Assessing exogenous carbohydrate intake needed to optimize human endurance performance across sex: insights from modeling runners pursuing a sub-2-h marathon

Abstract

This study scrutinizes the upper limit of exogenous carbohydrate (CHO) recommendations for elite male and female marathoners by modeling sex-specific needs across an extreme metabolic challenge lasting ∼2 h, a sub-2-h marathon. Contemporary nutritional guidelines to optimize marathon performance appear inadequate for most elite marathon runners but appear more appropriate for males over their female counterparts. Future research examining possible benefits of exogenous CHO intakes > 90 g·h−1 should prioritize female athlete study inclusion.