The Carb Ceiling Myth and What Actually Fuels a Long Run

The 60g-an-hour carb ceiling isn't real, it was just the limit of one transporter. Sports dietitians Emma Harvie and Jaclyn Sklaver, CNS, LDN, join Coach Nick and Coach Amanda to explain the glucose plus fructose fueling strategy pushing runners past 90 to 120 grams of carbs an hour, why underfueling wrecks your hormones (yours included, men), and how to build a fueling plan months before race day instead of the week of.

Topics covered

• The real science behind the 90 to 120g/hour carb range

• Glucose vs. fructose absorption pathways, explained simply

• Gut training for race day fueling

• Low energy availability and the "low T diet"

• Hormones, iron, and fat intake in endurance athletes

• Refueling after long runs even without an appetite

Guests: Jaclyn Sklaver, CNS, LDN (Athletes Nutrition / Athleats) and Emma Harvie (board certified nutrition specialist).

Jaclyn Sklaver, MS, CNS, LDN, is a board-certified integrative sports nutritionist and founder of Athleats Nutrition, where she works with active gym-goers, competitive athletes, and everyday clients seeking sustainable performance and body composition results. Drawing on a functional medicine approach, Jaclyn goes beyond calories and macros to address the root causes behind plateaus, fatigue, and stalled progress, from gut health and hormone balance to inflammation and recovery. Her personalized nutrition programming has supported some of the world's top athletes, including professionals in the NBA and NFL, alongside a wide range of committed gym-goers looking to train harder, recover faster, and feel better in their bodies. With over a decade of clinical experience, Jaclyn pioneered the private-practice model in sports dietetics and continues to bridge performance nutrition with whole-body, functional care.

Emma Harvie, MS, CNS, LN, is a Licensed Nutritionist and Board Certified Nutrition Specialist specializing in functional medicine and sports performance nutrition. She brings a lifelong history of athletics to her clinical work, including as a former professional bodybuilder and current avid CrossFit athlete. Born and raised in Duluth, Minnesota, Emma has run Grandma's Half Marathon every year since she was 15 years old, now an 18 time finisher and one of her favorite hometown traditions. Drawing on her firsthand understanding of what the body demands under training and competition, she works with clients using a practical, realistic, and root cause approach, building highly personalized nutrition strategies that recognize the unique needs and lifestyle of each individual patient. Emma has had the privilege of working with NBA players, celebrities, and elite, collegiate, and Olympic athletes to reach their health and performance goals. She loves helping clients overcome barriers to health to achieve meaningful, sustainable, and lifelong improvements in well-being.

Hosted by Coach Nick and Coach Amanda for Running Explained.

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