In trail running, nutrition isn’t just about “getting energy.” It affects your consistency, clarity, digestive comfort, and ability to sustain effort until the end.
The right nutrition plan mainly depends on race duration. You don’t fuel the same way on a short trail of 2 to 3 hours, a medium format of 5 to 8 hours, or an ultra that lasts well over 10 hours.
The goal is simple: adapt your intake to your distance, avoid energy slumps, limit nausea, and keep a strategy that’s easy to apply on the trail.
Why adapt your nutrition to the distance?
The longer the distance, the more complex the energy demands become. For a short format, you mainly want to avoid an energy drop without overloading digestion. For a medium format, you need to maintain regular intake for several hours. For an ultra, nutrition becomes a true race strategy.
So it’s not just about “eating regularly.” You need to build a nutrition plan consistent with the duration, intensity, elevation, weather, aid stations, and your own digestive tolerance.
The goal is to stay smooth: quick energy, easy digestion, minimal gear to carry.
You need to anticipate the gradual depletion of reserves with regular and varied intake.
Nutrition becomes holistic: energy, hydration, variety, digestion, recovery, and refueling.
Nutrition mistakes to avoid in trail running
The most common mistakes don’t always come from a lack of products but from a lack of strategy. Starting without a clear plan, always consuming the same format, copying another runner’s plan, or applying the same method to all distances can quickly cause problems.
You also need to keep some flexibility. If your stomach rejects a gel, if you feel hot, if you slow down, or if the aid stations don’t match your plan, your strategy must be able to adapt.
Which nutrition plan to choose based on your distance?
To simplify preparation, Raidlight has developed three nutrition packs with MX3 tailored to the main trail formats: short distance, medium distance, and long distance. Each pack is designed for a specific use, with intake planned for the duration of the effort.
| Distance | Indicative duration | Nutrition goal | Recommended pack |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short trail | Up to 30 km / about 3 hours | Avoid energy slumps without disturbing digestion | Short distance trail pack |
| Medium trail | 30 to 60 km / up to 8 hours | Alternate gel, solid food, and drink to maintain regularly | Medium distance Trail pack |
| Long / ultra trail | Beyond 10 hours | Vary intake, include recovery, and avoid nausea | Long distance Trail pack |
This partnership brings together two complementary French brand expertise: Raidlight’s field experience in trail and ultra-trail gear, and MX3’s nutritional know-how specialized in endurance effort. The goal is simple: to offer runners nutrition consistent with the real demands of trail running, from short outings to ultras, while keeping a practical, reliable, and easy-to-test approach in training.
Short trail: simple and fast-absorbing nutrition
On a trail up to 30 km, the effort is often more intense. You don’t need to carry much food, but you must avoid the energy drop that can happen after 1.5 to 2 hours of effort.
The key is simplicity: easy-to-take, digestible, fast-absorbing intakes compatible with a sustained pace.
The short distance pack is designed for trails up to 30 km or about 3 hours of effort. It focuses on energy gels, electrolytes, and a free flask to cover essential needs without overloading your gear.
Choose this if you’re preparing for a short, intense trail with a simple and compact nutrition strategy.
See the short distance pack
Short distance pack composition
The pack contains 8 energy gels, with 4 neutral-flavored gels and 4 citrus gels, a tube of 15 electrolyte tablets, and a free 350 mL Raidlight flask.
Estimated intake for 3 hours of effort
About 100 to 120 g of carbohydrates.
About 400 to 490 kcal.
Hydration covered for about 1.5 L of water.
Recommended plan
You can start with a simple base: 1 gel every 30 to 40 minutes, with 1 electrolyte tablet in 500 mL of water per hour. This type of plan remains easy to follow on a short format, even if the intensity is high.
Medium trail: maintaining energy without overload
Between 30 and 60 km, nutrition takes on a new dimension. You can still run at a relatively high intensity, but the effort lasts long enough for your reserves to gradually decrease.
From 5 hours of effort, alternation becomes important: gels, bars, isotonic drink, water, aid stations. Varying textures and flavors helps limit nausea and maintain regular intake.
The medium distance pack is designed for trails of 30 to 60 km, with an alternation logic between gels, energy bars, and isotonic drink. It helps structure your intake over several hours without relying solely on aid stations.
Choose this if you want a more complete strategy to maintain steady performance on a medium trail.
View the medium distance pack
Medium distance pack composition
The pack contains 10 gels, including 5 neutral and 5 citrus, 8 energy bars with 4 varied flavors, 1 portion of 40 g mentholated isotonic drink, and a free 350 mL Raidlight flask.
Estimated intake for 8 hours of effort
About 435 g of carbohydrates.
About 2,074 kcal.
Gels, bars, and drink to limit dietary monotony.
Recommended plan
You can alternate 1 gel every 30 to 40 minutes, 1 bar every 1.5 to 2 hours, and 1 dose of isotonic drink in 500 mL of water during effort. This alternation helps distribute intake and delay nausea.
Long and ultra trail: building a complete strategy
In an ultra, nutrition becomes a strategic pillar. You need to think about energy, hydration, digestive comfort, flavor variety, ability to eat when tired, and complementing aid stations.
The longer the effort, the more appetite loss, digestive issues, and nausea can appear. The solution is not to consume more at all costs, but to anticipate with different formats and a flexible plan.
The long distance pack is designed for long formats and ultras. It combines gels, energy bars, protein bars, and isotonic drink to vary intake and support endurance.
Choose this if you are preparing for a long race where consistent nutrition becomes as important as training.
View the long distance pack
Long distance pack composition
The pack contains 12 gels, including 6 neutral and 6 citrus, 12 energy bars in strawberry, olive, chocolate-salt, and honey-almond flavors, 6 protein bars in chocolate-hazelnut and spicy cashew, 1 portion of 40 g mentholated isotonic drink, and a free 350 mL Raidlight flask.
Estimated intake for 12 hours of effort
About 665 g of carbohydrates.
About 4,060 kcal.
About 40 g of protein.
About 55 g of carbohydrates per hour over 12 hours.
Recommended plan
One possible base is to alternate 1 gel every 1h30, 1 energy bar every 1h30, 1 protein bar every 4h, and 1 dose of isotonic drink every 2h in 500 mL of water.
For ultras, this plan should be supplemented with race aid stations or partial meals depending on duration, weather, profile, and your digestive tolerance.
How to test your nutrition plan before the race?
Race day should never be the first test. Your nutrition plan must be validated during training, especially on long runs or intense weekends.
Test quantities, flavors, intake frequency, transport in your bag or belt, and your ability to eat uphill, downhill, or when out of breath. This is often where you discover what really works.
Check if you tolerate a gel every 30 to 40 minutes or if you need to space them out more.
Alternate liquids, gels, and solids to see what your stomach tolerates after several hours.
Pack your products as you would for a race to check access, weight, and organization.
Heat can affect your digestion and hydration needs.
In summary: which nutrition pack should you choose for your trail?
If you’re preparing for a short trail up to 30 km, the short distance pack offers a simple, compact, and easy-to-follow solution. For distances from 30 to 60 km, the medium distance pack allows you to alternate gels, bars, and drinks to last longer. For a long trail or ultra, the long distance pack provides more variety and a more comprehensive approach over time.
The right nutrition plan depends less on the distance shown and more on the actual effort time, your intensity, the weather, elevation gain, and your digestion. Always test your strategy before race day, then adjust it during the run based on how you feel.
Eating well during trail running is not just about performing. It’s about staying clear-headed, consistent, and able to enjoy your run until the very end.
