Nutrition considerations for open-water swimming

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Exercise Physiology
• Nutrition Science

Background:

• Open-water swimming (OWS) is a growing sport with events ranging from 5 km to 88 km, including a 10 km Olympic event.
• Variable environmental conditions (temperature, tides) and long durations (1-6 hours) pose unique physiological challenges.
• Existing nutrition guidelines are often adapted from pool swimming or other sports.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline current nutrition recommendations for open-water swimming training and competition.
• To address the specific physiological demands of OWS, including thermoregulation, hydration, and fuel utilization.
• To guide athletes and experts in developing effective race nutrition strategies.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature and recommendations for endurance sports nutrition.
• Analysis of physiological challenges specific to open-water swimming environments and durations.
• Consideration of practical feeding strategies during competition.

Main Results:

• Pre-race nutrition should focus on optimizing hydration and glycogen stores.
• For events 10 km and longer, utilizing feeding pontoons for fluid and carbohydrate intake (up to 90 g/hr) is recommended.
• Ingested fluid temperature can be manipulated to aid thermoregulation in extreme environments.

Conclusions:

• Open-water swimmers need personalized nutrition strategies tailored to event distance and environmental conditions.
• Effective in-competition nutrition, including carbohydrate intake and fluid temperature, is crucial for performance.
• Collaboration between swimmers and nutrition experts is encouraged to optimize race-day fueling.