How to Properly Carb Load Night Before a Race for Peak Performance

December 11, 2025 •

3 min read

Glycogen stores in your muscles and liver can boost endurance by 15-25%. To truly maximize these reserves, understanding how to carb load night before a race is crucial, moving beyond the traditional but often misunderstood last-minute meal.

Quick Summary

This guide debunks the myth of last-minute carb loading, detailing a strategic, multi-day process. Learn which foods to prioritize and which to avoid, ensuring you're fully fueled and free of digestive issues on race day.

Key Points

Start Early, Not Last-Minute: Begin increasing your carbohydrate intake 2-3 days before the event, not just the night before, to effectively top off glycogen stores.
Focus on Low-Fiber Carbs: Prioritize easily digestible, low-fiber foods like white rice, white pasta, and peeled potatoes to avoid pre-race GI distress.
Reduce Fat and Fiber: Minimize your intake of fat and fiber during the carb-loading phase to make room for more carbohydrates and prevent feeling heavy or bloated.
Hydrate Aggressively: Increase your fluid intake as you increase carbs, as glycogen stores require water. Consider sports drinks to contribute to both hydration and carb intake.
Eat a Lighter, Earlier Dinner: Your meal the night before should be smaller than previous days and consumed earlier to allow for better digestion and a more restful sleep.
Expect Temporary Weight Gain: Do not be concerned if your weight increases slightly. This is temporary water weight stored with the extra glycogen and is a sign of proper loading.
Practice Your Plan: Never try a new food or strategy during race week. Practice your carb-loading plan before long training runs to test what works best for your body.

The Flawed Tradition: Why Just Carb-Loading the Night Before Doesn't Work

For years, athletes have crammed a massive pasta dinner into their routine the night before a race, believing this alone would fully stock their energy reserves. However, this single-night binge is a common and ineffective mistake. Proper carb-loading is a gradual, multi-day process designed to maximize glycogen storage, and overloading your system in one sitting can lead to bloating, discomfort, and poor sleep—the opposite of what you need. Instead, a modern approach focuses on increasing carbohydrate intake over a 2-3 day period while tapering your training, giving your body ample time to fill its fuel tank efficiently.

The Strategic Approach: How to Carb Load in the Days Leading Up to Your Race

Starting 36 to 48 hours before your event is the most effective strategy. During this time, your goal is to consume 8-12 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight per day. A 70kg (154lb) athlete, for example, would aim for 560g to 840g of carbs daily. This can be difficult with regular food alone, which is why many athletes incorporate snacks and drinks to meet their targets without feeling overly stuffed.

What to Eat: Prioritizing Low-Fiber, High-Carb Foods

As you increase your carb intake, it's essential to reduce your consumption of fiber, fat, and protein. This helps prevent gastrointestinal (GI) issues on race day. Focus on simple, familiar foods that are easy to digest.

Recommended Carb-Loading Foods:
- White pasta with a simple tomato-based sauce
- White rice or rice noodles
- White bread, bagels, or English muffins with jam or honey
- Pancakes or waffles with syrup
- Low-fiber cereals like Rice Krispies or Corn Flakes
- Peeled, mashed, or boiled white potatoes
- Fruit juice and sports drinks to help meet targets without feeling full

Hydration: Your Carb-Loading Partner

For every gram of glycogen stored, your body stores approximately 3 grams of water. This makes hydration a crucial part of the process. Drink plenty of fluids alongside your increased carbohydrate intake to aid digestion and storage. Consider incorporating sports drinks or juices to add more carbs and electrolytes.

The Evening Before: A Lighter, Earlier Dinner

Contrary to the giant pasta plate tradition, your final pre-race dinner should be relatively lighter and eaten earlier. This prevents you from going to bed with a heavy, full stomach, which can disrupt sleep and lead to lethargy in the morning. Choose a small portion of a carb-rich, low-fiber meal you have tested and know sits well with your stomach.

Carb-Loading Strategies: Modern vs. Traditional


Feature	Traditional (Night Before)	Modern (Multi-Day)
Timing	Heavy meal the night before.	Gradually increase carbs 2-3 days prior.
Food Focus	Can include high-fiber or fatty foods.	Prioritizes low-fiber, high-carb options.
Primary Goal	Single-event glycogen boost.	Maximizes overall glycogen storage.
Risk of GI Issues	High, due to large, sudden intake.	Low, due to gradual adjustment.
Performance Impact	Potential for bloating, sluggishness.	Optimizes energy and digestion.

How to Overcome Common Carb-Loading Problems

Lack of Appetite: Some athletes find it hard to eat so many carbs. Drinking your carbs via juice or sports drinks can help you reach your goals without feeling overly full.
Constipation: A change to a low-fiber diet can sometimes cause constipation. Ensure you are drinking plenty of fluids and use tested foods like apple juice or prunes if needed, but not for the first time on race week.
Scale Weight Gain: It is completely normal for your body weight to increase by 1-2 kg during this process. This is the extra glycogen and water being stored, and it's a positive sign that you are properly fueled. Don't be alarmed by the temporary gain. [To learn more about the science of glycogen storage, see this National Institutes of Health resource].

Conclusion: Practice Makes Perfect

Ultimately, knowing how to carb load night before is not about a single dinner, but about executing a practiced, multi-day strategy that maximizes glycogen stores while minimizing digestive upset. By tapering your training, focusing on low-fiber, high-carb foods, staying hydrated, and having a smaller meal the evening before, you can wake up on race day feeling light, fueled, and ready to perform at your best. Practice this nutrition strategy during your long training runs to ensure it works for your body.

Frequently Asked Questions

No, carb-loading is most effective when done over a 2-3 day period leading up to the event. A single large meal can cause bloating and discomfort without fully maximizing your glycogen stores.

The final dinner should be a lighter, smaller portion of a simple, low-fiber carb dish you have eaten before, such as white pasta with a plain sauce or white rice with grilled chicken. Avoid heavy, rich, or high-fiber meals.

Yes, it is completely normal and expected to gain 1-2 kg (2-4 lbs). This is because for every gram of glycogen stored, your body also stores extra water. This temporary weight gain is a positive sign that your fuel tank is topped off.

High-fiber foods are harder to digest and can leave you feeling full and bloated, making it difficult to reach your high-carb targets. Reducing fiber also minimizes the risk of gastrointestinal issues during your race.

Focus on consuming extra fluids, including water, electrolyte-enhanced sports drinks, and fruit juices. This aids in both digestion and the storage of glycogen with its accompanying water.

If you struggle to eat enough carbs through food, turn to liquid sources like sports drinks, fruit juice, or other carbohydrate-rich beverages. These can help you meet your targets without feeling overly full.

No, the depletion phase is an outdated practice. Modern research shows that a simple taper in training combined with increased carb intake over a few days is sufficient to maximize glycogen stores without the stress and fatigue of depletion.