The week before a marathon is when months of training either come together or fall apart — and nutrition is the deciding factor for many athletes. A well-executed race week meal plan can increase muscle glycogen stores by 50–100% above baseline, ensuring you start the race with a full fuel tank. A poorly planned week — too much fibre, unfamiliar foods, excessive fat, or insufficient carbohydrates — leaves athletes bloated, sluggish, or underfueled on the start line.
Modern carbohydrate loading has evolved significantly from the 1960s depletion-loading protocol that involved 3 days of exhaustive exercise and low-carb eating followed by 3 days of extreme carb stuffing. Current evidence shows that trained athletes can fully supercompensate glycogen stores with just 36–48 hours of elevated carbohydrate intake combined with their natural taper — no depletion phase required. This guide provides a complete 7-day framework.
Days 7–4: Normal Eating With Taper Adjustments
In the early part of race week, your training volume drops by 40–60% (the taper), but your appetite often does not. This is normal — your body is topping off glycogen stores naturally. Continue eating your regular training diet with these adjustments:
- Caloric intake: Reduce by 15–20% to match reduced training load. If you were eating 2800 kcal/day during peak training, drop to 2200–2400 kcal/day. The reduction comes primarily from fat, not carbohydrates.
- Carbohydrate target: 5–7g per kg body weight per day. For a 70kg runner: 350–490g of carbs daily. This is your normal training diet carb level.
- Protein: Maintain at 1.4–1.6g per kg (98–112g for 70kg). Protein supports the muscle repair happening during the taper.
- Fibre: Begin reducing high-fibre foods (beans, raw vegetables, high-bran cereals) from Day 5 onward to reduce bowel residue before race day.
- Hydration: Drink to pale yellow urine colour. Avoid overhydrating — excess fluid intake dilutes blood sodium and adds unnecessary water weight.
Days 3–2: The Carb-Loading Phase
This is where glycogen supercompensation happens. Increase carbohydrate intake to 8–12g per kg body weight per day for 36–48 hours. For a 70kg runner, that is 560–840g of carbohydrates per day. This sounds enormous — and it is. Here is how to hit the target without feeling sick:
- Choose high-GI, low-fibre carb sources: White rice, white bread, pasta, pancakes, bagels, pretzels, rice cakes, honey, jam, fruit juice, sports drinks, and energy gels. These are calorie-dense and easily digestible.
- Eat frequently: 5–6 meals and snacks per day, each containing 100–150g of carbohydrates. Spreading intake across the day prevents the bloating and GI distress of large single meals.
- Reduce fat and fibre: Fat to under 50g/day, fibre to under 20g/day. These slow digestion and compete for stomach volume. Skip salads, nuts, and fried food. This is not about health — it is about glycogen loading efficiency.
- Liquid carbs as a supplement: If you struggle to eat enough solid food, use sports drinks, fruit juice, or smoothies to top up. 500ml of apple juice provides 55g of carbohydrates with minimal fibre or fat.
Expected weight gain during carb loading: 1–3kg. Every gram of glycogen is stored with 3g of water, so a 300–500g glycogen increase adds 1.2–2.0kg of water weight. This weight is fuel, not fat — it will be burned during the marathon.
Day 1 (Day Before Race): Controlled Loading
Continue elevated carbohydrate intake (8–10g/kg), but shift toward smaller, more frequent meals to avoid overnight bloating. Key guidelines:
- Dinner: Eat by 6–7pm. A familiar, well-tolerated meal: white rice or pasta with a small portion of chicken or fish, low-fibre vegetables, and a bread roll. Avoid spicy, greasy, or unfamiliar foods.
- Evening snack: A light carb snack before bed — toast with honey, a banana, or rice cakes — tops off liver glycogen, which is preferentially used overnight. Liver glycogen stores decline by 50–80% during an 8-hour fast.
- Hydration: Aim for pale yellow urine by bedtime but stop drinking large volumes 2 hours before sleep to avoid nighttime bathroom trips. A sodium-containing electrolyte drink helps retain fluid more effectively than plain water.
Race Morning: The Final Fuel Load
Eat your pre-race breakfast 3–4 hours before the start — this allows time for digestion and stabilises blood glucose. Target 1–2g of carbohydrate per kg body weight (70–140g for a 70kg runner). Proven options:
- Option A: 2 slices white toast with honey + 1 banana + 500ml sports drink (110g carbs, 4g protein, 2g fat)
- Option B: 60g instant oats with honey and banana + 250ml apple juice (105g carbs, 6g protein, 3g fat)
- Option C: 2 white bagels with jam + 250ml sports drink (120g carbs, 8g protein, 2g fat)
30 minutes before the gun: a final gel (20–25g carbs) and 200ml of water or electrolyte drink. This tops off blood glucose without triggering insulin rebound, which requires at least 15 minutes of absorption time before exercise begins. See our race-morning breakfast guide for more options and timing details.
Sample Day-by-Day Meal Plan (70kg Runner)
Day 4 (normal taper day): Breakfast: porridge with banana and honey (80g carbs). Lunch: chicken sandwich with white bread, fruit (65g carbs). Snack: rice cakes with peanut butter (40g carbs). Dinner: pasta with tomato sauce and chicken (90g carbs). Total: ~420g carbs, 2300 kcal.
Day 2 (carb-loading day): Breakfast: pancakes with maple syrup, banana, and juice (130g carbs). Snack: bagel with jam, sports drink (80g carbs). Lunch: large bowl white rice with teriyaki chicken (120g carbs). Snack: 2 rice cakes with honey, fruit juice (70g carbs). Dinner: pasta with bread roll, fruit salad (140g carbs). Evening: toast with honey, sports drink (60g carbs). Total: ~600g carbs, 2800 kcal.
The critical point: never try anything new in race week. Every food, every drink, every gel should be something you have tested in training. NorthLine gels — used throughout your training block — should be the same variants you consume on race morning and during the marathon itself. Use the Race Day Nutrition Planner to build your complete race week nutrition schedule, including carb targets, meal timing, and race-day gel schedule.