Months of training are behind you, the taper is done, the gear is ready. Then at 5:30am you are standing in front of the fridge, unsure whether it is porridge or toast, a banana or nothing, or whether there is even time left to eat. Bad food decisions on race morning have wrecked better preparation than the worst training block ever could. Here is how to avoid that.
When to get up and when to eat
The core rule: breakfast 2 to 3 hours before the start. For an early race (6:00 to 7:00am) that means an alarm at 3:30 to 4:00am. Uncomfortable, but necessary. Eating 60 minutes before the gun is asking for stomach trouble in the water.
If the start is after 9:00am, there is the luxury of a normal morning routine.
Meal size: 1 to 4 g of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight, depending on distance. Sprint or Olympic distance sits closer to 1 to 2 g/kg. A 70.3 or full Ironman needs 3 to 4 g/kg, because glycogen stores have to last far longer.
At a body weight of 70 kg racing Olympic distance, that works out to around 70 to 140 g of carbohydrate. A large bowl of porridge with banana and a spoon of honey lands in that range without any trouble.
What to actually eat
Tested options that will not let you down:
- Porridge with banana and honey. A classic that works. Digestion is predictable, carbohydrate is high, fat is low.
- White toast with jam or honey. Easy to digest and quick to absorb. Two to three slices is fine.
- Bagel with jam. Popular among professionals. White flour, minimal fibre, plenty of starch.
- White rice with banana. Sounds odd, but plenty of Ironman athletes use it, especially those prone to stomach trouble.
- Gel or an isotonic drink as a top-up. If breakfast was three hours earlier, a gel or a banana 30 minutes before the start works well (one gel is roughly 20 to 25 g of carbohydrate).
What to avoid, and why
Fibre: wholegrain cereal, flaxseed, chia seeds, raw vegetables. Everything that is healthy day to day can force an unplanned toilet stop on the course before a race.
Fat: scrambled eggs with bacon, or avocado on toast, digest too slowly. Fat slows gastric emptying, and it can leave a heavy feeling through the whole bike leg.
New products: race day is the worst time to experiment. A new brand of energy bar bought at the expo on the way to registration should wait until after the finish.
High-fat dairy: Greek yoghurt or kefir can bring unpleasant surprises. Anyone who tolerates milk fine can still have it, but sparingly.
The evening before
There is room to get this right or to get it wrong here too. The dinner the night before should be carbohydrate-rich, pasta, rice, potatoes, with a moderate amount of protein and without excess fibre. Real carb loading starts 36 to 48 hours before the start, so the pre-race dinner finishes the process rather than starting it.
Avoid new restaurants and heavily spiced ethnic food. Not because the food is bad, but because the stomach deserves a quiet night.
30 minutes before the start
With time in the race zone and 30 minutes to go, an energy gel with 150 to 200 ml of water, or a banana muffin from a nearby café, both work. The goal is a small carbohydrate top-up that will not sit heavy on the stomach.
Avoid a large dose of caffeine at this point if it is not something the body is used to. But for anyone who drinks coffee regularly and uses caffeine as part of training, around 200 mg roughly 60 minutes before the start can genuinely help. Research backs this up.
One rule above all the others
Everything eaten on race day is worth testing beforehand, at least once, during a longer training session. No guide can replace knowing your own stomach. The body has memory and its own preferences. Train nutrition the same way swimming, riding and running get trained.
