Alcohol and Race Day

A writer for Bicycling Magazine recently contacted me for some expert advice for a piece she was working on for the December/January issue:

"Occasionally in races, participants will be handed a beer or a shot and we’re wondering what the effects would be and if it would slow you down. We’re pretty much trying to figure out how much or how long it would take for the alcohol to hit your system and slow you down." ​

She will be quoting exerts in the December/January issue, but here is the full response I gave her:

Throughout my years working with triathletes I have had few ask me about alcohol during a race. I know in the early 1900s it was believed to relax the muscles and improve performance, but these days most athletes understand the negative effects on performance. Trust me, I like the occasional cocktail, but alcohol has no place on the race course. Alcohol is a toxin. You train your body through nutrition and exercise months before an event to function like clockwork in order to be as efficient as possible on the course. Putting a toxin in your body during a race can disrupt what you worked so hard to earn.

I would say anything more than 1/2 a 12oz beer affects your body right away since your liver can only process so much at a time. Alcohol during a race hits your system almost immediately. This is because after about 60-90 minutes of activity, your body is in “receiving mode” due to it relying mainly on consumed glucose for energy. Once consumed, your liver recognizes the toxin and works immediately to rid your body of it. But, since your liver can’t do that very quickly, alcohol is present in your system to cause some negative effects. Here are the negative effects:
​

• Reaction time is decreased almost immediately. You need a mental edge, especially during a long race. Decreased reaction time can lead to poor performance, confusion,  and injury. 
• Alcohol is a diuretic and can make you feel more hydrated than you actually are. Dehydration can cause muscle pulls, cramps, and fainting. 
• Alcohol delays the glucose absorption from glucose consumed as racing fuel (sports drinks, honey packets, gus, etc). We rely on consumed glucose at about the 60-90 minute mark of a race after glycogen stores are depleted. Disruption of this necessary energy source can greatly affect your performance.
• Alcohol disrupts gluconeogenesis. Gluconeogenesis is one of two metabolic pathways that work to prevent hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Gluconeogenesis creates ATP from non-carbohydrate substrates, an essential energy source during extended activity. The other pathway in place to prevent hypoglycemia is glycogenolysis, or the breakdown of glycogen stores. Since glycogenolysis has run its course when your glycogen stores are depleted, gluconeogenesis is crucial in a race. 
• Alcohol increases your cortisol levels which decreases your human growth hormone. Human growth hormone is key in building and breaking down muscle, which is happening continuously during a race. ​