Frank Cardia, a financial advisor and avid runner, discusses the importance of eating breakfast before a running event like a marathon. He recommends focusing on carbohydrates like oatmeal with dried fruit or a bagel with peanut butter. The breakfast should be eaten 3-4 hours before the start for full digestion. For later races, athletes can eat again 1-2 hours before to keep hunger away during the event. Choosing the right foods helps fuel performance without causing stomach problems.

1. Eating Breakfast before a
Running Event
By: Frank Cardia

2. Eating Breakfast before a Running Event
Frank Cardia, the owner of a consulting business and a financial advisor at Blue Sky Financial,
helps people reach their financial goals. An avid runner, Frank Cardia has competed in more than
40 triathlons, marathons, and ultra-marathons, with distances ranging from 31.25 miles to 100
miles.

3. Eating Breakfast before a Running Event
For athletes, eating breakfast before a marathon, triathlon, or another event is important. However,
choosing bad breakfast foods may result in stomach problems that ruin an athlete’s performance.

4. Eating Breakfast before a Running Event
Ideally, a runner’s prerace breakfast should be eaten three to four hours before the start of the
race. This ensures that the food is digested before the race. Athletes running later in the day can
eat again one to two hours before the race.

5. Eating Breakfast before a Running Event
Runners should focus primarily on carbohydrates. However, some protein will help keep hunger
away over time. Examples of good prerace breakfasts are oatmeal with dried fruit or a bagel and
peanut butter.