A recent scientific paper from Benjamin Rapoport, an MD/PhD student at Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, has come up with a formula to help athletes avoid breaking down on racing day and hit the wall.
“Hitting the wall” occurs when one depletes his or her energy and has no choice but to slow down during a long race.
It is when they reach a point, usually around 21 miles into the 26.2 mile race, when their bodies are running on empty.
Traditionally, rules of thumb were used by exercise and nutrition experts for calculation of how many carbs to consume before and during the race.
Rapoport claims that he can tell a runner exactly how much fuel he or she needs to keep running not only at high efficiency but also at a target pace.
