Harbin Marathon has a "banquet-style" feeding. Sports medicine experts: eating too much is not good for long-distance running
2024-08-27
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The 2024 Harbin Marathon (abbreviated as Harbin Marathon) started on August 25, and once again attracted public attention with its rich food supplies. In addition to a large number of drinks and fruits, there are also a variety of "hard dishes", including sweet and sour pork, grilled sausages, dumplings, etc. After the race, the organizing committee also provided rose petal ice water foot bath, on-site massage, and even digestion tablets for those who ate too much.
Public reports show that in recent years, many cities have held marathon races, and the supplies along the way have become more and more "competitive" - from only drinks and energy supplies in the past to a variety of hot dishes and delicacies now. Faced with the delicacies, some netizens said, "Will I get appendicitis if I eat while running?" Some media even explicitly questioned, "Will it take away from the main event?" Sports experts warn that eating a lot before and during running may cause "exercise-induced vomiting."
Athletes jokingly call Hama a 42km "flowing feast"
The Harbin Marathon was held on August 25. The rich "hard food" supplies during the race once again attracted the public's attention. This year's Harbin Marathon's special nutritional supplies were well received by runners. It was a unique experience to enjoy food while running.
Some contestants took food while running.
"I have always wanted to experience the 'flowing feast' of the 42km Harbin Marathon. Today I came here to participate and it really lived up to its reputation." Yang Dinghong, runner-up of the men's group of the Harbin Marathon, said in an interview with the media. Li Houcheng, a runner from Shenyang, also said: "I have participated in many marathons in China, and it is rare to have so many kinds of food like the Harbin Marathon, and many of them are freshly made and are simply delicious." He held several small paper cups filled with various kinds of food in his two hands, including dumplings, red sausages, barbecue, and Madiel popsicles.
It is understood that the food of Harbin Marathon has the characteristics of Northeast China. There are Harbin red sausage, Madiel popsicles, freshly made pot-baked pork, dumplings, barbecue with fireworks, pig-killing dishes and other special dishes. In addition, bananas, watermelons, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, cantaloupes, Hami melons and other fruits are provided to replenish water and vitamins for the runners. There are also cakes, small breads, instant noodles, Western desserts, moon cakes, chocolates, cookies, vegetarian meat and dried tofu and other foods to meet the taste needs of different people. Because there are too many dishes, many runners said: "I can't eat it all, I can't eat it all!"
Upstream News reporters noticed that the 2023 Harbin Marathon has become very popular. The reason for its popularity is not the marathon itself, but the rich and varied food at the supply stations. Some netizens took photos of what they saw and heard: they had only run 7 kilometers, and the supply station started serving food.
The Harbin Marathon provides abundant food supplies, which have been strongly supported and recognized by the organizing committee. At the "2024 Harbin Marathon" press conference in early July this year, Bai Zhiguo, director of the Harbin Sports Bureau, said that the 2023 Harbin Marathon has won unanimous praise from local, foreign and foreign runners for its beautiful track, thoughtful and considerate event services, and nutritious special supplies. Fu Mingtao, deputy general manager of Harbin Madiel Cultural Tourism Group, also said that they will continue to pamper customers with more scientific, reasonable and special supplies, set up regional special supply stations on the track and at each finish line, and the variety and quantity of supply materials will be more abundant and diverse.
After the game, there is a rose petal ice water foot bath
Along with the delicious food, the Harbin Marathon also has a rose petal ice water foot bath after the race, which is actually part of the post-race recovery. A protective engineer in the Harbin Marathon post-race recovery area said in an interview with the media that putting ice cubes in the water and applying ice to the runners' feet can "constrict capillaries, inhibit inflammatory reactions, and effectively relieve pain."
There is also ice water foot soak after the Harbin Marathon.
After reaching the finish line, eating popsicles and soaking feet in rose-flavored ice water, fellow runner Liu Jia exclaimed: "It's so relaxing. Only Erbin pampers us like this." Some netizens said, "They even arranged a foot massage," and "Eating sweet and sour pork and soaking feet, isn't this a pure vacation?"
In addition to foot soaking, post-race rehabilitation is also in place. A runner who had just completed the marathon felt some leg cramps. The Harbin Red Cross Blue Sky Rescue Team, which is responsible for the medical rescue support of the Harbin Marathon track, immediately stepped forward, pushed the runner away in a wheelchair, and then helped him to the rest area for post-race "repair". Ice compresses, sprays and massages were used to relieve the runner's legs, and the runner repeatedly praised the professional post-race "repair".
Marathon supplies in many places provide delicious food
Marathon is a sport that requires extremely high physical fitness. During long-term exercise, water and other substances in the body are particularly easy to lose, so it is crucial to set up supply stations along the race route. In traditional marathon events, the food provided at the supply stations is characterized by efficient energy replenishment. Bananas, energy drinks, energy gels, chocolates, etc. are portable and easy to eat, which can enable participants to quickly recover their physical strength during the race.
Netizens are envious of Hama's abundant food supply.
However, today's supply stations seem to have expanded. They not only provide traditional basic foods for replenishing physical energy, but also a variety of local specialties, including meat, staple foods, and even after-meal desserts... Marathon supply stations have become roadside buffet supply points in the eyes of some participants.
As early as the 2017 Wuhan International Marathon, the local organizing committee added four energy supply stations, and Wuhan local specialties such as duck neck, hot dry noodles, and bean curd appeared in the supply food. It is reported that the organizing committee prepared 170,000 bottles of mineral water, 400,000 water cups, 70,000 bottles of magic functional drinks, 32,000 bananas, 10,000 boxes of cherry tomatoes, 30,000 energy gels, 16,000 energy bars, 6,000 breads, 6,500 rice balls and 16,000 bags of salt pills for the contestants. The contestants can also eat ice cream after the race.
In 2019, Shandong Penglai Marathon provided wine supplies throughout the entire race, and participants could also eat seafood. In 2019, Harbin Marathon had 8 large pots in the supply station, each of which could cook 500 dumplings, with a total of 20 stalls open, basically reaching the speed of an assembly line. In addition, Harbin red sausage, Madiel popsicles, and steamed corn bread were also provided. In 2019 Shantou Marathon, participants could eat beef meatball rice noodles, rice dumplings, goose meat, oyster omelette...
At the 2020 Sichuan Chengdu Marathon, the organizing committee provided runners with Sichuan-style sweet water noodles, Bobo chicken, hot pot noodles, tofu pudding and other delicacies. Among them, Bobo chicken became the most popular delicacy of the event.
The Chaozhou Half Marathon held in April 2024 will provide participants with Chaozhou delicacies such as beef balls, braised goose and fermented bean curd cakes.
Experts remind: "Feast-style" replenishment is not recommended
At present, there are more and more marathon races held in various places, and the food provided by the supply stations is becoming more and more "competitive", and "banquet-style" supply is gradually becoming a trend. Many people question whether the abundant supply will steal the show? Some media have published articles saying that the problem caused by abundant supply does exist. Excessive supply attracts applicants to participate, which may dilute the competitive spirit of sports. Some runners hope to have more supply stations to improve the comfort of the race and the chance of completing the race. But too much supply may reduce the competitiveness of the marathon.
In addition, from the perspective of sports and health, feeling full while running is more likely to have a negative impact on the body. Mr. Yu, a senior runner in Chongqing, does not approve of the behavior of eating a lot before and after long-distance running. He believes that there should be a period of time before and after long-distance running before eating. During the running process, you should not eat a lot. He said that if he fails to eat on time before running, he would rather run on an empty stomach than run immediately after eating, and he would never eat while running.
Sports experts have also warned against eating while running. Lin Sheng, a sports medicine expert who once served as a team doctor for the Chinese diving team, pointed out in an interview with Upstream News that marathon is a long-distance sport. During exercise, the body's blood mainly supplies the cardiopulmonary system and limb muscles, which will automatically reduce the supply to the digestive system. At the same time, the digestive system is controlled by the parasympathetic nervous system. When exercising, the sympathetic nervous system is excited, which will inhibit the function of the parasympathetic nervous system. Eating at this time will cause indigestion. Therefore, even if you need to replenish energy, you should mainly eat liquids and fluids, and solid food is not suitable.
Lin Sheng pointed out that Harbin red sausage, Madiel popsicles, pot-baked pork, dumplings, barbecue, pig-killing dishes and other special dishes are all solid foods, some of which have a relatively high fat content. These will increase the gastrointestinal burden, affect the blood supply to the whole body, and thus affect athletic performance, and may also cause exercise-induced vomiting, so they are not recommended for long-distance runners. "Banana, tomatoes, melons, cakes, bread, chocolate and other foods can replenish energy and water for aerobic exercise, but it is recommended to take a small amount and not feel full. Too much food in the stomach during running will not only increase the burden on the body, but also cause abdominal distension and pain. Long-term use may cause gastroptosis.
How should ordinary marathon enthusiasts replenish their energy correctly when participating in marathon events? Lin Sheng gave professional suggestions before, during and after the race.
Before the game, the main thing is to store up enough glycogen and avoid eating slow-digesting foods. 36-24 hours before the game, you should start to eat high-carb and easy-to-digest foods; 1-2 hours before the game, you should have a breakfast to fully replenish carbohydrates; and you can eat an energy gel 1 to half an hour before the game. Pre-game foods are recommended to be mainly carbohydrate-based foods, such as steamed bread, noodles, rice, etc.; foods rich in vitamins and antioxidants, such as bananas, tomatoes, etc. Avoid high-fat, high-fiber, and difficult-to-digest foods, such as fried chicken, leeks, whole wheat bread, etc.
During the race, you should choose energy supplements with high energy density (mainly carbohydrates), clean, and easy to digest to avoid metabolic and digestive burdens. Energy gels are mainly composed of carbohydrates and are an efficient and fast energy supply option. For a full marathon, it is recommended to add the first energy gel half an hour after the start of the run, and then add an energy gel every half an hour, about 5-6 gels; or 9 isotonic energy gels. Also, you should not ignore hydration. Drink about 500 ml of water every hour, and supplement electrolytes such as sodium and potassium. It is recommended to supplement with isotonic drinks, which are easier to absorb.
After the race, the body's glycogen reserves, protein, bones, and physical energy are all depleted, and there are a lot of free radicals generated by exercise. At the same time, the body is still in a state of dehydration. It is recommended to supplement carbohydrates, proteins, antioxidant vitamins, and amino acids. Water needs to be replenished continuously for 24 to 72 hours.
Upstream News reporters Yang Bo and Zhao Yingji compiled some of the content from Dazhong Daily Client, Nanfang Daily, Life News, Changjiang.com, Chuanguan News, etc. Picture sources/webpages, video images
