What to eat to run a marathon

What should runners should eat to train for, and complete, a marathon? With major races like the London and Boston marathons approaching, more people than ever are taking on the 26.2-mile challenge. But what should you actually eat to fuel that distance? Ruth Alexander is joined by one of the most successful marathon runners in history, Paula Radcliffe, who held the women’s world record for 16 years. She shares what it takes to fuel months of marathon training, and what it feels like when things go wrong during a race. Also on the programme is former world champion runner Steve Cram, now a coach and commentator, who explains the common nutrition mistakes he sees among recreational runners. And Performance Director of the dsm-firmenich Running Team, Valentijn Trouw tells us what it’s like to oversee the performance programmes of elite athletes including marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge. Ruth asks them what runners should fuel their training, what to eat in the crucial days before a race, and how to avoid “hitting the wall” on marathon day. If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk Produced by Izzy Greenfield. Sound Engineer: Annie Gardiner Picture: Credit - Getty. Paula Radcliffe competes in a marathon

You can listen to What to eat to run a marathon online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

What to eat to run a marathon is an episode from The Food Chain by BBC.

This episode is 26:28 long.

This episode was published on Mar 19, 2026.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from The Food Chain when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.