Sports
Pre-Race Nutrition: Carb Loading and Hydration Guide
Nutritionist Thelma D’Amelio explains how to calculate pre-race carbs and avoid stomach issues on race day.
Dialing in your nutrition in the days leading up to an endurance event is crucial for peak performance. Learn how to carb load properly, what foods to cut the night before, and how to stay hydrated.
The final stretch of preparation for an endurance race demands extra attention to details outside of training. In a conversation on Stemma Performance with Bruna Mahn, sports nutritionist and coach Thelma D’Amelio emphasized that eating right in the days leading up to race day is not about trying new things, but about topping off energy stores and protecting the gastrointestinal tract.
The first warning for traveling competitors is to watch out for food poisoning. The best rule of thumb is to avoid eating out whenever possible in the final days before the event. Even seemingly harmless choices, such as chicken with tapioca at an unfamiliar restaurant, carry a risk of contamination. The more homemade and controlled your food is, the lower the chance of unexpected stomach trouble.
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Modern Carb Loading: Skip the Needless Bingeing
The outdated protocol of spending an entire week eating endless carbohydrates is a thing of the past. Thanks to tapering—the reduction in training volume during race week—the body naturally stores more glycogen. According to Thelma, a two-day window before the race is plenty of time to fully top off energy reserves.
The target intake is 8 to 10 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight per day during these final two days. For a 60 kg (132 lb) athlete, for instance, daily consumption comes out to roughly 500 to 600 grams. The secret is to spread this amount across all meals. Trying to cram your carb loading into four plates of pasta the night before is a surefire recipe for GI distress and stomach cramps mid-race.
What to Avoid on the Eve of the Race
To promote smooth gastric emptying, the day before race day calls for fast-digesting carbohydrates and wholesome foods like fruits and juices (such as 100% grape juice), while skipping empty calories like cookies and potato chips. Protein should be consumed in moderate portions simply to provide satiety.
On the flip side, fats, rich desserts, and highly fermentable foods should stay off your plate. Ingredients like beans, chickpeas, and broccoli increase gas production. The same applies to excess fiber the day before: raw salads, leafy greens in large quantities, and oats should be reduced or avoided to spare your gut on race morning.
Electrolyte Hydration and Monitoring Urine Color
In humid or coastal climates, pre-race hydration requires a thoughtful strategy. Drinking massive volumes of plain water alone can dilute your body's electrolytes. The best approach is to mix water intake with coconut water and isotonic sports drinks throughout the two days before the event.
A practical way to check if your fluid intake is on track is to monitor urine color. The goal is to keep it a pale yellow—neither too dark (a sign of dehydration) nor completely clear (a sign of overhydration and potential mineral dilution).
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