Elite runners preparing for the Amsterdam Marathon were reported to favor familiar, modest meals rather than experimenting shortly before the race. Dutch contender Mikky Keetels ate a chicken sandwich and a chocolate sandwich for breakfast in the preceding days, having previously tried carbohydrate loading with M&Ms without success. On race morning, she ate two white sandwiches with honey or jam and drank a lot of coffee.

Kenyan runners Nicholas Kipkorir and Geoffrey Toroitich Kipchumba were reported to eat familiar meals of beans, bread and eggs on the preceding Friday and Saturday. Kipchumba’s race-morning meal was a cup of coffee and two slices of bread with honey, while Kipkorir had tea, a sports drink and three bananas. The athletes said they avoided unfamiliar foods to reduce the risk of stomach problems.