Marleigh Hefner - Nutrition Optimization for Distance Runners
by CCCAT
Description
Registered dietitian Marleigh Hefner, RDN, LD, breaks nutrition for distance runners down into a simple four-step framework: calories, protein, carbohydrate, and fat. She then covers hydration, pre- and post-workout fueling, and supplementation, plus special considerations like disordered eating risk and the female athlete triad.
What You'll Learn
- How to calculate total daily calorie needs for endurance athletes
- Daily protein targets and best meal timing for recovery
- Daily carbohydrate targets and why carbs are the body's preferred fuel
- How to use fat to fill remaining calorie needs
- Daily hydration targets and electrolyte guidance
- Pre-workout and post-workout nutrition formulas, with examples
- Which supplements to consider
- Trusted resources for checking supplement quality
- Warning signs of disordered eating and the female athlete triad in runners
Lessons
The Coach
Marleigh Hefner, RD/LD
Registered and Licensed Dietitian, PhD Candidate, Texas Tech University
Marleigh Hefner is a registered and licensed dietitian and a PhD candidate at Texas Tech University, where she is studying nutritional biochemistry and physiology.
Marleigh is a product of Coach Baca's cross-country program, where she says a nutrition packet she received as a first-year athlete sparked her interest in the field. That early exposure led her to pursue nutrition as a career, and she has since developed her expertise into a full-circle role: returning to speak to coaches about the very subject that first inspired her as a high school athlete.
As a practicing dietitian, Marleigh works with distance runners on evidence-based, individualized nutrition strategies, covering total caloric needs, macronutrient balance (protein, carbohydrates, and fat), hydration, pre- and post-workout fueling, and appropriate supplementation. She emphasizes simple, sustainable approaches that let athletes build their own meal plans around foods they enjoy, rather than restrictive, one-size-fits-all plans.
Marleigh is also an advocate for athlete mental health around food, cautioning coaches to watch for signs of disordered eating in cross country athletes (a population she notes is at elevated risk) and stressing a "health and performance over aesthetics" approach. She works alongside coaches and, when needed, sports psychologists and eating-disorder-specialized dietitians to support athletes holistically.
She is based in West Texas.
Ratings and Reviews (0)
This Course Includes
| 24 hours on-demand video |
| Streaming from mobile and TV |
| Lifetime access |
| Certificate of completion |
| 100% money back guarantee |
Course Info
| Rating: | (0) |
|---|---|
| Caterory: | Track and Field/Sports Performance |
| Duration: | |
| Videos: | 15 |
