INTRODUCTION:

At näak, Marianne Hogan is a true pioneer of our journey, standing by our side since kilometer zero. In 2022, the Canadian athlete made ultrarunning history by climbing onto the second step of the podium at the legendary Western States, followed just a few weeks later by a resounding top 5 finish at UTMB. After overcoming long months of doubt and injury with a level of resilience that commands respect, Marianne is back at the top of her game. Between her and our team, the relationship goes far beyond a simple sponsorship : it is a story of mutual trust, a true family.

As she prepares for her return to the Californian canyons, she agreed to open her logbook to share her nutritional strategy for facing the beast that is Western States. However, Marianne wants to make one thing clear : these are not absolute scientific truths, but deeply personal observations proven on the field. They are her own rituals, her adjustments against the trapping heat, and the insights born from her experience as an elite ultrarunner. Whether you are preparing for the furnace of Auburn in late June or your next summer challenge, feel free to draw inspiration from her stories to build your own success.

How do you fuel the machine in 40°C+ heat? How do you optimize carb-loading without upsetting your stomach? Marianne Hogan shares her 10 invaluable tips...

‘NÄAK TIPS’ is our brand-new article series: a dedicated section where our professional athletes share their advice and experiences to help you crush your goals on Race Day.

PRE-RACE & TAPERING :

WESTERN STATES TIP #1 BY MARIANNE HOGAN : "NO PANIC CARBO-LOADING: CHOOSE RICE OVER PIZZA"

“I think nutrition is something that I've worked really hard on this past year. I've tried to nail down my nutrition. I do a three-day carbohydrate push, but I try to do it very calculatedly and although pizza sounds like a delicious option, I try to stick more to easier carbs to digest without the fat that pizza would usually provide with cheese. I usually turn towards rice because I've found that I digest rice really well. So I'll turn towards more rice focused options. Sushi is a good one, (obviously, without the raw fish!). The key for the three-day is to do it progressively and not to have to do everything the day before. The idea is to really do a build within the last three days and make sure that my digestion system is following.”

WESTERN STATES TIP #2 BY MARIANNE HOGAN : “RACE MORNING FUEL : KEEP IT SIMPLE AND FAMILIAR”

“For my breakfast before the race, I usually turn towards a bagel. I will skip the peanut butter just so that it's easier to digest. But I will have a bagel and sometimes some banana on it or some strawberries. But no other rituals. I try to drink enough water at a far enough time before the start so that it's able to go through my body. Obviously, a coffee is very welcome the morning of the race! And then I usually have a gel 10 or 5 minutes before the start.”

WESTERN STATES TIP #3 BY MARIANNE HOGAN : "GUT TRAINING FOR RELENTLESS DOWNHILLS"

“When it comes to gut training, I don't have a specific routine for downhills. What I try to do is prepare my gut for the workouts and the days for long race days, regardless of what I'm doing. I try to stick to between 60 to 80 grams of carbs per hour every time that I run. And I feel like that prepares me a lot for race day. I found that going over 80 grams usually brings a lot more negative than positive. And going uphill or downhill doesn't really change anything for me. When I'm going downhill, that's usually actually when I drink the most because I'm less out of breath. It is actually a good opportunity to refuel!”

DURING THE RACE

WESTERN STATES TIP #4 BY MARIANNE HOGAN : “SKIP THE FUELING TIMER”

“I don't usually set a fueling timer. My nutrition plan is pretty simple: I do a gel  and a bottle of drink mix per hour, which brings me to about 80 grams per hour. It's really easy for me to keep track of that on my watch. I can see within the hour what I've had and if I'm within that 80 grams and if not. Sometimes I try to play catch up, but that depends if it's just something that I forget or if I'm having stomach issues. So I usually don't panic and that's just a really easy way for me to do it. But I don't set a timer. I never have. And I think just going it by the hour is an easy way for me to do.”

WESTERN STATES TIP #5 BY MARIANNE HOGAN: “SHIFT TO LIQUID CALORIES WHEN THE HEAT HITS”

“When the heat hits, it's harder to eat stuff. But sometimes when you go hours and hours on only drink mix and gels, your stomach needs a little bit of something to chew on so that it gets your digestion system going. I like to go for natural foods, either watermelon or potatoes. Sometimes I actually get pretty hungry out there, so I'll eat a few bites of a sandwich. When I'm at the aid station and I have a little bit more time, I try to eat a little bit of stuff so that my digestion system can keep going.”

WESTERN STATES TIP #6 BY MARIANNE HOGAN: “CARRY MORE LIQUID THAN YOU THINK YOU NEED”

“I plan to always have at least two bottles for sure. Sometimes I'll need more than that. And I always have some drink mix in there. I think the ULTRA Drink Mix is easier for me to digest, so that's what I go off of. And it provides me with a great baseline for carbs for sure.”

WESTERN STATES TIP #7 BY MARIANNE HOGAN: “DELEGATE THE AID STATION STRATEGY TO YOUR CREW”

“I don't visualize my aid station. I prepare it ahead of time so my crew is aware of everything that needs to get done and they're managing it. I use that time to sit on the chair for a few seconds, drink some water, feel refreshed, and have a few bites of some food. I let my crew take care of the aid station itself.”

WESTERN STATES TIP #8 BY MARIANNE HOGAN: “KEEP THE MACHINE COOL TO PROTECT YOUR DIGESTION”

“There's a lot of different ways that we can stay cool, depending on the day and where we are on race. I think sun protection, so having long sleeves, will be key for me this year. And then ice bandanas for sure, wet sponges and jump in the rivers whenever I can. Those will be things that will be very beneficial for sure to keep my body cool and prevent me from having a heat stroke like I did last year and then proceeding to vomiting.”

WESTERN STATES TIP #9 BY MARIANNE HOGAN: “DON’T PANIC IF YOU THROW UP AND REHYDRATE QUICKLY”

“Throwing up is never fun and there's not much you can do about it. But sometimes throwing up actually makes you feel good. So I try to switch it into a positive and obviously I try not to panic. Obviously when you throw up, you don't throw up everything, but you lose a lot of liquids. So one of the important things is to rehydrate really quickly. And then, when you feel like you have a better control of your stomach, you can try reintroducing food and seeing if that goes down. But the most important thing is really not to panic and think about moving forward and eventually your stomach will come back.”

POST-RACE & RECOVERY

WESTERN STATES TIP #10 BY MARIANNE HOGAN: “REBALANCE YOUR STOMACH POST-RACE”

“Rebalancing the stomach after the finish line is very important. When you cross the finish line, your stomach is wrecked. It usually takes me a few days to get it back to where it should be. But I focus on a lot of vegetables, and sparkling beverages of all kinds. Vegetables really help me turn it back around from all the sugar and carbs that I've been giving it in the last few days. And that usually helps me get it back under control. But it takes a little bit of time for sure!”