Got a big swim on the cards? Whether you’re taking on 5km, 10km or more, it’s a smart move to think about how you’ll fuel the machine (that’s you).

Recently, a few members of the Catch community have asked about fuelling for & hydration during long races - so we’ve pulled together some quick tips for events over 60 mins.

Side note, before we begin: swimming for under an hour? You probably don’t need to eat or drink during the race.

• Cooler water = less sweat = less hydration needed. In most UK swims, especially in a wetsuit, you’ll be losing less fluid than you might expect.
• Long & intense swim? You may need to hydrate. But for anything under 2 hours, many swimmers are fine without drinking during the swim.
• Longer than that? Look out for feed stations in races 2–3 hours+.
  • Some races make these mandatory (you have to get out). Others are optional or off-course (shoutout to Chris who told us Go Swim races often do this).
• Pre-hydrate smart: Sip an electrolyte drink the night before, and again within the 2–3 hours before you start. Start hydrated. Finish feeling glorious.

Your muscles rely on glycogen. Long swim = glycogen drain. So here’s the rough fuelling guide:

• Low intensity: ~20–30g of carbs/hour
• Moderate to high intensity: ~40–60g carbs/hour

Top types of food for longs swims:

• Gels (which you can stash in your wetsuit sleeve). Here’s some recommendations from the Catch community:
  • Rebecca loves: Veloforte (the elderflower & blackcurrant gel is like Ribena)
  • Molly rates: Precision PF30 Gels - taste a bit like cake, easy to swallow, and come in big 90g screw-top versions you can ration across the race
  • I switch to Maurten gels late in a race - basically flavourless, which is perfect if you’re sweeted-out
• Snacks in a tow float, especially for ultra swims of 10km+
• Feed stations on course (BUT just stick to what you’ve trained with, trust us)

Drink your carbs:  Carb + electrolyte drinks are easy to absorb & take up less brain space mid-race.

Caffeine can help too (just make sure your stomach agrees with it)

Most important tip of all:

Practice your fuelling. NEVER try something new on race day.  Member Chris learned this the hard way when he tried a High5 gel mid-8km for the first time - it didn’t end well 😅.

We’ve all been there. I used to save my snacks for race day. Rookie error.

If you’re heading into your first big open water event:

• Practise your fuelling during training
• Get to know your body & what works
• Check the race format (are there on-course options, & if so what’s on offer?)

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