The relationship between running and pastry is well established. That’s why you’ll see endless social media feeds dedicated to the post-run coffee and croissant.
For Harry Styles, however, it’s pastry first, run second. In his recent interview with Haruki Murakami, our May cover star said his pre-run fuel of choice is ‘the biggest croissant I can find’. But how does this humble French pastry stack up as a fuelling option? Leading sports dietitian and RW columnist Renee McGregor chews over the science.
Laura Jane Coulson
PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY
The May issue of Runner’s World, featuring cover star Harry Styles, is on sale from 1 April. Secure your copy by pre-ordering today.
‘The first thing to remember about fuelling for a long run is that what you eat immediately before is not going to make or break your run as the hard work related to fuelling happens in the 48-72 hours beforehand,’ says McGregor. ‘As long as you have made good choices based around complex carbohydrates at meals and snacks, as well as staying hydrated, you’ve given yourself a great base.
‘When I provide guidance for pre-run choices, it tends to still be based on carbohydrates ranging from bagels, porridge or similar. So when I heard that Harry’s choice is a croissant, while it wouldn’t necessarily be my first choice, I didn’t hate the idea.’
Related Story
In general, a standard 50-60g butter croissant provides 30g of carbohydrate, the same as 60g of porridge oats and two slices of medium sliced bread; 5g of protein and 12-15g of fat, of which 7-8g are saturated.
‘As choices go, it’s not terrible,’ says McGregor. ‘My only word of caution would be the fat content, which could cause indigestion for some people. In Harry’s case, as it appears he does well on this choice, and the fat content doesn’t impact him, he may want to do one better and actually have a chocolate croissant, which boosts carbohydrate content up to 48g.’
Related Story
