Carb loading
How much carbohydrate to eat in the days before your race and on race morning, from your body weight.
You and your race
Your carbohydrate
ResearchCarb loading
Your race is over 90 minutes, so carb loading helps: 10–12 g per kg of body weight a day for the 36–48 hours before the start. That's 720–860 g a day, or about 140–170 g at each of five meals and snacks. Build your day below.
ResearchRace morning
Have about 215 g of carbohydrate around 04:00 (3 h before the start). The guidance is 1–4 g per kg, 1–4 hours before.
Coaching tipAbout 1 g per kg for each hour before the start is a simple way to pick a point in that range: the earlier you eat, the more you can digest.
Coaching tipLower-fibre choices (white rice, pasta, bread) are easier on the gut, and it's normal to weigh a little more after loading: carbohydrate is stored with water. Try your loading in training before a key race.
Based on Thomas et al. 2016. General guidance for healthy adults, not medical advice. With diabetes or another medical condition, talk to a doctor or sports dietitian.
Build your day
Pick what you'd actually eat in a day. Aim for 720–860 g on each of the two days.
Add foods below, or start from a sample day.
- White rice, cooked 28 g carbs per 100 g–
- Pasta, cooked 31 g carbs per 100 g–
- Potatoes, boiled 20 g carbs per 100 g–
- White bread 14 g carbs per slice–
- Bagel, plain 50 g carbs per bagel–
- Flour tortilla wrap 25 g carbs per wrap–
- Oats, dry 66 g carbs per 100 g–
- Cornflakes 84 g carbs per 100 g–
- Rice cake 7 g carbs per cake–
- Banana, medium 27 g carbs per banana–
- Dates, dried 18 g carbs per date–
- Raisins 79 g carbs per 100 g–
- Honey 17 g carbs per tbsp–
- Jam 13 g carbs per tbsp–
- Pretzels 80 g carbs per 100 g–
- Jelly sweets 77 g carbs per 100 g–
- Orange juice 10 g carbs per 100 ml–
- Sports drink (6%) 6 g carbs per 100 ml–
- Energy gel 25 g carbs per gel–
Carbohydrate values are rounded, typical values from USDA FoodData Central; brands differ, so check the labels of what you buy. Your choices are saved in this browser only.
When to carb load
For races over about 90 minutes, eating 10–12 g of carbohydrate per kg of body weight a day for 36–48 hours fills your muscle glycogen stores. For shorter races, 7–12 g/kg in the day before is enough (Thomas et al. 2016).
Race breakfast
1–4 g/kg of carbohydrate, eaten 1–4 hours before the start, tops up your liver glycogen after the night (Thomas et al. 2016). Stick to food you've tried before training sessions.
During the race
Carb loading doesn't replace fuelling on the course. The sweat rate & fuelling calculator and the race-day planner work out your grams per hour. More in the methodology.