Energy plan for Orienteering
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2.5 min reading
Orienteering, both ski, bike, and running orienteering, are aerobic sports that require energy intake for the athlete. This is especially true for medium, long, and ultra-long distances. Many competition times are around 75-90 minutes and longer in ultra-distance events, where energy intake becomes crucial, not only to maintain speed but even more so to stay focused and avoid making fatigue-related mistakes in navigation.
We took the opportunity to interview Albin Andersson from Markbygdens OK, who is a competitive elite orienteer, to get some tips on how he manages his energy for medium and long-distance competitions in orienteering.
We took the opportunity to interview Albin Andersson from Markbygdens OK, who is a competitive elite orienteer, to get some tips on how he manages his energy for medium and long-distance competitions in orienteering.
Hello Albin, great to have you here. You've been orienteering for pretty much your whole life and are doing it now at an elite level. Tell us, what does your energy intake look like before and during a competition?
Hello, yes orienteering has been a part of my upbringing and is one of the most fun things I know :) When it comes to energy, my setup for competitions up to 90 minutes is quite simple.
- Before the start: 1 x U Intend, 1 U Nitrate, and 1 caffeine gel, I take these about 45 minutes before the start. Often, I also do a lighter loading of 10-15g bicarbonate before the competition.
- During the competition: No energy out on the course for medium distance and 1 gel in my pocket for long distance, which I take roughly halfway through the race. On long distances, there's always at least one hydration station in the forest where I usually grab 1 cup of sports drink on the go.
Okay, so the energy plan is quite straightforward. Caffeine + gel before the start to maintain focus and mental sharpness, and then I guess it goes at full speed from almost the first meter? That only provides about 30g of carbohydrates per hour, but you feel that’s enough?
Yes, exactly, it's pretty much max heart rate right from the start, and depending on the terrain and how it suits me, it's more or less running at full throttle the whole way. For me, that’s sufficient; firstly, I only have room for one gel in the small pocket of my club clothes, and secondly, taking a gel is still a distraction, and I know that I need to focus on the terrain and the map pretty much all the time during the competition and want to break that focus as little as possible.
Okay, I totally understand. Not everyone can handle 60-90g of carbohydrates per hour; sometimes that just doesn’t fit. It’s nice to hear how an orienteer organizes their energy plan and how it works in practice.
Nice. Thank you, Albin. If you as a reader want to dive even deeper, there are a couple of links below.
Hello, yes orienteering has been a part of my upbringing and is one of the most fun things I know :) When it comes to energy, my setup for competitions up to 90 minutes is quite simple.
- Before the start: 1 x U Intend, 1 U Nitrate, and 1 caffeine gel, I take these about 45 minutes before the start. Often, I also do a lighter loading of 10-15g bicarbonate before the competition.
- During the competition: No energy out on the course for medium distance and 1 gel in my pocket for long distance, which I take roughly halfway through the race. On long distances, there's always at least one hydration station in the forest where I usually grab 1 cup of sports drink on the go.
Okay, so the energy plan is quite straightforward. Caffeine + gel before the start to maintain focus and mental sharpness, and then I guess it goes at full speed from almost the first meter? That only provides about 30g of carbohydrates per hour, but you feel that’s enough?
Yes, exactly, it's pretty much max heart rate right from the start, and depending on the terrain and how it suits me, it's more or less running at full throttle the whole way. For me, that’s sufficient; firstly, I only have room for one gel in the small pocket of my club clothes, and secondly, taking a gel is still a distraction, and I know that I need to focus on the terrain and the map pretty much all the time during the competition and want to break that focus as little as possible.
Okay, I totally understand. Not everyone can handle 60-90g of carbohydrates per hour; sometimes that just doesn’t fit. It’s nice to hear how an orienteer organizes their energy plan and how it works in practice.
Nice. Thank you, Albin. If you as a reader want to dive even deeper, there are a couple of links below.