Q.Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow. Rohit, a 19-year-old long-distance runner, is preparing for a half-marathon that will take him about two hours to complete. Three days before the race he tapers his training and eats a high-carbohydrate diet. On race morning he eats a bowl of oatmeal with a banana and toast, and drinks 500 mL of water. During the race he takes a sports drink at every aid station and an energy gel roughly every 40 minutes. He finishes the race 1.2 kg lighter than his pre-race body weight.

Rohit is a 19-year-old endurance runner, and each sub-part tests a different nutrition principle for a two-hour event.

(i) He followed carbohydrate (glycogen) loading - tapering training for three days while eating a high-carbohydrate diet. Its purpose is to super-saturate muscle and liver glycogen so he has a larger fuel reserve for an event lasting longer than 90 minutes, delaying fatigue.

(ii) A sports drink is preferred over plain water because it supplies carbohydrate plus electrolytes (mainly sodium), not just fluid. The carbohydrate keeps blood glucose up and spares glycogen, while sodium replaces sweat losses and aids water absorption - plain water does neither and, drunk in large amounts over two hours, risks diluting blood sodium (hyponatraemia).

(iii) At 30-60 g of carbohydrate per hour for a 2-hour race:

Lower = 30 x 2 = 60 g; Upper = 60 x 2 = 120 g.

So Rohit should take in 60-120 g of carbohydrate during the race.

(iv) He finished 1.2 kg lighter. At 1.25-1.5 L of fluid per 1 kg lost:

Lower = 1.2 x 1.25 = 1.5 L; Upper = 1.2 x 1.5 = 1.8 L. …

(i) Pre-competition strategy and its purpose

The strategy Rohit followed is carbohydrate loading (also called glycogen or carbo-loading). For the three days before the race he tapered his training while eating a high-carbohydrate diet. The combination lets a trained 19-year-old endurance athlete super-compensate, storing more glycogen in muscle and liver than normal.

Its purpose is to delay fatigue: an event lasting about two hours steadily depletes muscle glycogen, the main fuel for sustained aerobic work. Starting with topped-up stores lets Rohit hold his pace deeper into the race instead of being forced onto slower fat metabolism in the closing kilometres.

(ii) Why a sports drink is preferred over plain water

A two-hour race creates two demands at once - replacing sweat loss and replenishing carbohydrate. Plain water meets only the first.

A sports drink carries both electrolytes (chiefly sodium) and carbohydrate (typically a 6-8% sugar solution). The carbohydrate supplies an outside fuel source that keeps blood glucose up and spares muscle glycogen; the sodium replaces what is lost in sweat, improves fluid absorption in the gut, and helps the body retain the fluid rather than passing it as urine. Drinking large volumes of plain water over a long event can dilute blood sodium and, in extreme cases, cause hyponatraemia. For an event of this length, the dual delivery of fluid and fuel makes the sports drink the better choice.

(iii) Carbohydrate intake during the race

Recommended rate = 30-60 g/h; race duration = 2 h.

Lower bound = 30 x 2 = 60 g

Upper bound = 60 x 2 = 120 g

Rohit should take in 60-120 g of carbohydrate during the race. His plan of a sports drink at each aid station plus an energy gel roughly every 40 minutes (about three gels of 20-25 g each, on top of the drinks) sits comfortably in this range.

(iv) Fluid needed to rehydrate …