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Your Guide to Carb Loading Before a Race

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Infographic: Your Guide to Carb Loading Before a Race

Carb loading is a practice used by distance runners before a race.

By eating more carbohydrates, the body has more energy to make it through longer endurance events (90 min+).

Carb Loading Benefits

  • Allows you to run faster, stronger
  • Prevents you from “hitting the wall”
  • Increases running distance at a steady pace by up to 20%

Marathon runners should start carb loading 3 days before race day – 2 days for half-marathoners.

To calculate how many carbs you should eat in the days before a race, multiply:
Body Weight x 5 = total carbs in grams

Find your carb count

Eat your carbs evenly with meals and snacks throughout the day.

  • Breakfast – 20%
  • Morning Snack – 15%
  • Lunch – 20%
  • After Dinner Snack – 10%
  • Dinner – 20%
  • Afternoon Snack – 15%

Meal Ideas

  • Potato: 26g
  • Bagels: 55g
  • Muffins: 26g

Other ideas: Low-fat granola, white pasta or rice, ramen

Snack Ideas

  • Soft Pretzel: 90g
  • Sports Drink: 36g
  • Graham Cracker: 11g

Other ideas: Dried fruit, juice, gummy candy, tortilla chips

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