Fueling up before the event is important. Previous advice about avoiding sugar or other carbohydrates in the hour before exercise is now seen to be misplaced. The publicity popularized the idea of rebound hypoglycemia and earlier onset of muscle glycogen depletion due to increased insulin in the blood. Consuming carbohydrate during exercise is an important strategy for endurance events. The main advice is to eat sufficient carbohydrate early in exercise rather than wait for the onset of fatigue.
Early intake is also important in the recovery phase.
An immediate intake of carbohydrate will enhance restoration of muscle glycogen an important consideration when the next bout of training or competition is scheduled in less than 8-12 hours. There are other ways in which timing and frequency of nutrient intake may affect training and performance. More research is needed here. By itself, more frequent eating apparently does not increase the risk of obesity or affect the nutritional value of our diets. But again, more research is needed before we can recommend a way to spread our intake.