What you eat in the week before a race has a greater impact on race-day performance than most athletes realise. The night-before pasta dinner is cultural mythology — glycogen loading is a 2–4 day process, and the final 24 hours matter primarily for gut preparation rather than energy stores. A structured race-week nutrition plan addresses energy, hydration, gut comfort, and pre-race meal timing in a coherent sequence.
This guide applies to races of 60 minutes or longer — primarily half marathons, marathons, Ironman, and long-distance cycling events. For shorter events (5km, sprint triathlon), race-week nutrition optimisation produces smaller marginal gains, though good dietary habits remain important.
7 Days Before: Normal Eating, Higher Protein
Seven days out is too early to begin carbohydrate manipulation. Focus on ensuring dietary protein is adequate (1.6–2.0g per kg per day) to support the tissue repair accumulated from the final hard training block. Prioritise sleep-supporting foods in the evening — complex carbohydrates raise tryptophan availability and can improve sleep quality during the psychologically demanding pre-race week.
5–6 Days Before: Maintain Training Nutrition
Continue normal race-specific training nutrition. Do not dramatically change food choices yet — the gut microbiome and digestive tolerance established through training is what will carry you through the race. Introducing unfamiliar foods, even "healthy" ones, in the week before a race risks disrupting bowel patterns at the worst possible time.
3–4 Days Before: Begin Carbohydrate Loading
This is the most critical phase of race-week nutrition. Target 8–10g of carbohydrate per kg of body weight per day for 2 consecutive days. A 70kg runner should consume 560–700g of carbohydrate per day — achievable without extreme eating through strategic food choices:
- Breakfast: 100g dry oats (60g carb) with banana (25g) and honey (17g) = 100g+ carbohydrate
- Mid-morning: 2 slices white bread with jam (50g carb) and 500ml sports drink (30g) = 80g
- Lunch: Large portion of white rice (90g dry weight = 70g carb) with lean protein
- Snack: Energy gels, rice cakes, or sports bars (40–60g)
- Dinner: Large pasta or rice serving with low-fat sauce = 100–120g
Reduce dietary fat and fibre during these 2 days — fat displaces carbohydrate calorie-for-calorie, and high fibre increases bowel transit time and residue volume in the gut.
2 Days Before: Reduce Volume, Maintain Carbohydrate Density
Glycogen stores are approaching full capacity after 2 days of loading. Do not overeat on day 2 — excess food will not increase glycogen further and will increase bloating and gut discomfort on race morning. Maintain carbohydrate-dense choices but reduce total meal volume, particularly in the evening. Avoid vegetables, legumes, and high-fibre grains at dinner — these increase residue volume and can cause race-morning GI urgency.
Day Before Race: The Low-Residue Day
The primary nutrition goal the day before a race is gut clearance, not glycogen loading. Muscle glycogen stores are now maximised; further eating serves maintenance and pre-race meal preparation:
- White rice, white bread, potatoes, bananas — low-residue carbohydrates that pass quickly through the gut
- Lean protein (chicken, fish, eggs) in moderate quantities at lunch
- Avoid: fibre-rich vegetables, beans, cruciferous vegetables, fatty or fried foods, unfamiliar cuisines, alcohol
- Dinner: small, carbohydrate-dominant, familiar — not a large feast
- Hydration: sip 2–3 litres of fluid throughout the day; add electrolytes if weather is warm
Race Morning: The Pre-Race Meal Protocol
Consume 1–4g of carbohydrate per kg body weight, 2–4 hours before the start. For a 70kg runner, this is 70–280g. Practically: large bowl of oats (70–90g carb), white toast with jam (50g), banana (25g), and 500ml sports drink (30g) = approximately 175–200g total. This is feasible 3–4 hours pre-race for most athletes. In the 60 minutes before the start, take 20–30g carbohydrate (half a gel or a sports drink sip) to top up liver glycogen depleted overnight. NorthLine gels contain 22g of carbohydrate per serving — one gel 30 minutes before the gun provides an ideal final top-up without GI risk. Use the Race Day Nutrition Planner to schedule your complete race-week and race-morning nutrition around your target start time.