RUN TO PARADISE

MORE than 60,000 participants and spectators are tipped to brave the strong winds and showers, and push on through for this weekend’s Gold Coast Marathon. Runners Milly Clark, 30, and Liam Adams, 32 (pictured) both have high hopes of a top finish, with Ms Clark running in her first marathon.

The annual event is estimated to bring more than $28.9 million into the city’s economy.

THE perfect topping for Gold Coast Marathon preparation is pizza, a sports scientist says.

It might be maligned as the binge-food of choice for armchair athletes, but Bond University head of exercise and sports science Professor Peter Reaburn said the carbohydrates in a thick pizza base are perfect for those tackling the 42.2km gutbuster.

“Don’t have spicy pizza as it’ll upset your gut. Try and have it with not too much cheese and just vegetables, rather than fatty products.”

Yes, salami and anchovies are out. But carbs are most definitely in, as it takes about three grams of water to store one gram of carbohydrate, helping runners’ water reserves and ensuring they can sweat and not have to replace fluid as much while running.

Other top tips for wannabe-road warriors preparing for the marathon tomorrow include drinking regularly, esCAKE,

pecially water in the lead-up to eating carbs.

“One of the mistakes a lot of people make is they head out feeling fresh and tapered, they peak for the event, and they tend to go out too hard when the gun goes. They should make sure they pace themselves and don’t get caught up in the excitement of feeling strong and trying to stay with other people. Stick to your own game plan.”

Avoiding puddles and avoiding getting water in your shoes is also important, although with rain forecast for the weekend, this may prove challenging for runners, who Prof Reaburn said should also be trying to run on the flat part of the road and avoid the camber.

With sports gels, the best formula was to take a third of a gel with three mouthfuls of water, which works out as roughly the same carb concentration as a sports drink.

“If you just have a gel, the high concentration of carbohydrate in the gut will suck water into the gut and give you diarrhea or vomiting.”

Once across the finish line, one of the most important things to do is also the most difficult – keep moving.

“Anyone who does a marathon, whether well-trained or not, is going to be sore. Try and keep moving because you are going to be bloody sore.”