In the puzzle to become the best trail runner that I can be, I’m often running through the numbers and experimenting with nutrition to identify what works best for my body. High-carb fuelling has been something I’ve experimented with through diligent practice across the past two years, and essential to both my training and recovery around some of the biggest races in North America. Here is how I fuel for training and races using XACT Nutrition.

FRUIT BARS

I personally find XACT Nutrition fruit bars to be tastier than any product on the market, and a much healthier feel than other brands. I posted a long article about why I use XACT’s products over others, and taste is a big one. Another is the fact that they compile 25g of carbohydrates into those tiny bars, making it easy to take a ton of carbohydrates without adding too much extra weight.

For runs over 2 hours, I’ll take one bar every 20-30 minutes, totalling around 75g of carbohydrates an hour from bars alone.

But I don’t stop there, as I typically take in around 110g per hour for runs that exceed 2.5 hours. In those cases, I typically like to do every 20 minutes with the bars (75g per hour), topping off extra carbohydrates (30-50g) in my liquid. Lately, I’ve switched to a homemade mix of coca-cola and XACT electrolyte tabs in my bottles, keeping my sodium levels lower than other high-carb products.

That means I’m hitting between 110g-130g of carbohydrates an hour if I drink an entire 500ml bottle and eat 3x XACT Nutrition fruit bars of varying flavours (my favourites are apple, orange, apricot and blackcurrant).

For races where I’m pushing higher intensities, it’s essential that I’ve already practiced these numbers, ensuring I know it doesn’t have any negative effect. Having comfortably been at 90-120g every Saturday for the past two years, it’s second nature to see the 20-minute mark and grab an XACT Nutrition fruit bar, whilst sipping liquid throughout the hour.

I’m most excited for XACT to come out with a high-carb option in liquid form, and if that creation does include sodium like others on the market, the electrolyte tabs will become more specific to gym use for me.

ELECTROLYTE TABS

While I love the fruit bars with all my heart, it’s the electrolyte tabs that actually brought me to XACT. Making up for all the sweat loss when exercising at high levels, sodium intake is essential. A tablet that dissolves in water is my preferred way of taking in sodium, as I get tired of having water on its own. Since each tab is about 500mg of sodium, it’s super easy to compute how much sodium you’re taking in per hour, not to mention the added boost of iron and Vitamin C for greater health benefits.

Similarly to the blackcurrant fruit bar, the lemon-lime tablet is my favourite for not only the taste but the added boost of caffeine. And again, similarly to how the fruit bars are made out of real fruit pulp, the first ingredient on the list: citric acid.

These days, I primarily use the electrolyte tablets in two contexts: long runs, and gym sessions.

For long runs, I use one per hour, mixed with coca-cola in a 500ml bottle. I do this so that I can better track my sodium levels, since I’m neither a salty nor heavy sweater. Other high-carb products on the market have excessive levels of sodium, and in the quest to take in a ton of carbs in liquid form, people will often accidentally overdo it on the sodium in the process. Since XACT currently does not have carbs in liquid form, I’ve chosen a cheap high-carb option in coke (40g) that has very little sodium (45mg).

It’s worth noting that this works for me, and took quite a bit of experimentation and testing prior to my 2nd place finish at Harricana in 2024 to figure out.

Your sodium needs may be different, and different products may work better for you as a result. But it’s worth noting that when it comes to carbs, the vast majority of us are going to benefit from more. When it comes to sodium, that isn’t always the case.

It’s also worth noting that high-carb fuelling really isn’t necessary for runs under 2 hours if you’re not starting in a fasted state; whereas taking in sodium during exercise is still essential to recovery in most equations. So when I’m hitting the gym and exercising in hot, sweaty atmospheres for an hour or more, I’ll always have an XACT Nutrition tablet in a 500ml flask. That’ll keep me extra hydrated and energetic even after the workout is over, while boosting my iron in the process.

PROTEIN BARS

The XACT Nutrition protein bars are the tastiest thing to have after a run. Better than chocolate milk. So many of my non-running friends say it’s the best thing they’ve ever tasted, and every time I go to an event I end up getting people to buy them after the smallest of taste tests.

I take them as a snack to have on flights, I have emergency ones in my car, and I even take them after runs when I still have strength work or pilates to do.

One of my favourite things about them is that they are not only stacked with vitamins and minerals, but have a lower sugar content than other protein bars on the market. Instead of syrups and starches, the protein bars are made with things like whey or soy protein, milk, and chocolate. Seriously, the sugar content is 12g per bar – half of your average protein bar from another brand. This shows XACT’s commitment to not only making something taste good, but actually benefit the post-run recovery experience.

So while it’s not something I’d eat everyday, it probably wouldn’t be bad for me at all if I did, and only boost my vitamin and mineral intake.

One cool thing that I love is the Marathon Packs they had available at marathons last year, incorporating a mix of fruit bars, protein bars and electrolyte tabs all in the same box.

OTHER IMPORTANT NOTES

In addition to all that I do through XACT products, I also make sure to eat a big breakfast before any of my runs, and eat a ton of protein-rich foods after. I’m even more excited for what XACT is coming out with next to help in that quest, but it’s absolutely essential to eat and drink even more than you might think. Overeating is nowhere near as bad as undereating when it comes to being an elite athlete in an endurance sport, and finding what foods work for you is essential to the process of ensuring you’re always getting enough.

Finally, never let someone shame you for eating healthy and/or eating a ton of food in general. Healthy eating sometimes holds a weird stigma attached to it, and you should be fully comfortable saying yes or no to any foods that you want to eat throughout a day without any social obligations.

With that, be sure to check-out my race recaps for how I fuelled in each of my races so far, and stay tuned for more in 2025. Thanks for reading and see you soon!