What To Eat Before A Marathon: A Nutritional Countdown!
Today I'm going to give you a breakdown of what to eat before a marathon! By the end of this article you're going to know how to build the perfect marathon meal plan, from a week before, to 48 hours, to the morning of race day!
It is super important to know what to eat for marathon training, as food has been proven to have an impact on performance.
If you mess up your marathon nutrition you could end up hitting a wall during your race, experiencing unpleasant gastro distress, or at the very least, not performing as well as you could!
As a marathon nutritionist, I've advised numerous athletes on all aspects of marathon nutrition and in this article I'll pass my advice on to you too.
Why is nutrition important before a marathon?
Nutrition is always important - but it only gets more important the more you need your body to do. If you are competing in a long run like a marathon, you need your body to be on top form to get you from the starting line to the finish line in one piece!
When it comes to what to eat for marathon training in general, it is important to eat healthily, with plenty of protein to keep your muscles strong and your energy levels high.
It is also important to try out some of the foods you plan to eat nearer the big race, because you will want to check that you don't experience any digestive issues when you eat them.
As you get closer to the marathon, a lot of normal nutrition rules go out the window. You are putting your body under very specific conditions, therefore it will have very specific needs.
The main thing you are trying to achieve is getting enough fuel to stop you from hitting a wall during the race, while avoiding anything that could cause you digestive distress.
There are three macronutrients: protein, fat and carbohydrates. When it comes to fueling up before a race, carbohydrates are what we care about, because it's carbs that provide the bulk of our energy.
You only have about 90 minutes of hard steady exercise before your carbohydrate stores essentially run out, which is what I mean by 'hitting the wall'.
Therefore, it is super important to think about nutrition before a marathon! Let's have a look at what marathon runners need to take into account in the week leading up to their race.
What to eat the week before a marathon?
A week before your marathon, you should be following your normal schedule and eating your normal healthy diet for training. There is no need to up your carbs at this point, as it is too early to carb load.
There is also no need to lower carbs as the idea that lowering carbs before carb loading is a myth - it has no proven benefits!
All you need during this period is to have enough fuel to train, recover and sleep well. I would recommend a slight calorie surplus to ensure good recovery and around 1.4g-2.0g protein per kilo of bodyweight per day, spread throughout the day.
As you get closer to the marathon, for example, at around 72 hours before the morning of the marathon, you can start gradually transitioning to lower fibre, lower fat, higher carb foods, preparing yourself for your carb loading period.
This means reducing the amount of vegetables and whole grain foods, and introducing more simple carbs.
What to eat 48 hours before a marathon?
This is the time to start properly carb loading. The current evidence suggests that even 24 hours of proper carb loading is probably sufficient to maximise glycogen stores before something like a marathon. A study compared muscle glycogen stores after 24 and 72 hours of carb loading and found no significant difference in the measurements.
In my opinion, it's probably worth starting something like 36-48 hours out, certainly as a minimum of transitioning to lower fibre foods. I feel like you’ve got a little bit of extra leeway there to make sure you are as well topped up as possible.
The recommended amount of carbs to eat for carb loading is 10g per kilogram of bodyweight per day. This actually ends up being quite a lot, so it can be helpful to take in some of those carbs in liquid form, for example in juice or sports drinks. These also go easier on the stomach than endless bowls of pasta and bread!
It is best to eat more in the morning and less in the evening when you are carb loading. Have you ever gone to bed on a full belly of pizza? Not fun!
You also shouldn't be training hard during this period. You need to give your body time to build up its glycogen stores again, in preparation for the race. I know it's hard, but take it easy for a couple of days!
If you want to learn more about carb loading, check out my ultimate guide to carb loading and my carb loading meal plan!
Last but not least: keep hydrated! Carry a water bottle with you everywhere so that you remember to drink!
If you're in a particular hot climate or know you struggle with hydration then consider using sport specific electrolyte tablets to help stay hydrated.
Carb loading food ideas
Potato or sweet potato (skin off is best)
Any rice based dish
Tomato pasta
Fruit juice
Carb-based snack bars
Porridge
Sports drinks
Confectionery (like jelly sweets)
Rice pudding
White bread sandwiches
White bagel with jam or honey
Jam and banana white bagels make a regular appearance during my carb loading days
What to eat the night before a marathon?
At this time you will still be in your carb loading period, so, as before, stick to simple white carbs!
However, once you get to the evening before the marathon, I would recommend reducing the overall amount of food you consume.
Many runners make the mistake of eating a huge bowl of pasta the night before a race and waking up feeling bloated and generally grim.
Pack your carbs in early in the day and just eat something small, like a sandwich, as your last meal the night before.
What to eat the morning of a marathon?
It may come as a surprise to you but breakfast on race day is not a massively important part of marathon nutrition! I'd always suggest it because it is useful, but you will have done themost important fueling in the run up to race day. Breakfast on the day is really just there to give your body a top up of carbs and to generally pep you up.
However, you will want to make sure you are eating the right foods and giving yourself enough time to digest. While a good breakfast won't dramatically improve your performance, a poorly chosen breakfast could have negative impacts in terms of digestive issues!
Contrary to popular belief, bigger is not better when it comes to your pre-race meal. A massive breakfast is just gonna increase the risk of tummy upset but not provide much more benefit than a smaller breakfast.
You want to be consuming carbs without consuming lots of fat and fibre, which are hard to digest and could cause gi distress. Therefore, it's a good idea to stick to white simple carbs like white bread or oats, instead of complex carbs (like any whole grains).
Your stomach absorbs simple carbs quicker than it does complex carbohydrates, so eating these should mean that your body won't still be digesting your breakfast when you start running.
Different foods work for different people, which means that it is always a good idea not to eat any new foods on race day. Stick to foods you know work for you!
Practice your breakfast during marathon training by eating it before long training runs. See what sits well in your stomach and how long before running it is best for you to eat. Some people need 2-3 hours, some only need 45 minutes or so!
Possible marathon breakfasts
Overnight oats with honey (aim for low fibre fruit, if you have it)
Banana bread
Carb based snack bar
White baguette with jam
Liquid based carbohydrate drinks
Rice pudding (not cream-based)
Rice pudding can be an excellent marathon breakfast
How to avoid an upset stomach during a marathon?
There are a few sure fire ways to avoid unpleasant issues with your digestive tract during a marathon. The most important piece of advice you will get from me when it comes to marathon nutrition is PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!
Everyone's bodies react differently to different food, especially when hard exercise is involved. A lot of the recommended foods for marathons are carbs that contain gluten, something which causes problems for a lot of people.
You have a long period of marathon training during which you can try a variety of breakfasts, at a variety of times and see what works for you. Only eat familiar foods on race morning!
Like I said above, my other tip is to stick to simple carbohydrates and avoid any high-fiber foods or high-fat foods. These do not do much for short term energy boosts and are hard to digest.
For many people, it's a good idea to eat a few hours before the marathon so your body has time to digest. Of course, this may not be the case for you, but if you are uncertain, it's better to be safe than sorry.
Eat at least 2-3 hours before your race, and I'd you've practiced it then you could top up with energy gels just before you start the race.
A gel 15 minutes before the start is usually well tolerated, containing between 25-50g of carbs.
What are easy to digest carbohydrates?
Any simple carbohydrates are easy to digest. This includes white rice, white pasta, white bread, potatoes, oats, lots of energy bars, energy drinks and fruit juice.
For a normal healthy diet, it is recommended to stick to whole grain, high fibre, complex carbohydrates, because they provide more nutrition and slow release energy (because they are hard to digest).
However, when you're running a marathon you want short release energy and lots of glycogen from simple carbs. You certainly don't want heavy whole grain carbs hanging around in your system while you're running!
Again, find what works for you: for some people, gluten is a no go, so sticking to rice and potatoes will be better. For others, oats are too fibrous, so toast and honey, or a bowl of pasta are the best foods for the job!
Bonus section: eating during and after a marathon!
I’ve covered the run up to the marathon, but what about during and after? Follow these top tips to have all bases covered come race day!
What to eat during a marathon?
You will have done the majority of your fueling during the carb loading period before your race, but it is still important to fuel well during the race too.
Depending on what strategy you prefer, you could either carry your own nutrition products or use the on-course nutrition.
My usual recommendation is to consume around 50 grams of carbs per hour. However, make sure you try this in training first!
If you want to take your own water, hydration or carb mix with you during your marathon then you could go for this running belt with water bottle - it should fit your needs!
What to eat after a marathon?
Immediately after you run, your body will be in a perfect state to absorb muscle-repairing protein and hydrating electrolytes.
Your stomach might be a bit sensitive after all that exercise so try drinking a big milkshake (using semi-skimmed milk) or smoothie and, of course, lots of water! Then start eating cereal bars and other carb-based snacks.
My personal favourite is a smoothie mix of a protein shake, blended oats, honey and a banana.
In the 24 hours after your marathon, keep your body supplied with a steady stream of carbohydrates to help it restore glycogen levels. This will help you recover faster!
And again, most importantly, always keep hydrated! I normally suggest a ballpark figure of 500ml of fluid per hour for at least 2 hours hours after finishing your marathon, but you may need to keep it up for longer than that.
If you're a heavy sweater or ran your marathon in hot conditions then you can use sport specific electrolyte tablets to help replenish the sodium that you will have lost during the race.
What to eat before a marathon: FAQs
Let's sum up what I've explained in this article in some quick fire FAQs on what to eat before a marathon!
What should I eat to prepare for a marathon?
What you should eat in preparation for a marathon changes the closer you get to race day. In the weeks running up to the event, you need to follow normal training nutrition guidelines ie. a balanced diet with plenty of protein.
However as you approach race day, you will want to focus on how many grams of carbohydrates you are consuming, as carbohydrate intake provides your main energy source in the form of glycogen.
In the 72 hours before the race, you should cut out high fat, high fiber foods and eat mostly simple carbs, with a bit of protein. This will make sure you have enough energy to make it through the race.
How should I eat the night before a marathon?
The night before a marathon you should eat a small, carb based meal. Don't go for a huge bowl of pasta or anything too heavy. If you do that you are likely to wake up feeling bloated and groggy! Why not try a sandwich on white bread?
What should I do 48 hours before a marathon?
You should start carbohydrate loading 48 hours before a marathon! This means cutting out high fiber, high fat foods and focussing on eating 10g grams of carbs per kilogram of body weight per day. These should all be simple or 'white' carbs, because they are quicker and easier for your body to digest.
Can you drink 2 days before a marathon?
It's probably best to avoid alcohol 2 days before a marathon, if you want to perform the best you can. 2 days before the race is when you should start carb loading and preparing your digestive system and energy supplies for the hard work that is a marathon.
Alcohol has lots of negatives effects and will likely contribute to a worsened performance!
How many days rest before a marathon?
This is an individual thing, but generally your training plan should wind down in the 2-3 weeks preceding the marathon. This drops even further in the week before your big race, where the focus should be lighter load and short activation work
And there you have it! My complete guide to what to eat before a marathon! I hope it was helpful, let me know if you have any more questions/comments!
