If you're training for a marathon, then what you eat is an essential part of your training. Marathon runners in training need to make sure that they are getting the right nutrients and the right amount of fuel to allow the body to recover and rebuild efficiently.

Below is a sample menu plan for marathon runners to give you ideas for what you should be eating throughout the week. This menu is part of our 16-part Marathon Training Diet Plan.

To understand why we've chosen the options below for a marathon training diet, read our article on Daily Food Requirements for Marathon Runners.

Sample Menu Plan

Breakfast (choose one of the below):

  • wholegrain cereal e.g. oat flakes with some ground seeds and fresh fruit with milk or natural yoghurt. Provides complex carbohydrate and protein
  • oat-based cereal e.g. homemade muesli with no dried fruit. Combine 2 or 3 flakes e.g. oats, barley, rye, rice flakes with 2-4 chopped nuts or a dessertspoon of mixed seeds (include flax/linseeds which are great for helping with constipation – 2 teaspoons of flaxseeds is fine). Add fresh fruit e.g. plums, pears, kiwi or banana and live natural yoghurt or soya or alternative milk. This type of breakfast will keep you going and release sugars slowly.
  • boiled egg with wholegrain or rye bread, crispbread or oatcakes plus fresh fruit as above
  • rye bread or wholegrain/wholemeal bread and some sugar-free fruit spread or nut butter. Small pot of live yoghurt, fresh fruit as above
  • fresh fruit salad (pineapple, pears, berries, kiwi, plums, apples) with live low-fat yoghurt and nuts/seeds.


Lunch:

  • a large salad with 4-5 different salad vegetables and green leaves
  • plus a portion of protein (e.g. fish, chicken, egg, beans and lentils, tofu, hummus, feta or cottage cheese supplying 20g protein)
  • plus brown rice or wheat-free pasta (Spelt) or 3-4 small boiled potatoes chopped.
  • and a little fat free dressing or a small amount of olive oil and lemon juice.


Or:

  • a sandwich made from rye, pumpernickel or wholegrain bread and eaten ‘open’ (e.g. one slice of bread)
  • top with hummus or tahini
  • add protein such as fish, chicken, egg, beans and lentils, tofu, hummus, feta or cottage cheese
  • add plenty of salad vegetables.


Or:

  • chunky vegetable soup
  • plus some oatcakes, wholegrain, rye or pumpernickel bread
  • plus some feta or cottage cheese or some beans added to the soup for a useful source of protein.


Dinner:

Base around:

  • all kinds of vegetables
  • plus a serving of carbohydrates e.g. brown rice, millet, couscous and other grains, wholewheat pasta or boiled potatoes in their jackets or a jacket potato
  • plus some protein food (fish, chicken, eggs, beans, lentils etc).
  • use simple sauces e.g. tomato, soy sauce etc
  • for dessert: choose from fruit either fresh, poached or stewed with natural live yoghurt or nuts and seeds.

 

Snacks: mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack options

  • couple of pieces of fruit with a few almonds
  • oatcakes with a carrot or some hummus
  • fresh fruit (not bananas or grapes) plus soy or low-fat yoghurt
  • sugar free, low fat yoghurt with dessertspoon of seeds
  • low fat cottage cheese and raw vegetables
  • couple of oatcakes with cottage cheese and piece fruit
  • piece of fruit with 10-12 almonds or 5-6 brazils or a dessertspoon of mixed seeds
  • piece of fruit with a handful of nuts or seeds
  • vegetable crudités with hummus
  • oatcakes or rice cakes with hummus, lentil pate, or nut spread
  • low-fat yoghurt with an apple or pear
  • oat biscuit/rice cake with sugar-free jam or nut butter/ tahini (sesame paste)
  • small piece plain organic chocolate or sugar-free cereal bar (not but too often!)

Hungry for more information? Then check out these features:

5 Top Foods to Boost Your Winter Running

5 Superfoods for runners

Nutrition Guide for Runners