Race Nutrition Plan for Endurance Events (3 hours or less)

This article shows you how to get your race-day nutrition right and increase your chances of having a good race. 

Nutrition for Shorter Endurance Events

During Olympic and Sprint Triathlon races and other endurance events such as Half Marathon running, you’ll burn four times more calories per hour than usual. This is why you need to plan your nutrition carefully.

You need energy from a 65% carbohydrate and 35% fat ratio. Thankfully, we all have enough fat in our bodies, so we don’t need to consume any more during the race. However, our carbohydrate stores will start to deplete at about 50-70 minutes and run out after around 90-120 minutes. 

To keep yourself energised and healthy, you need to consume carbohydrates, water and salt (arguably). The more palatable your nutrition choices, the more you’ll be able to consume.

Consider a new type of carbohydrate product from the Swedish company Maurten (we have no ties to them). The world’s top marathon runners use Maurten products, often without sponsorship.

After working with over 40,000 athletes, here’s how we recommend you prepare for your event.

You’ll need to study the nutritional information on packets and stick with mostly carbohydrate products. 

Use the Race Day Breakfast Guide before the race and then use the following guidelines during the race:

Less than 60 min Event

• You will have enough energy to fuel your race. If desired, a gel before the event.

60 - 90 min Event

• Carbohydrate: 20-30 grams of carbohydrate in the form of a gel or sports drink at 60 minutes can give you a boost for the finish.
• Fluid: Drink to thirst or dehydration level; sip little and often.
• Sodium: 500-700 mg per litre of fluid (32 fl. oz.). Salty Sweaters: up to 1,000 mg/Litre (32 fl. oz.).

90 min - 3hrs Event

• Carbohydrates: 50-70 grams of carbohydrate per hour. Little and often. For example, from Clif Shot Blocks, gels or sports drinks.
• Fluid: Drink to thirst or dehydration level; sip little and often.
• Sodium: 500-700 mg per litre of fluid (32 fl. oz.). Salty Sweaters: up to 1,000 mg/Litre (32 fl. oz.).

(For US conversion, use these calculators: grams to US ounces OR kilograms to pounds).

Examples

Sprint triathlon (circa 90 minutes)

• Have a gel (usually 20g carbs) before the swim and another one towards the end of the bike (or in transition).
• Water/Electrolytes bottle on the bike and from the run aid stations as needed

Half marathon (circa 2 hrs)

• Sip a small Maurten 320 Drink Mix bottle containing 80 grams of carbohydrate (equivalent to four energy gels).
• Or have 3 to 4 gels, each containing 20g of carbohydrate every 20 minutes after the first 50 to 70 minutes.
• Water/electrolytes from the aid stations or your own hydration pack.

Olympic triathlon (circa 2 hours 45 min)

• One gel (usually 20g carbs) before the swim start
• 9 Clif Blok chews on the bike (8g each x 9 = 72g carbs), spaced throughout the ride OR one Maurten 320 drink (80g) evenly sipped throughout the ride
• One gel in T2
• A gel every 20 minutes (or Coca-Cola, etc., from the aid stations) as needed

These are only intended as rough guides; you will need to research, experiment and practice to find what works for you.

Key Considerations

• If you have pre-existing health factors and/or dietary restrictions, you may need to consult a doctor and/or make adjustments to your nutrition plan.
• Obtain the many essential vitamins and minerals from a varied and balanced diet.
• Your resting metabolic rate and daily activity level determine your energy needs.
• Your hydration plan should take into consideration your sweat rate and climate.
• Replenishing fluids and electrolytes can prevent dehydration and hyponatremia (when the blood sodium level is below normal).
• Post-race nutrition helps replenish the body, restore muscle, replace fluids and sodium lost to sweat and respiration and provides the nutrients needed for muscle repair.

Check the articles below for more about your nutrition and hydration needs during your event.

Race Day Breakfast

Essential Hydration Hacks for Race Day and Beyond (video)

Fuelling Options

Nutrition and Hydration Logistics

Looking for a more personalised approach?

You can benefit from expert nutritional guidance tailored to your training plan and specific needs, with Fuelin - the nutrition app for people who do endurance sports.

Fuelin syncs with TrainingPeaks and is programmed to recognize MyProCoach workouts. So that you can have a nutrition plan that's matched to your MyProCoach training plan , enabling you to consume the right foods and drinks at the right times.

Get 20% off with the discount code "MYPROCOACH20". Please note this is a one-time use code available for monthly, quarterly or annual subscriptions). 

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