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This Is Everything Ultramarathon Runner Courtney Atkinson Eats In A Day

Food intake is crucial when you're travelling 150km across 7 days in 8 states and territories - by Alex Pierotti
  • 08 Feb 2019
This Is Everything Ultramarathon Runner Courtney Atkinson Eats In A Day
Instagram / @mrcourtneyatkinson

When you trek harsh terrains for a living, your body is going to take a hit. Most sports scientists will tell you that if you don't fuel up properly, you’re putting yourself at serious risk.

So after running more than 150km across 7 days in 8 states and territories, it's no surprise that Ultramarathon runner and Red Bull athlete Courtney Atkinson understands what it takes to keep his body functioning at its prime - even in the most strenuous situations. And that means loading up on kilojoules to keep his energy levels sufficient.

 

 

While the average joe will consume around 8,700kj daily, Courtney needs to aims for 1500kj (3-400 calories) an hour.

"One big thing to note on my day on a plate is to remember I am an endurance athlete and expend hours and hours of energy on given days," says Atkinson.

"What you’ll notice is that not everything in my diet is 'healthy', but the nature of my sport means understanding the functional benefits of ingredients such as sugar for pre-workout and post run recovery.

"Eating well means eating based on what your body requires to function at the level of activity you want it to perform, so that’s how I structure mine each day."

mrcourtneyatkinson View Profile
431 likes - View Post on Instagram
Day No.1 🏃‍♂️ #KingsCanyon * If you haven't heard the story 🎥 link in my Bio☝️ * @shanebarrie took this shot for me on a #gopro set at 10shots / 1sec. No second chances 😎

"I generally eat a wide variety of food and no two days would ever be the same. I don't follow any hard fast or fad diets but I aim to follow these four general guidelines," he continues. 

Here's Atkinson's advice when it comes to eating:

  1. "You’ll see lots of colour in my fridge (fruit & veg) because I tend to find you tend to eat what is in front of you."
  2. "Aim to match the amount of food I consume to the duration and intensity of exercise I do that day (calories - though I'm not a calorie counter I have a good idea what's going in compared to output)." 
  3. Golden Rule: "onboard carbs to start replenishing muscles ASAP or at least within 20minutes of finishing an intense or very long workout. This is where a Red Bull comes in handy. I'll 24/7 have a 24 pack in the boot of my Subaru ready when I arrive back at car after being out in the forest."
  4. "Generally, try to stick to good quality low GI carbs ( great for a gradual release of energy) as much as possible but then I also have a sweet tooth... I can consume a pack of gummy lollies like a six year old! But hey life is too short to miss out on all the good things!"
mrcourtneyatkinson View Profile
603 likes - View Post on Instagram
SOFT SAND??? Had some great battles with @_najemm racing in the SAND DUNES... this pic is at 9km mark of 10km before he blows my doors off!! at one of the @redbullau Dune Duster events, but this weekend 29th @jockathletic & Ali are holding their own 'Wanda Soft Sand Running Festival... if you're that way inclined and in Sydney head down for a run 👍 just google it for info

Here’s what his standard fare looks like:

  • First thing in the morning: cup of water and coffee.
  • Post training recovery: Red Bull, banana and a big bottle of water.
  • Breakfast: bowl of muesli or an Acai Bowl if I was eating out at a cafe.
  • Lunch: ham & cheese on whole grain sourdough or sushi I like as an easy quick eat out option.
  • Dinner: old school - a portion of lean meat or fish, a portion of some type of veg and depending on the day, I might add in some extra carbs, usually some sourdough or a beer.
  • Snacks depending on training hours and intensity: extra fruit and maybe a few Tim Tams with a coffee... or a pack of them if it's been a real killer run!
  • Nutrition
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Alex Pierotti
Alex Pierotti
Alex Pierotti is the Digital Content Editor for Men's Health Australia, with experience reporting on health, fitness and sport. With a Journalism degree from UNSW under his belt, he got his start working in TV, working on the live broadcast of the Intrust Super Shute Shield on 7TWO before making the switch to print and digital at Pacific Magazines.

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