Running Experience Survey 2025
10: Nutrition and diet
Running and eating are connected in many ways. Some people combine running and dieting to try to lose weight, others run to allow them to eat more freely. Performance focused runners often eat carefully to maximise energy or training benefits. And, of course, eating and running are sometimes done together – particularly during marathons and ultramarathons, where the body needs to take on extra fuel.
So the Running Experience Survey included a number of questions on eating and race nutrition. This section explores the key findings.
10.1 Dietary orientations
Overall dietary choices
Survey respondents were asked to identify which of six descriptions best fitted their usual eating habits. They were allowed to pick more than one choice. The results are shown in this chart.
Clearly the majority of runners feel they eat reasonably healthily (mostly balanced at 71%).
The figure of 12% for vegetarian/vegan is somewhat higher – perhaps twice as much – than the national average (although sources vary on this).
Nutritionally enriched foods and fuel
These charts show the proportions of runners who consume nutrient enriched foods (left) and in-race nutritional products (right) at different levels of regularity, from never through rarely and sometimes to frequently (hover over the chart for labels).
Overall, both of these kinds of products are consumed by the vast majority of runners to some extent.
10.2 Factors associated with dietary choices
Age
This chart shows that there is little change in overall diet descriptors between age groups apart from a steady decline in the proportion of runners who say they ‘eat what they enjoy’ as runners get older.
From age 50 up, ‘very health focused’ diets also appear to tick upwards, becoming more common among runners.
Motivational orientation
Some of the dietary orientations show marked differences between runners with different motivational profiles.
Using the motivational clusters identified here, we can see that Competitive Achievers are most likely to be ‘very health-focused’, but also ‘convenience-led’.
Experiential Runners score highest on both vegetarian/vegan and ethical diets. Pragmatic Joggers score significantly lower than the other clusters on these types of eating habit.
There are also substantial differences in terms of nutritionally enriched and in-race product consumption by motivational profile.
The highly engaged Community Enthusiast group are most likely to regularly consume nutrient enriched foods, with Competitive Achievers second most likely.
These positions are reversed for in-race products, where Competitive Achievers score significantly higher than the other groups, reflecting their commitment to maximising athletic performance.
Running Experience Survey
© Neil Baxter 2025
Please always cite using: Baxter, N. (2025). Running Experience Survey. Running Studies. https://runningstudies.co.uk/running-experience-survey