From TDS to the Diagonale des Fous: how I changed my ultra fueling
Almost all gels at TDS, then half gels, half solid food at the Diag. What worked, what broke down, and my current strategy.
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In an ultra, fueling often decides the race long before the legs do. Between TDS and the 2026 Diagonale des Fous, I completely rethought my strategy.
At TDS: almost only gels
At TDS I fueled almost entirely with gels. For about eight hours it worked really well. Then it backfired: my stomach had had enough.
At the Diag: 50% gels, 50% solid food
For the Diagonale des Fous I changed approach: roughly half BIX gels, half solid food. At the aid stations with my crew, salty food, such as a rice, ginger and chicken porridge.
My hourly baseline
These are my starting numbers; adapt them to yourself:
- about 60 g of carbohydrates per hour;
- around 500 mg of sodium per hour;
- variety, in solid food and in electrolytes, to avoid flavour fatigue.
Takeaways
Gels are efficient and easy to take on the move, but beyond a few hours, alternating with solid and salty food made all the difference for me.
This is my personal experience, not medical or dietary advice. Always test your fueling in training before race day.