Race Week Nutrition Checklist for Runners and Triathletes

The goal of race week nutrition: arrive ready, not depleted

Race week nutrition has one objective: arrive at the start line with full glycogen stores, well-hydrated, and without any GI disruption from a food experiment that went wrong. It is not a week to try new supplements, aggressive carb-loading protocols you read about online the day before, or restaurant meals from cuisines that aren't part of your regular routine.

Training volume drops during taper, which means energy expenditure falls. Many athletes mistakenly cut food proportionally, arriving at race day with lower glycogen than they could have had. The adjustment in race week is usually more food (particularly carbohydrates) relative to training load, not less.

D-7 to D-5: normal eating, hydration focus

Days 7–5 before the race: eat normally and focus on consistent hydration. This is not yet carb-loading time — it is maintenance and recovery from the final training block. Continue eating the foods that have worked throughout training. Begin monitoring urine colour as a hydration check: pale yellow is the target.

If you are travelling to a race destination, days 7–5 are the time to research food options at your destination and pack familiar non-perishable snacks. The single biggest race week nutrition failure is arriving somewhere and being unable to find the foods that work for your gut.

D-4 to D-2: carbohydrate increase begins

Days 4–2 before the race: begin shifting meals toward carbohydrate-dominant options. This does not mean eating three times your normal portions — it means increasing the carbohydrate fraction of meals while keeping overall meal volumes manageable. Rice, pasta, oats, bread, potatoes, fruit — all carbohydrate sources that most athletes tolerate well.

Simultaneously reduce dietary fibre. In the 48–72 hours before a race, particularly before running events, lowering fibre intake meaningfully reduces GI risk on race day. Avoid raw vegetables in large quantities, high-fibre cereals, and legumes. Switch to white rice over brown, white bread over wholegrain, and peeled fruit over fibrous vegetables.

Fat intake also decreases in this period — not for performance reasons, but because fat slows gastric emptying and takes up stomach space that could be used for glycogen-building carbohydrates. Keep meals familiar, carbohydrate-forward, and lower in fat and fibre than usual.

D-1: the night before

The night before the race: eat a familiar, carbohydrate-rich dinner 3–4 hours before you plan to sleep. Pasta, rice, potato — your standard pre-race dinner, not a new restaurant. Keep portions moderate — overeating the night before does not add meaningful glycogen and reliably causes sleep disruption and morning discomfort.

Hydrate through the day and with dinner, but do not force excess fluid late in the evening (poor sleep quality and pre-dawn bathroom trips are the result). A relaxed, familiar meal, adequate hydration, and an early bedtime is the complete D-1 nutrition protocol.

Race morning: the pre-race meal

Aim to eat 2–3 hours before race start. This is the standard recommendation that allows time for digestion without the discomfort of racing on a full stomach. The meal: carbohydrate-primary, low fat, low fibre, familiar ingredients. Classic options: oatmeal with banana, toast with honey or jam and a small amount of nut butter, rice with a lightly seasoned protein.

If race start is very early and 2–3 hours of lead time would require getting up at 3 AM: a smaller snack 60–90 minutes before start is the practical compromise. Banana, toast, or a simple energy bar — something the gut knows and tolerates at race pace.

Final pre-race check: confirm you have your race-day hydration strategy mapped out (when to drink on course, what is available at aid stations, whether you need to carry your own fuel). Race week nutrition ends at the start line — from there it becomes race-day fueling, which should also be a pre-practised strategy, not an improvisation.