With the Boston Marathon just days away — and spring racing season in full swing — there’s no better time to dial in your pre-race nutrition. What you eat in the seven days leading up to a marathon can mean the difference between crossing the finish line strong and hitting the dreaded wall at mile 18. This guide breaks down exactly how to fuel in the week before race day.

Why Pre-Race Nutrition Matters

Your muscles store energy as glycogen, and a full glycogen tank is your most powerful weapon on race day. Studies show that proper carbohydrate loading in the days before a marathon can increase muscle glycogen stores by 20–40%, giving you a significant performance edge over the full 26.2 miles.

The goal of the pre-race week isn’t to make dramatic changes — it’s to arrive at the start line with maximum energy stores, a healthy gut, and a well-hydrated body.

Days 7–4: Maintain Your Normal Diet

In the early part of race week, your training is tapering and so should any dietary intensity. You don’t need to make dramatic shifts yet. Focus on eating balanced meals with carbohydrates (rice, pasta, bread, oats), lean proteins, and plenty of vegetables. Keep fiber moderate — this isn’t the time to add new high-fiber foods that might irritate your gut. Aim for pale yellow urine as your daily hydration guide, and limit alcohol, which disrupts sleep and increases inflammation even in small amounts.

Don’t make the mistake of dramatically increasing your calories during this period. Your training volume is dropping, so you want to maintain (not dramatically inflate) your intake.

Days 3–2: Begin Carb-Loading in Earnest

This is when strategic carbohydrate loading begins. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends consuming 10–12 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight over the 36–48 hours before race day. For a 150-pound (68 kg) runner, that’s roughly 680–816 grams of carbohydrates spread across two days — about double a typical training day’s intake.

Good carb-loading foods include plain pasta or rice (with marinara, not heavy cream sauces), bread and bagels, oatmeal, bananas and other easily digestible fruits, and simple pancakes or waffles. What you should reduce: fat-heavy foods (they slow gastric emptying), high-fiber vegetables like broccoli and beans, spicy or unfamiliar dishes, and dairy if you have any lactose sensitivity.

Keep protein in your meals, but make carbs the star. Think: a large bowl of pasta with marinara and a small chicken breast, not a massive steak with a side of pasta.

The Night Before: Keep It Classic

The night-before pasta dinner is a marathon tradition for good reason. A carbohydrate-rich, low-fat, low-fiber meal eaten around 6–7 PM gives your body time to digest before an early race start. An ideal dinner includes a large serving of pasta or rice (2–3 cups cooked), a simple tomato-based sauce, a small portion of lean protein like chicken breast or tofu, white bread or rolls, and water or an electrolyte drink.

Resist the temptation to try a new restaurant. Eat food you know, cooked simply, in a familiar setting. And don’t go to bed stuffed — eat until comfortably satisfied, not overfull. A distended stomach overnight will not serve you come race morning.

Race Morning: The Pre-Race Breakfast

Wake up 2–3 hours before your race start and eat a carbohydrate-rich, low-fat, low-fiber breakfast. Research consistently shows that athletes who eat before long events perform better than those who race fasted. Good options include a bagel with peanut butter and a banana, oatmeal with berries and honey, white toast with jam alongside a cup of coffee, or a sports drink paired with a couple of energy bars if you have a more sensitive stomach.

Coffee is fine — and actually ergogenic (performance-enhancing) — for most runners. But only drink it if you’re used to it on training runs. Race morning is definitively not the time to experiment.

Hydration: The Overlooked Edge

Hydration is just as critical as solid food in race week. You can’t “tank up” on water the morning of the race — proper hydration is a multi-day process. Drink 8–10 cups of water daily throughout the week, include electrolytes (especially sodium and potassium) to help your body actually retain that fluid, and reduce caffeine from non-coffee sources to minimize its diuretic effect.

For electrolyte support during training and on race day, many endurance runners reach for Fast Pickle — a pickle brine shot packed with sodium and electrolytes that helps prevent cramping and supports rapid rehydration. It’s become a popular choice in the endurance community for its natural ingredients and quick-acting absorption. A shot before bed the night before and one in the morning can help you arrive at the start line in a solid electrolyte state.

What to Absolutely Avoid the Week Before

Just as important as what you eat is what you skip. Never try new foods in race week — including new gels, bars, or supplements you haven’t tested in training. Alcohol disrupts sleep, causes inflammation, and increases dehydration. Fatty, greasy meals sit heavy and can cause GI distress on race day. Excessive fiber from whole beans, raw cruciferous vegetables, or fiber supplements can cause unwanted bathroom urgency. And don’t skip meals in an effort to stay light — arriving underfueled to race day will tank your performance no matter how strong your training was.

The Bottom Line

Pre-race nutrition doesn’t have to be complicated. Eat familiar carbohydrate-rich foods, stay hydrated with electrolytes, protect your sleep, and trust your training. The work is done — your job in race week is simply to arrive at the start line fueled, rested, and ready to run your best.

Whether you’re toeing the line in Boston next Monday or chasing a spring half-marathon PR, these principles will give your body the best possible chance to perform. Good luck out there — and eat your pasta.