What to eat before a race?

Eating before a race isn't about filling up. It's about preparing: stable energy, calm digestion, a body ready to go the distance. Many runners eat too much, too late or too sweet, and pay for it in the first few kilometres: heavy legs, unsettled stomach, energy crash.

The problem rarely comes from the food. It comes from the timing and the quantity.

This guide gives you benchmarks for the night before, race morning and the last hour before the start, whether you're running a 10K, a half marathon, a marathon or a trail race.

The night before: a normal meal, not a feast

The meal the night before won't win you the race, but it can lose it. The goal is to reach the start line with full reserves and a calm gut.

• Well-cooked starches: rice, pasta, potatoes, sweet potato. A little more than usual for a marathon or a long trail race, unnecessary for a 10K.
• A simple protein: eggs, fish, poultry.
• Little fibre and cooked fat: avoid large amounts of raw vegetables, legumes, fried food and dishes in sauce.
• No alcohol, and no food you've never tested.

No need to stuff yourself with pasta. Carb loading over several days only makes sense for long, intense efforts, and it's tested in training, never for the first time before a race.

Race morning: eat 2 to 3 hours before the start

Your last proper meal should be 2 to 3 hours before the start. That's how long it takes to digest so you're not running on a full stomach.

• An easy-to-digest base: white bread or well-cooked oats, rice, banana.
• A little fat and protein: nut butter, egg, yoghurt if you tolerate it. They slow down carb digestion and prevent the energy crash an hour later.
• A moderate portion: you should feel satisfied, not heavy.
• Nothing new: on race day, only eat what you've already tested in training.

What to avoid in the morning: large amounts of fast sugar (juice, pastries, unlimited jam), too much fibre and cooked fatty foods. Sugar on its own makes blood sugar spike then crash, often right at the start.

The last hour: drink, no more heavy food

In the hour before the start, your stomach should already be emptying. No more meals, just hydration.

• Drink in small sips, without forcing down a litre of water in one go.
• Add sodium, especially if it's hot or you sweat a lot.
• 30 minutes before the start: 1 pouch of BSE Zone 2. Fat-based energy with no sugar spike, so you start stable rather than on a blood sugar high.

The role of sodium before exercise

Sodium helps the body retain the water you drink and supports proper muscle and nerve function. Before a race, especially in the morning or in hot weather, it reduces the risk of starting already in deficit.

Before the start, drink in small sips. During the race, BSE Tempo takes over: one serving provides 600 mg of sodium and a moderate amount of carbs, to mix in 500 ml of water and drink in small sips throughout the effort.

Should you run fasted?

For a short, easy training run, in a healthy person, running fasted is possible. On race day, it's different: the intensity is higher and so are the stakes.

Our advice: don't race fasted if you've never done it in training, at the same intensity and over the same duration. When in doubt, eat. A light, tested breakfast beats improvisation.

Races over 2 hours: 20 to 45 g of carbs per hour

Beyond 2 hours, in a marathon or a trail race, the intensity and duration demand more fast energy. Our benchmark: start taking in 20 to 45 g of carbs per hour, in small, regular amounts rather than big doses.

• BSE Tempo: 15 g of carbs and 600 mg of sodium per serving, in 500 ml of water, to drink in small sips over the hour.
• Real food to top up: a banana provides around 25 g of carbs. One serving of Tempo and one banana per hour, and you're at around 40 g.
• Test everything in training, on your long runs at race pace, never for the first time on race day.

We're developing new products for these longer, more intense efforts. In the meantime, real food does the job very well.

BSE benchmarks by distance

Classic mistakes before a race

• Eating too late: a full meal less than 2 hours before the start.
• Eating too much: the fear of running out leads to overloading the stomach.
• Relying entirely on sugar: juice, gels and sugary bars when you wake up, then the crash at the start.
• Trying something new: a food, gel or drink you've never tried in training.
• Forgetting salt: drinking lots of plain water with no sodium, especially in hot weather.

Conclusion: eat what's useful, not what reassures you

Before a race, the body doesn't need variety. It needs clarity: a simple meal the night before, a tested breakfast 2 to 3 hours before, a BSE Zone 2 pouch 30 minutes before the start, then Tempo in small sips during the race, topped up with real food beyond 2 hours. Better to start light and prepared than heavy and reassured.

To go further: what to eat during exercise, sports recovery: what to eat after exercise, energy gels: should you take them?, aerobic base training explained and the long Zone 2 run.