What to eat the week before a race? A complete nutrition guide

December 17, 2025 •

4 min read

Approximately 31% of amateur athletes arrive at competitions already dehydrated, negatively impacting their performance. The week leading up to your race is a crucial window for strategic fueling, hydration, and recovery that can significantly influence your success on race day. Knowing what to eat and drink—and what to avoid—is essential.

Quick Summary

This guide provides a detailed meal strategy for the week before an endurance race, covering crucial carb-loading protocols, optimal hydration techniques, and foods to avoid. The focus is on maximizing glycogen stores while minimizing digestive upset to ensure peak performance.

Key Points

Carb Load Strategically: Begin increasing your carbohydrate intake 36-48 hours before the race to maximize glycogen stores, focusing on easily digestible, low-fiber sources like white rice and pasta.
Taper Fiber Intake: Gradually reduce your consumption of high-fiber foods such as raw vegetables, legumes, and whole grains 2-3 days before the event to minimize the risk of digestive issues.
Stay Hydrated Consistently: Hydrate consistently throughout the week, not just on race day. Monitor urine color to ensure you are well-hydrated without overdoing it.
Prioritize Low-Fat Meals: In the final days, minimize fat and heavy sauces, as these slow digestion and can cause discomfort. Opt for lean proteins and light condiments.
Avoid New Foods: Stick to familiar, well-tolerated foods during race week. Never introduce new foods, drinks, or supplements right before a race.
Consume a Proven Race Day Breakfast: Eat a light, high-carb, low-fiber breakfast 2-3 hours before the race using foods you've tested in training, such as oatmeal or a bagel.

Your Fueling Strategy: A Week-by-Week Breakdown

The week before a major race is all about topping off your body's energy reserves and giving your digestive system a break. It's not a time for extreme dietary changes or trying new recipes. Your primary goals are to increase carbohydrate storage (glycogen), ensure proper hydration, and avoid anything that might cause gastrointestinal (GI) distress on race day. This process, known as 'tapering', should run parallel with your training reduction.

Early Race Week (7-4 Days Before)

In the first half of the week, as your training volume tapers down, your diet should remain balanced. Focus on high-quality, complex carbohydrates and lean proteins. This isn't the main carb-loading phase yet, but rather a time to fuel gently while your body recovers. Avoid excessive fats and stick to foods you know and tolerate well.

Complex Carbohydrates: Choose nutrient-dense options that provide sustained energy. Examples include brown rice, quinoa, sweet potatoes, and whole-wheat pasta.
Lean Proteins: Include moderate amounts of lean protein to support muscle repair. Grilled chicken, fish, tofu, or lean turkey are excellent choices.
Veggies & Fruits: Continue to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, but consider cooking them instead of eating them raw. This can make them easier to digest.
Hydration: Maintain your regular hydration routine. This means consuming a consistent amount of water throughout the day, aiming for pale, straw-colored urine.

Late Race Week (3-1 Days Before): The Carb-Loading Phase

Starting 36 to 48 hours before your race, it's time to intentionally increase your carbohydrate intake while simultaneously reducing fiber to fill your glycogen stores. The goal is not to stuff yourself uncomfortably, but to increase the percentage of carbohydrates in your meals by reducing protein and fat intake slightly.

Increase Carbs: Focus on easily digestible, low-fiber carbs. Think white bread, white rice, pasta (without heavy sauces), bagels, and potatoes without the skin. Liquid carbohydrates, like fruit juice or sports drinks, can also help meet your target without feeling overly full.
Reduce Fiber: This is key to avoiding GI issues during your race. Opt for white rice over brown, and avoid high-fiber foods like legumes, bran cereals, and most raw vegetables.
Reduce Fat and Protein: Both fat and protein slow digestion. While they are crucial for a balanced diet, prioritize carbs in the final 48 hours. Choose lean proteins like grilled chicken or fish and use minimal oil.
Pre-Race Dinner: The night before, have a well-rehearsed, high-carb meal. Avoid anything new, spicy, or high-fat. A simple pasta with a light tomato sauce is a classic for a reason. Eat this meal a bit earlier than usual to allow for full digestion.
Morning of the Race: Stick to a familiar, high-carb, low-fiber breakfast 2-3 hours before the start. Options like a bagel with jam, oatmeal, or a banana are effective. Wash it down with water or an electrolyte drink.

The Role of Hydration and Electrolytes

Strategic hydration is just as important as carb-loading. Being well-hydrated before the race can significantly enhance performance, especially in hot conditions. Hydration is a week-long process, not a last-minute fix.

How to Hydrate Effectively

Consistent Intake: Drink fluids regularly throughout the week. A good rule of thumb is to ensure your urine is a pale straw color. Don't overdo it, though, as over-hydrating can be dangerous.
Add Electrolytes: For endurance events, consider preloading with a high-sodium electrolyte drink in the 90 minutes before the race. The extra sodium helps your body retain fluid, boosting blood plasma volume and helping to prevent cramps and fatigue.
Monitor Urine: This is the easiest way to gauge your hydration level. Aim for consistently light-colored urine.

Foods to Avoid the Week Before a Race

To minimize the risk of digestive issues, certain foods should be limited or avoided altogether, particularly in the last 2-3 days.

High-Fiber Foods: Raw vegetables, whole grains, lentils, and beans are difficult to digest and can lead to bloating or unwanted pit stops.
High-Fat Foods: Greasy or fried foods, high-fat meats, and creamy sauces slow down digestion and can cause stomach upset.
New or Exotic Foods: Never experiment with new foods during race week. Stick to what you know works for your body.
Alcohol: Alcohol is a diuretic and can cause dehydration. It can also disrupt sleep and recovery, both of which are crucial before a race.
Excessive Spices: Spicy foods can cause heartburn or digestive discomfort.

Sample Race Week Meal Plan


Meal	Early Week (Mon-Thurs)	Late Week (Fri-Sat)
Breakfast	Oatmeal with berries, nuts, and a scoop of yogurt	Large bowl of instant oatmeal with banana and honey
Lunch	Sandwich on whole-wheat bread with lean turkey, lettuce, and tomato	White rice bowl with grilled chicken and a light sauce
Dinner	Grilled salmon with quinoa and steamed green beans	Pasta with a simple tomato sauce and lean ground turkey
Snacks	Apple with peanut butter, Greek yogurt, or nuts	Banana, pretzels, bagels with jam, or a sports drink

This table provides a generalized example, and individual needs will vary. Remember to test all race-day nutrition strategies during your long training runs. The American College of Sports Medicine offers detailed nutrition recommendations for endurance athletes to further personalize your plan.

Conclusion

Proper nutrition during race week is a meticulous process of tapering, carb-loading, and disciplined hydration. By consistently focusing on complex carbohydrates early in the week and shifting to simpler, low-fiber carbs closer to race day, you can maximize your glycogen stores. Simultaneously, maintaining optimal hydration with electrolytes and avoiding high-risk foods will minimize the chances of GI distress. By sticking to a tested fueling strategy, you give your body the best possible chance to perform at its peak and cross the finish line strong. This careful planning is the final, essential training component for any endurance event.

Frequently Asked Questions

For most endurance events, you should begin your carb-loading phase approximately 36 to 48 hours before the race. This typically involves increasing your carbohydrate percentage while tapering your training volume.

The ideal pre-race dinner is a familiar, high-carbohydrate meal that is low in fat and fiber. A simple plate of pasta with a light tomato sauce and a moderate portion of lean protein is a classic, safe option.

Yes, it is highly recommended to reduce your fiber intake in the 2-3 days leading up to the race. High-fiber foods can cause digestive upset and should be replaced with easily digestible, low-fiber carbohydrate sources.

If you are accustomed to drinking coffee, consuming your regular amount on race day is generally acceptable. However, avoid trying caffeine for the first time, as it can be a diuretic and may cause stomach issues.

Your race-day breakfast should be a light meal, high in simple carbohydrates and low in fiber, consumed 2-3 hours before the race. Good examples include a bagel with jam, a banana, or a small bowl of oatmeal.

Avoid anything new, high-fat foods (fried foods, heavy sauces), excessive spice, and high-fiber foods (beans, lentils, cruciferous vegetables) in the final days before your race to prevent digestive problems.

Proper hydration is crucial and should be a consistent focus throughout the week. Ensuring you are optimally hydrated starts before race day. This improves blood volume, aids cooling, and helps delay fatigue during the event.