How to Fuel a Long Run Without GI Issues or Bonking

A long run shouldn’t end in a bathroom stop or a late-race fade. The fix is simple: eat mostly carbohydrates before you head out, start fueling within the first half hour, and keep a steady drip of carbs, fluids, and electrolytes the rest of the way. Bonking—an abrupt energy crash when muscle and liver glycogen run low—hits hard and is tough to reverse once it starts, so the goal is to prevent it with timing, targets, and practice. Below you’ll find an easy, budget-aware system you can test on every long run to avoid GI distress and keep your pace steady. It’s the simple, trail-tested approach we use at Hiking Manual.