Determining what to eat the morning of a half marathon or marathon requires some experimentation. Here’s what eight coaches advise.

(Photo by iStock.com/martinrlee)

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Leading up to a race, no matter the distance, you’ll want to think through your pre-race routine. What are you having for dinner the night before, what time are you going to bed, and what time are you waking up? Do you know what you’re wearing, what you need to bring with you, and when to leave the house? What is your pre-race breakfast?

Figuring out what to eat the morning of a race is critical. You don’t want to show up to the race start line already energy-depleted. But you also need to avoid upsetting your stomach with the foods you choose.

What to eat for breakfast before a race doesn’t have an easy answer — the same thing won’t work for all runners. The best thing to eat before a half marathon or marathon is unique to you and takes experimenting before race day to figure out.

Below, eight United Endurance Sports Coaching Academy (UESCA) running coaches share some of their go-to pre-race foods — great ideas to try! — and their advice on finding the race-day breakfast that works for you.

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Your race morning routine starts the evening before.

Your ritual for the morning of the race starts the previous evening. I suggest runners have their last moderate-sized meal 12 hours prior to race start. That helps with bowel movement on race day.

I would not suggest a big breakfast. About 90-120 minutes prior, have a breakfast of your choice with 250 calories, mostly carb-based. Hydrate well with electrolytes. Some options include:

• Peanut butter and jam sandwich
• Peanut butter and banana
• Banana smoothie
• Banana and toast with jam

Anil Rao, UESCA Ultrarunning Coach
1-3 years coaching experience
Coaching for Ultras with Anil Rao
@runrkrao

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Figure out what works best for your stomach.

This is very individual for each person and you need to work out what works best for you! You should focus on high-carb, low-fiber foods, though, as you don’t want a load of fiber bouncing around in your gut. This is the fastest way to GI distress!

Personally, I like two cinnamon bagels with a load of jam or honey, two hours before race start. Then a gel 10 minutes before race start. That’s a solid 100 grams of carbs.

Nick Hancock, UESCA Ultrarunning Coach, UK Athletics Coach
4-6 years coaching experience
Maximum Mileage Coaching
@runwithnick

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Practice your race-day breakfast routine during training.

General tips are helpful, but they might not always be enough. What works for others may not work for you, so it’s crucial to practice your race-day breakfast during training. Avoid experimenting with new foods on race day. The most important nutrient to focus on for your pre-race meal is carbohydrates — make sure your breakfast is packed with them!

Coach Faris, UESCA Running Coach, Ironman U Coach
4-6 years coaching experience
@coach.faris | @fitorizon

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Focus on easy-to-digest carbohydrates.

When fueling for a race, the focus should be on getting the right amount of easy-to-digest carbohydrates based on your body weight and the timing of your meal. Experiment with different meal options in training in case the eating schedule needs to change on race day. Carb-loading should be implemented as well. This pre-race meal should just be the final top-up.

Jeremy Inabnit, UESCA Ultrarunning Coach
1-3 years coaching experience
Run Far – Lift Heavy
@runfar_liftheavy_ | Find Jeremy on Facebook

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Don’t try anything new on race day!

My go-to breakfast for a half marathon or marathon is toast with peanut butter and banana with a Maurten Drink Mix 160. I have experimented over the years to figure out what my body responds to best. We are all different, so the most important thing is to figure out what works for you.

The best advice I can give would be to not try anything new on race day! Eat or drink whatever you ate or drank before your workouts — what you did for your long runs. That’s what you are going to do on race day. Do things that you have already tested and know your body responds well to!

Francisco Pagan, UESCA Running Coach
1-3 years coaching experience
@press_on_running

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Time your meal properly for digestion.

This will vary per runner and the pace they intend to maintain. Runners do have to fuel for optimal performance. I advise simple carbs (an English muffin, for example) but limited fats and oils (skip the extra butter!). Eat at a time when digestion won’t interfere with racing. For some, that could be many hours before.

Gordon Collins, UESCA Ultrarunning Coach, Endurance Sports Nutrition
1-3 years coaching experience
@traillegsruncoaching

Read why it might be time to hire a running coach.

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Consider splitting your meal into two parts.

I enjoy splitting the breakfast into two portions: half to consume at home, the other half to consume near the race start. Consume safe, nonacidic, nondairy foods, and do not eat excessively. I like oatmeal porridge with plant-based milk, or honey with banana.

JH Lua (Coach J.), UESCA Ultrarunning Coach, Athletics CECS Level 1
4-6 years coaching experience
About Coach J.
@unitedwefell | Find Alpine & Asphalt Performance Coaching on Facebook

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Bring a snack to the start line.

[My go-to is] coffee, a plain bagel with butter, peanut butter, and a banana. Easy to find almost anywhere if you’re traveling, simple to prepare, and it fills me up without leaving me feeling too full. It’s boring, but it works.

I find that no matter what I eat race morning, I have trouble getting breakfast down due to the excitement and nerves. Depending on what time your race starts, preparing some top-up snacks high in carbohydrates to munch on between breakfast and the race start could be critical. Taking in a sports drink, some chews, or even one gel shortly before the gun goes off ensures you don’t become depleted before you even cross the start line.

Elizabeth Halleran, UESCA Ultrarunning Coach
1-3 years coaching experience
Coach Halleran
@runningtherockies

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