-day event held at the end of October, just so the weather will be grim...
Lowe Alpine Mountain Marathon (LAMM). Held annually in Scotland: the location is a closely guarded secret until just before the race! A 2-day event.
Saunders Lakeland Mountain Marathon (SLMM). A 2-day event for teams of 2 in the English Lake District.
Highlander Mountain Marathon. A 2-day event for teams of 2 in Scotland.
Marathon Des Sables. An endurance race across the Sahara Desert in Morocco, covering 151 miles (243km) over 6 days. It is normally held at the end of March or beginning of April.