How Paula Radcliffe ate and trained.

Quick answer. In a 2017 interview Paula Radcliffe said she usually started the day with "toast and almond butter or porridge or cereal with almond milk and fruit", ate a fish salad or sandwich at lunch, and had vegetables with brown rice or potatoes and beef, chicken or salmon for dinner. Before her 2003 world record, World Athletics reported a training schedule of 140 miles a week with four main sessions, and she spent part of every year at altitude in Font-Romeu in the Pyrenees. She has taken Immufix every morning since 1998.

This article uses only what Paula has said in published interviews and what World Athletics reported at the time. Paula is a co-owner of the company that makes Immufix.

What did Paula Radcliffe eat in a day?

The most detailed public account comes from a March 2017 interview with the Irish Farmers Journal, two years after her final competitive marathon. Asked what she typically eats during the day, she said:

• Breakfast: "I usually start the day with toast and almond butter or porridge or cereal with almond milk and fruit."
• Lunch: "Lunch might be a tuna or salmon or mackerel salad or sandwich".
• Dinner: "dinner is usually vegetables with brown rice or potatoes and beef or chicken or salmon etc."

It is an ordinary pattern: three regular meals, a starchy carbohydrate at each one, fish or meat for protein, and fruit and vegetables. Her general advice in the same interview was to "eat well and balanced and be sure to drink enough to stay well hydrated."

What did she eat before a long run or a race?

Porridge. In 2017 she said: "Before a long run, I eat porridge made with water with chopped banana and some honey in it. I take an energy drink just before and also during to keep my glycogen levels up."

She gave much the same answer in 2025, in a TikTok conversation with Run With Alice reported by Surrey Live, and added two race-day details: "I always had some dark chocolate before I raced and either a cup of green tea or a coffee." If you want to try the same breakfast, our guide to porridge before running covers timing and portions.

What did she eat after running?

Something straight away, then a proper meal. "As soon as I finish, I try to eat something, either a banana or an energy bar. Then as soon as possible I eat a meal with good amounts of protein and carbohydrates." Her rule of thumb for other runners: "Eat something within 20 minutes of finishing training to optimise recovery."

What was Paula Radcliffe's training routine?

Five days before the 2003 London Marathon, World Athletics reported that she had kept her training pattern similar to the year before: about 140 miles a week, built around four main sessions.

• A track session.
• A grass session, perhaps 2km or one-mile repetitions.
• A tempo run of 5 to 12 miles.
• A long run of 20 to 24 miles.

The rest of the mileage filled the gaps between those four. In 2004, World Athletics reported that she did her mileage "at the high altitude of Font Romeu, in France".

Altitude in the Pyrenees.

Font-Romeu was a fixture for most of her career. In a 2014 interview with Complete France she said: "I came up here for the first time in 1995, and stayed in the high altitude training centre here." She added that "we got a training apartment here in 1998."

Coaching.

In June 2002, World Athletics named Alec Stanton as her coach and her husband, Gary Lough, a former British international, as her manager.

Beyond the running.

Her advice to other runners includes the parts of training that are not miles: "Stretch regularly, have rest days", and "Vary your training and the terrain you run on and try to always include some off-road running and general core stability training."

What can everyday runners take from it?

Not the 140 miles. That was the workload of a full-time professional. The habits scale down well, though:

• Start with company. "I always say to join a running group or club as it really helps with motivation and first steps." Paula's own club conversations are in Paula's Run Club podcast.
• Plan, but loosely. In her words: "Pick a goal and make a plan working towards it that is reasonable and flexible."
• Give each week a shape. One quicker session, one steady run and one longer run is a smaller version of her four-session week.
• Fuel before, eat after. Porridge before a long run, something within 20 minutes of finishing, then a meal with protein and carbohydrate.
• Take rest days. She lists them alongside stretching as standard.

If running brings on pain or other symptoms, speak to a GP or physiotherapist.

Where Immufix fits.

Paula Radcliffe has taken Immufix every morning since 1998, and you can read how she started on her journey page. Immufix is one 25g scoop in around 200ml of water, once a day, alongside the kind of regular meals described above. For people who train, magnesium and vitamin D contribute to normal muscle function, and vitamin C, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6 and magnesium contribute to normal energy-yielding metabolism and the reduction of tiredness and fatigue. Every ingredient and amount is on the science page.

The short version.

• Paula's described diet is plain: porridge or toast to start, fish at lunch, vegetables with rice or potatoes and meat or fish at dinner.
• Before a long run: porridge made with water, banana and honey. Before a race: dark chocolate and green tea or coffee.
• After running: a banana or energy bar straight away, then a meal with protein and carbohydrate.
• In 2003 she ran about 140 miles a week around four key sessions, much of it at altitude in Font-Romeu.
• She has taken Immufix every morning since 1998.

Food supplements should not be used as a substitute for a varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. If you have a medical condition, are pregnant, breastfeeding or taking medication, speak to your GP or pharmacist before taking any food supplement.