No more mid-race tummy drama! Train your gut like a champ 🏃‍♂️

Train Your Gut, Avoid GI Nightmares

If you’ve ever been halfway through a long run, ride or race and suddenly felt that “uh oh” in your stomach… you’ll know how quickly a great day can go south. Gut issues are one of the biggest reasons people have to slow down, stop, or even pull out altogether. But here’s the good news: just like your legs, lungs and heart, your gut can be trained.

At Chia Charge, we’ve been fuelling folks through marathons, ultras, triathlons and mountain adventures for years — and we’ve seen that with a bit of planning, you can avoid those mid-race sprints to the loo.

Why Gut Training Matters

When you exercise hard, your body prioritises blood flow to your muscles, not your digestive system. That makes it harder to process food and drink — which is why new or “unfamiliar” fuel can cause chaos mid-event. The trick? Teach your body what’s coming well before race day.

Think of it like breaking in a new pair of shoes — you wouldn’t put them on for the first time on the start line, so don’t do it with your nutrition either.

Practice Makes Comfortable

• Test during training: Use the same sports nutrition, snacks and hydration you’ll use on race day. This includes timing and amounts — not just the products themselves.

• Carbs count: For events over 90 minutes, aim for a mix of carbohydrate sources (like glucose and fructose) so your body can absorb more without overloading one pathway. A common sweet spot is a 2:1 glucose-to-fructose ratio — many of our chews and flapjacks hit this balance naturally.

• Don’t overdo it early: Start fuelling around 30–45 minutes in for long sessions, and then top up regularly. Your gut handles smaller, steady amounts far better than big, infrequent dumps of carbs.

Avoid the Troublemakers

You don’t have to go full food detective, but it’s worth knowing the usual suspects:

• Artificial sweeteners (like sorbitol) — these can cause bloating and bathroom dashes.

• High fructose in one hit — fine in fruit, not so fine when you neck a massive gel in 10 seconds.

• Big lumps of fibre mid-race — great for everyday health, but not for chasing PBs.

Your Friendly Reminder

Gut training is not glamorous — nobody’s showing it off on Strava — but it’s one of the best things you can do to make race day a good day. Start now, keep it consistent, and by the time you hit the start line, your stomach will be as ready as your legs.

And if you want real food that’s been fuelling endurance legends for over a decade — without the artificial nasties — have a look at our Chia Charge Chia Chews. Easy on the stomach, easy to count your carbs, and properly tasty.