Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. Open water swimmers often discuss and debate what foods and drinks are best to use before, during and after training swims, races and solo marathon swims. An interesting research study - perhaps irrelevant, perhaps not, to swimmers - that demonstrated that elite distance runners from Kenya and Ethiopia
On marathon swims or channel swims, open water swimmers eat a variety of foods. Many get through their swims with commercial or custom liquid and gel packs; others simply drink Maxim; and others add in a bit of food ranging from chocolate to bananas. While there are many opinions as to what foods and drinks are best, we tossed out a few ideas on the least
Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. We wrote about the ever-changing bliss point, mouthfeel, and flavor burst of foods and hydration in various types of conditions of open bodies of water here. That is, how foods and drinks taste on land is often different than what these same foods and drinks taste like while consuming in the open water.
Hydration is considered a vital part of athletic performance and physical health by coaches and trainers nowadays. But it was not always so. Back in the 1950's, Australian swimmers were told to avoid hydration at all costs prior to a race. "I remember diving into the Olympic finals and tasting the water with my mouth," said the late Australian Olympic
When considering how much fluid to take during open water swims, several parameters must be considered by open water swimmers and their coaches. Proper hydration depends on: 1. Distance of race 2. Water temperature 3. Solar radiation 4. Air temperature 5. Training hydration habits 6. Amount and quality and timing of last two meals before the swim 7.
