Photo by Eric Ayres Sarah Dean of Cadiz knows the secret to battling cramps during a challenging run like the Ogden Newspapers Half Marathon Classic is in nature's own pre-packaged gift that is perfect for replenishing nutrients expended during the race – the banana.

WHEELING – Experienced marathon runners know that despite the amount of physical training that goes into their race preparation, it’s a proven fact that what you put into your body truly contributes to what you get out of it.

About an hour or so before runners take their marks, they can be seen stretching their legs and getting prepared to hit the road by hydrating and – for many participants – fueling up with nature’s most effective anti-cramping foods: bananas.

It’s such a popular pre-game staple, most races provide complimentary bananas to their registered participants. On Saturday morning before the Ogden Newspapers Half Marathon Classic, the banana tent was stocked and ready for the throng of runners.

Sarah Dean of Cadiz, taking part in her second Ogden Newspapers Half Marathon Classic, is a veteran marathon runner and a true believer in the benefits of the banana. Her shirt for the day even boasted the slogan, “This seems like a lot of work for a free banana.”

“When it comes to refueling, it’s the best,” she said. “I’m an avid runner, and I’m a big banana fan.”

Bananas contain an array of nutrients that are lost when runners sweat it out and expend a lot of energy. From electrolytes to glycogens and other vitamins and minerals that are spent by the body during a hard run, the banana is nature’s pure concentrated gift that helps bring those things back – and provides a source of pre-race energy and a carb boost that doesn’t weigh you down.

“They’re packed with magnesium and potassium, which are great for muscle renewal,” Dean said, noting that in addition to the pre-race bananas, there are post-race foods that runners often use to avoid cramping. “After some races, they’ll give you pickle juice shots to replace magnesium and sodium.”

Despite being an experienced local runner and a veteran of the Tough As Nails Urban Challenge presented by The Health Plan, Steve Quickel of Wheeling was running his first Ogden Newspapers Half Marathon on Saturday, and he was hitting the hydration and anti-cramping routine before taking his place at the starting line.

“I’m a group fitness instructor for the YMCA,” Quickel said. “I teach classes there in the evening time, and everybody kept saying ‘you ought to run the Ogden Race.’ Most of the time, the reason that I’ve not done it was because of the Tough As Nails the next day.”

Quickel was set to run both the half marathon and the Tough as Nails Urban Challenge this year.

“So this is my first time – my first year to do both,” he said between bites of a banana and sips of his go-to hydration and energy drink.

“This is my ‘Rock’ drink,” he said, gripping a stash of super berry ZOA in a Gatorade bottle. ZOA is owned by movie star and former professional wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. “I buy cans and cans of it. It’s a sports drink that provides amino acids and electrolytes. It’s kind of hard to find, so when I came across some recently, I bought four cases. It’s the best stuff ever, to me.”

According to Quickel, the banana helps with cramping, which he’s experienced before in past races in which he didn’t use the fruit to battle cramping.

“It really does help,” he said. “I did a 13-mile cross-country run a few years back, and I can’t begin to tell you how bad I was cramping at the end of that race.”

He said he ate some potassium protein bars during the race and felt really good afterward, until he quit moving to hit the smorgasbord of food they had set up.

“I sat down at one of the picnic tables, and it was over after there – cramp city,” he said, noting that he had to wait in pain behind five people in line for the post-race massage tables.

Aside from the banana, Quickel said he skipped breakfast on the morning of the race.

“I carbed last night with a bunch of waffles,” he said. “I don’t know what these big hills are going to entail yet, but I do know when you do Mud on the Mountain at Seven Springs, that Black Diamond Hill – I don’t think there’s anything as bad as that hill. But I’m looking forward to this.”