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With the Sydney Marathon just behind us, we have a steady drip of major marathons to go to finish off the 2026 year and hundreds of thousands of runners ready to line the start of these incredible races.
As we think about diving into the Fall racing season, nutrition is something all of us athletes must keep top of mind. It can make your entire race experience, or break it.
Here are some top tips to remember as you gear up for whatever it is you're chasing to ensure you have the best experience on race day, ultimately increasing your chances of feeling your absolute best out there.
#1 Test Out Your Full Strategy Ahead of Race Day
It's more common than you might think to see endurance athletes testing out their full race strategy for the first time on race week. If this is you, don't worry, and we're glad you're here.
That said, we now want to get to work so you get to race day not only knowing what to expect nutrition wise, but also reduce your risk of things going sideways because your GI isn't ready for the nutrition you're going to give it. Whatever strategy you're looking to deploy on the big day, let's focus on testing it on two key runs during the week to start. First, your long easy run, and second, one higher intensity effort. If your body responds well to your nutrition in both scenarios, this is a good sign! The goal is to arrive on the start line with as few unknowns as possible.
#2 Always Take an Extra Gel with You
Whether you've run a marathon before or not, the most important thing to know is that we always plan for things to go wrong, knowing that you have seen it before and can handle whatever it is that comes your way.
One of the most important race day saves is to always bring an extra gel with you beyond what your strategy calls for. You may very well not need it at all, but in the event you drop a gel with or without realizing it, or you feel you need a little extra boost during the race and are running through the fuel you take in faster than ever before, you'll be very glad you have that extra gel on you.
#3 Find a Gel with Electrolytes to Simplify Race Day Nutrition
Over the last few years, race day strategy has become increasingly more complicated. As endurance athletes, nutrition-wise we're constantly having to think about fuel, fluids, electrolytes, timing, and body signals, all just to ensure we're staying in check. Pair that with everything else we have to juggle to keep the body firing during the race including, but not limited to, how our clothes are feeling, if there's any chafing, if our bib is on right, if our shoes are tied too loose or tight, and if our hair is staying put, there's a lot going on in the mind. We want to make your race day easier, not more complicated.
This is where gels with electrolytes can come into the mix because they contain all of the sodium you'll need to remain in the driver's seat of your nutrition strategy on race day, and just have to worry about water from there. Simply take your gels with electrolytes to your needs, whether that's every 20, 30, or 45 minutes, alongside water every 10 minutes or so, which is usually how fluids show up on course, and you'll be in a great spot.
#4 Practice Carb Loading Before Race Week
Carbohydrate loading is not something you want to practice for the first time on race week. Ideally, you want to test out your carbohydrate loading strategy at least twice before race day, ideally within the month or so prior so you remember what it feels like.
A good rule of thumb is to aim for 1.5 times your usual intake of easy to digest carbohydrates 1 day prior to a long run about a month out from the race. If that feels good, take a 2 day carb load for a spin before a second long run roughly 2-3 weeks out from the race. If all goes well, you're ready to take your strategy for a full 3 days prior to the race itself. Keep the foods you eat familiar, nothing new here.
Carb loading can cause you to feel a bit puffy and/or bloated. Know this is normal and to be expected as carbohydrates are stored with water. When you carb load, the goal is to reduce fat intake slightly (aim for ~25% reduction), reduce fiber and higher roughage foods (eg. salads which are high roughage vs. a smoothie which is lower roughage), and maintain protein. This will not only make it easier on the GI to digest, but also support you in getting in a bit more carbs without feeling overly full. Experiment with different types of carbohydrates, too. From the traditional bagels, rice, and pasta to juices, soda, drink mixes like UCAN's energy powder, and candy, as well as everything in between, there are a ton of options for easy to digest ways to meet your needs.
If you find that increasing your meal size feels a bit challenging, aim to get in an extra carbohydrate source in between meals while slightly increasing your carbs in your meals. Then, proceed from there with trying to reach toward 1.5 time your potion of carbs in your meals. Try out different types and see what sits best.
Ultimately, you don't want to be caught off guard with how it feels to carb load. This should feel familiar, and the body should be consistently reminded that this will ultimately support performance so you have more carbs (fuel) to pull from during the race itself.
#5 Ensure You Get Good Sleep and Prioritize Recovery Nutrition
Sleep is vital when we think about your nutrition strategy. The goal the week before race day is to try and ensure you are also supporting sleep hygiene to get you to the start feeling good and keep your hunger/fullness signals firing the way they need to be to support adequate recovery along your entire training cycle. That said, it's completely normal and to be expected that the night before the race you might not sleep super well due to race day nerves. If we can capitalize on the days (and weeks!) before that, and give the body a little extra support in this regard, it will thank us.
In addition, between all of the hard training sessions, nutrition continues to remain a top priority to ensure you recover well and can support all of the volume you are doing. It's not just about what you take in immediately before and during, it's also about after and the rest of the day, too. A few key areas to prioritize include:
- Eating consistently every 3 hours during marathon training, focusing on carbohydrate rich meals and snacks to replenish the tank alongside protein, fats, and produce
- Aiming for 20 grams of protein alongside 20 grams of carbohydrate within the hour after every workout to jumpstart recovery. A protein + carbohydrate powder, like UCAN's Energy + Protein, is an easy and convenient way to do this.
- Taking in adequate fluids and electrolytes to support your specific body's needs so it can continue to put out the hard work while feeling good at the metabolic level. While this exact amount will look different for everyone, hydration is paramount!
Summary
Whatever it is you're chasing this Fall Marathon season, don't wait until race day to practice your strategy. Make your race nutrition familiar so your body and mind can be at ease during race week and race day, giving them one less thing to worry about.
