What to Eat the Morning of a Marathon? Best Foods for Peak Performance

The unfortunate thing about a marathon race is that you can absolutely nail and perfect your training and be prepared for any scenario, but without proper nutrition strategy, you can blow everything and derail on the race day.

This has happened to many of us.

Oftentimes, it is because the marathon training is solely focused on the running side of things while completely neglecting fueling. It can result in hitting the wall in the middle of the race.

So, what should you eat before a marathon to perform your best?

Pre-Marathon Nutrition Strategy

Marathon nutrition is a crucial part of race day preparation.

The main point is that you need to train your gut to tolerate more food before running.

Then, on the race morning, you are trained to start with a tank full of fuel. This will give you the best setup when you hit the start line.

The next step is to tolerate carbs mid-race.

If you haven’t tried race gels before, then trying these for the first time on the race day is a bad idea.

So, when preparing for the race, you need to keep topping up your fuel tank mid-race.

And when it comes to race day, you are prepared to tolerate carbohydrate-rich foods when running.

This will help you keep your fuel tank topped up throughout the race.

What should be the timing of consuming your gels throughout the marathon race?

Often, runners decide to take their carb gels towards the back half of their race when they are experiencing a dip in energy levels.

This doesn’t work for two reasons.

First, if you are already experiencing a crash in energy levels, you are leaving your carb intake way too late.

Second, if you start experiencing fatigue, more blood flow is directed toward your muscles and away from your internal organs.

This means that if you consume consume fule at this stage, your gut is struggling to digest it and use as a fuel source, it only sits in your guts and leads to a lot of gastrointestinal distress and can completely derail your running plans.

A good plan is to consume 30-60 grams of carbs every hour during the race despite your energy levels.

But make sure you consider your body weight and training when determining your carbohydrate intake.

Brodie Sharp – physiotherapist and teacher of running and running mechanics, highlights that the best nutrition strategy will look like this:

you train your gut to consume more food before the run and more food during the run to keep your energy levels high throughout the race.

Another important element of what to eat before a marathon is a hydration strategy.

During a race, you need to replenish a lot of your lost fluids to regulate your body temperature, keep your blood volume high, and better transport important nutrients throughout your body.

Learn more about optimal hydration training for triathletes.

What is Carb Loading for Endurance Runners?

Even if you haven’t run a marathon yet, you have probably heard about carb loading.

Let’s explore this stage of marathon nutrition strategy in more detail.

Carbohydrate loading is a nutritional strategy that endurance athletes, such as triathletes and marathon runners, often use to maximize glycogen stores in the muscles and liver before race day.

This approach helps athletes maintain energy levels during prolonged activities like marathons, cycling, or triathlons.

Types of Carb Loading

6-Day Loading: Classic One

Involves a depletion phase followed by high carb intake.

Here is how this popular type of carb loading looks like:

• Days 0-3: get 15% of calories from carbs and work out as usual.
• Day 4: get 70% of calories from carbs and do a lighter session.
• Days 5-6: get 70% of calories from carbs and don’t do any exercise.

The main point id that idea depleting glycogen stores allows your body to keep more glycogen when carbohydrate intake increases.

Let’s say you eat 3,500 calories daily. Then, the six-day carb loading would look like this:

• Days 0-3: 3,500 * 0.15 = 525 calories (131 grams of carbs)
• Days 4-6: 3,500 * 0.70 = 2,450 calories (612 grams of carbs)

3-Day Loading: a Modified One

This is a more straightforward approach lasting only three days.

It starts with a demanding workout and then focuses on high-carb intake for three days.

1-Day Loading: A Quick One

This is when you consume a high amount of carbs in a single day without exercise.

The one-day carb load is the simplest but may not have the same impact as a modified three-day or a classic six-day load.

The main goal of this card load is to provide a glycogen ‘bump’ and temporarily improve performance. This can be very helpful for sessions lasting 90 minutes or less.

You need to aim for 10 g/kg body weight of carbs per 24 hours.

For example, an athlete weighing 80 kg must eat 8 grams of carbs.

Benefits of Carb Loading

Here are some benefits of the carb load phase for marathon runners and endurance athletes:

1. Improved performance

When done correctly, loading with carbs maximizes muscle glycogen stores.

This helps to provide the body with all the fuel it needs during physical activity.

2. Delayed fatigue

In many cases and when done right, carb load can help athletes perform better for a longer period.

This is because glycogen depletion is associated with muscle fatigue.

3. Potentially improved muscle recovery

Besides performance support and fatigue postponement, carb load may improve your muscle recovery.

This happens because higher glycogen levels support muscle protein synthesis, reducing the risk of excessive breakdown during and after physical activity.

Check out our post marathon recovery plan for more insights on a proper recovery routine after a race.

Best Pre-Marathon Meals Ideas

So, what should you eat before a marathon?

Of course, your meal of choice will depend on your personal preferences, but there are a few general rules on setting up a perfect meal that will keep you energized and your stomach happy:

• Eat a mixed meal of mostly carbohydrates, paired with lean protein, the night before the marathon.
• Avoid trying new foods and opt for easily digestible carbs.
• Include low-fiber vegetable and lean protein sources in your meal.
• Consider a lighter carbohydrate-rich dinner, such as pasta or quinoa, instead of a traditional heavy pasta dinner.

Here are some of the best pre-marathon meal ideas to help you prepare for your big event:

Night Before the Marathon

• Pasta with marinara sauce and veggies is a classic choice, rich in carbohydrates and easy to digest
• For a vegan option, you can go with white rice with tofu and veggies. This is a balanced mix of carbs and protein.
• You can also go with sweet potato stuffed with vegetables and egg. Sweet potatoes are a great source of complex carbs.
• Another option is a grain bowl with rice, roasted sweet potatoes, and avocado. This meal offers a mix of carbs, healthy fats, and fiber.

The Morning of the Marathon

• Oatmeal with banana and nut butter is an easy-to-digest pre-race breakfast that will provide you with sustained energy.
• A bagel with nut butter and banana is another classic combination that’s easy on the stomach.
• Sourdough with nut butter and banana is also a good option for a shack you can eat before a marathon as sourdough is often easier to digest due to its fermentation process.

One important thing I would like to mention is that you need to practice your pre-marathon meals during training to make sure they agree with you on race day.

Looking for more tips on preparing for your marathon? Then see this pre-marathon checklist to make sure you are all ready for the race.

Tips on Personalizing Your Nutrition Plan

To personalize your marathon nutrition, you want your diet to meet your unique health goals, lifestyle, food preferences, and biological needs.

Here are a few tips that will help you better tailor your pre-marathon nutrition:

1. Assess your health and nutritional needs

To better understand your current eating habits and health status, you can work with a professional dietician.

They will help you set realistic goals based on your current status and what you want to achieve, whether it’s weight loss, muscle gain, or managing a health condition.

2. Consider your lifestyle and personal preferences

Your nutrition plan should fit your daily routine and cooking skills. If you don’t have enough time for cooking 3 times a day, you can consider meal prepping, for example.

You won’t stick to your nutrition plan if you don’t enjoy what you eat. So, make sure you include your favorite products to make the plan sustainable.

And, of course, consider your budget. Your nutrition should be affordable and nutrient-dense.

3. Understand macronutrients and micronutrients

Ensure your diet includes proteins, fats, and carbohydrates in appropriate proportions.

Include a variety of fruits and vegetables to meet vitamin and mineral needs.

4. Account for dietary restrictions

Adjust your plan to avoid foods that cause adverse reactions.

5. Monitor your progress and adjust

The best way to manage your nutrition strategy for endurance is to keep a food diary to monitor your diet and how your body responds. You can use a mobile app for that.

Adjust your plan as needed based on your progress and changing needs.

How to Avoid Tummy Troubles During Marathon?

We are all different, our diets are different, and out body reacts differently on the same food.

However, many runners are familiar with this unpleasant feeling in the middle of the run when the stomach pain hits, and you start to look for the nearest bathroom.

There are a few main causes of a dodgy stomach when it comes to running.

When you’re running, your body sends most of your blood to your muscles to keep them moving, which leaves less for your stomach.

This slows down digestion and can cause cramps, nausea, or that uneasy feeling in your gut. The harder you push yourself, the more likely this is to happen.

Then, stomach aches may be caused by improper nutrition and poor hydration.

Studies done on Ironman athletes have found that ingestion of fiber, fat, protein, and concentrated carbohydrate solutions all made it more likely for athletes to develop symptoms.

All of these foods delay gastric emptying (stay for longer in the stomach) or cause more fluid to move from the body into the gut, which can lead to nausea and diarrhea.

The problem is that we need carbohydrates during exercise, and high concentrations of carbohydrates have been linked to better performance.

Luckily researchers have found that endurance athletes seem to tolerate concentrated carbohydrates much better if they are made up of different types, such as glucose and fructose, rather than just glucose.

This is because glucose and fructose are absorbed through different pathways and the processes can run in parallel, thus allowing the carbs to be absorbed more quickly.

Dehydration has also been found to contribute to symptoms. The reason for this is most likely because it causes an even bigger decrease in blood flow to the digestive system.

So, how do you eliminate the chances of stomach problems before the race day?

Here are a few tips:

• Focus on timing your food intake to allow for proper digestion before the race starts.
• Avoid eating too much or too little, as this can cause stomach issues during the race.
• Choose foods that are easy to digest, such as simple carbohydrates and lean protein sources.
• Avoid high fiber foods and foods that can cause digestive issues.

Sample Race Day Breakfast Ideas

Here is an example of a pre-race breakfast to keep you fueled and energized:

3–4 Hours Before the Race

• A bowl of oatmeal made with water or milk, topped with a banana, and a drizzle of honey.
• A glass of water or a sports drink to hydrate.

1–2 Hours Before the Race

• A slice of white toast with peanut butter or a plain bagel.
• Sip water to maintain hydration but avoid overdoing it.

30–45 Minutes Before the Race

• An energy gel, a ripe banana, or a handful of pretzels for easy-to-digest carbs.
• A small amount of water or sports drink, just enough to stay comfortable.

Keep it light and stick to familiar foods to avoid surprises during the race.

Looking for meal ideas after the race? Here are post-triathon recovery foods to fuel your body and help it recharge after the long race.

Final Preparations for The Race Day Breakfast

Here are a few final words to remember when building your marathon nutrition plan.

First, you want to make sure you eat the main pre-race meal that includes mostly carbohydrates and moderate protein.

Avoid a big pre-race meal, as it can cause stomach issues during the race.

Then, you can consider a carbohydrate snack, such as a sports drink or energy gel, 30-60 minutes before the race.

And remember to stay hydrated and fueled throughout the race. Consume sports drinks and energy gels every hour during the race to keep yourself fueled.