How To Eat For The American Birkebeiner

The American Birkenbeiner (or Birkie) is the largest ski race in North America and third largest in the world and also one of the longest at 50K Skate and 55K Classic. We interviewed Caitlin Gregg, a 4x American Birkebeiner Champion ’16, ’14, ’13, ‘11 about how she approaches nutrition for this event. 1) What foods/ supplements do you consume pre, during and post-event? One of the biggest mistakes an athlete can make is to assume that sports nutrition only matters on the day of an event. Just like training your muscles and lungs to handle the stresses during a race, you have to train your body to function optimally for its nutritional needs during a race as well. My fueling strategy starts months in advance with Infinit Nutrition's products. I use their formulas for my pre, during and post-workout needs while I am training so that my body is familiar with their products. I like that all of Infinit's products are 100% natural without any artificial colors or flavors. Although Brian (my husband) and I are both training and preparing for a similar event, we have different engines that burn at different rates; we sweat at different rates and of course have different taste preferences. Infinit Nutrition allows us to customize specific formulas for training and competition. In the days leading up to the Birkie, I make sure that I am staying well hydrated even though my total training volume is drastically reduced. Even the slightest oversight in hydration can make a big difference in a long, hard race like the Birkie. The truth is our bodies absorb water best in a 6-8% glucose solution. Using sports hydration mixes even during our shortest workouts is beneficial and replacing electrolytes means faster recovery for your upcoming race. I also make sure that I am fueling immediately after workouts. Although I eat an extremely healthy diet every day, I cannot emphasize enough how much better our body can digest and absorb the ingredients in a quality recovery drink after a training session rather than trying to eat whole food. Alternative product choices recommended by The Feed & American Birkebeiner:
- NUUN Energy Hydration
- Clif Shot Recovery Mix (Protein Recovery)