The Golden Rules
These principles come up again and again from experienced Wall finishers. They're not complicated, but they matter enormously over 70 miles.
Eat Before You're Hungry
By the time you feel hungry, you're already behind. Start eating from mile 1 — small amounts, frequently. Think a small snack every 20–30 minutes rather than big feeds at checkpoints only. The community mantra: eat before you're hungry, hydrate before you're thirsty.
Mix Sweet and Salty
After 8–10 hours you'll start to hate sweet things. Alternate between gels, jelly babies and sweet snacks, and salty options like pretzels, crisps, nuts and flapjack. Community advice: "After 10 hours you'll hate sugar" — so have salty backups ready from early on.
Train Your Gut First
Practice eating while running in training — not just in races. Your gut needs to learn to handle food at running pace. Try eating every 20 minutes on your long training runs so it's not a shock on race day.
Walk the Hills and Eat
The Wall has plenty of climbs, especially in the first half. Use the uphills as eating opportunities — your body can digest far better when you're not running hard. Walk up, eat something, run on the flat and downhills.
The Pit Stops
The Wall pit stops are famous. This comes up in every conversation about nutrition — don't panic-carry excessive food.
What runners report finding at pit stops:
Sweet options: Jelly babies, cake, flapjack, biscuits, Jaffa cakes, fruit, scotch pancakes
Savoury options: Crisps, pretzels, malt loaf, sandwiches, pizza (at some stops)
Hot food: Pasta and bolognese at Vindalanda. Soup at Hexham — runners specifically mention the Hexham soup as outstanding.
Drinks: Full fat pop, water, electrolyte drinks. The group admin recommends carrying a small ziplock bag to fill up at each stop.
What to Carry
What runners actually pack in their vests – tried and tested over 70 miles.
Gels
A useful concentrated hit of energy when you don't feel like eating real food. Don't rely on them exclusively — your stomach will rebel after several hours. Have a mix.
Buy on Amazon →Jelly Babies / Sweets
The most universally mentioned snack for The Wall. Easy to eat on the move, palatable even when you're tired, and provide a quick sugar hit. Keep some in an accessible vest pocket.
Buy on Amazon →Salt Sticks / Salt Tablets
Multiple experienced runners specifically mention salt tablets as essential — community members report taking one roughly every 5 miles, saying it helped them through and reduced soreness the following day. Prevents cramping and keeps sodium levels up over a very long day.
Buy on Amazon →Flapjack / Malt Loaf
Real food that sits well in the stomach during long efforts. Flapjack is calorie-dense and palatable. Malt loaf is moist, easy to eat and doesn't get crushed in your vest. Both mentioned by multiple runners.
Buy on Amazon →Pretzels / Salted Crisps
Salty savoury snacks become invaluable after several hours. The community is unanimous — salted crisps are frequently described as a lifesaver in the final 10 miles. Have some in your vest and pick more up at pit stops.
Buy on Amazon →Electrolyte Tablets / Powder
Keep electrolytes topped up rather than drinking plain water all day. Some runners use electrolyte tablets in their soft flasks. Note: see the Tailwind warning below.
Buy on Amazon →What to Avoid
Equally important: what NOT to put in your body during The Wall. The community has learned these lessons the hard way so you don't have to.
Fizzy Drinks
Multiple runners specifically warn against fizzy drinks during the race. Gas gets trapped in your stomach during running, leading to bloating, stomach cramps and severe discomfort. Even colas with gas are a problem. Stick to flat drinks — many runners specifically bring flat Coke in their Hexham bag.
Tailwind Nutrition
Multiple community members — including experienced multi-year Wall finishers — report severe GI reactions to Tailwind specifically at ultra distances. If you use it, test it thoroughly in long training runs first. Have a backup plan. The community warning on this is unusually strong and consistent.
Only Sweet Food
Pure sugar becomes repulsive after 8–10 hours. Many runners hit a wall where the thought of another gel or sweet is unbearable. Always have savoury backups. The community repeatedly emphasises mixing sweet and salty throughout the race, not just when you start feeling sick of sweet things.
The Carbohydrate Question
Race Morning Breakfast
The Wall starts early. What you eat the morning of the race matters — energy for the first few hours without upsetting your stomach.
Community suggestions for race morning:
- Porridge or oats — slow release, well tolerated
- Bagel with peanut butter or jam
- Toast with your preferred topping
- Whatever you've successfully eaten before long training runs
Eat 2–3 hours before the start if possible. Avoid anything heavy, fatty or very fibrous. Hydrate well the day before rather than drinking huge amounts race morning.