Aspire guide
Race Day Nutrition
Race Day Nutrition manual
Carbohydrate Loading: The Race-Week Basics
Evidence-based carbohydrate-loading guidance for endurance events: how to emphasize carb-rich, familiar foods in the days before a long race, and what actually matters for race week.
Why this matters
By Luke Rodriguez, MS, RDN
Read time
5 min
Audience
Athlete + Coach
Use it for
Race Day Nutrition
Start here
One meal does not carb load.
Coach prompt
Before championship week, decide which carb-rich foods each athlete will repeat for the full 72-hour window, and make sure snacks are planned…
Print & share
Printable handout preview
One-page sheet
Carbohydrate Loading: The Race-Week Basics
Read time
5 min
Audience
Athlete + Coach
Start with the printable
One meal does not carb load.
Best next move
Use it this week
Before championship week, decide which carb-rich foods each athlete will repeat for the full 72-hour window, and make sure snacks are planned…
Quick reference map
Use the guide like a structured handout
In the library
Format
Read the full ebook here, then jump to the one-page handout when you need the shareable version.
Best use
Open the sections you need, print the handout, then send both to coaches, parents, or athletes.
Quick start
Start here
Evidence-based carbohydrate-loading guidance for endurance events: how to emphasize carb-rich, familiar foods in the days before a long race, and what…
When it matters
Load for long events
- Use carb loading for races that last about 90 minutes or longer.
- Marathon, half marathon, and long XC are the high-return use cases.
Modern protocol
Three days is enough
- Push carbohydrates up during the final 2-3 days before the race.
- Reduce training volume so the extra carbs have somewhere to go.
Event targets
Match the load to the race
- 5K and 10K: normal pre-race fueling matters more than formal carb loading.
- 90+ minute events: make carb-rich foods the base of every meal and snack during the final 2-3 days.
Common mistakes
Not eating enough. A real carb load is a genuinely large amount of food — carbs at every meal and…
Too much fiber. The week before a marathon is not the week to eat a big kale salad at every meal.…
Too much fat. Fat is calorie-dense and filling, which means it competes with carbs for stomach…
Starting too late. One big dinner the night before doesn't cut it. You want two to three days of…
Trying something new. Loading days and race morning are exactly the wrong time to experiment. Use…
Best carb sources
White rice
Pasta
Bagels
White bread
Potatoes (peeled)
Unlock the rest of the manual
Full access opens every section, the ebook PDF, and the printable handout companion.
What to do next
Use it this week
Before championship week, decide which carb-rich foods each athlete will repeat for the full 72-hour window, and make sure snacks are planned…
Source topics
Bussau VA, Fairchild TJ, Rao A, Steele P, Fournier PA. Carbohydrate loading in human muscle. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2002;87(3):290-295.