White carbs, Haribo and practice: how to carb-load for your key races 

Packing your working cells with carbohydrates in the build-up to your big race is a proven strategy to race stronger and faster.

Whichever distance triathlon you’re racing, the intensity and duration of your activity will see your body tap into its stores of carbohydrates (in the form of glycogen) to power your effort. 

While it’s possible to top up your tank on the go, it’s better to start your event with your stores full to the brim.

Energise your race 

Enter the carb-load. 

Two words that can cause an endurance athlete to salivate or break into a sweat, the nutritional technique is intended to send you to the start line with the maximum amount of energy your body can store.

“If you don’t carb-load, you risk running out of energy much sooner and bonking,” says Level 4 nutrition coach Jo Wright.

 “Also, it means there’s less margin for error in terms of your race-day nutrition. 

“If you end up being a little bit down on your race nutrition but you’ve carb-loaded well, you’re going to be in a much stronger position than someone who’s failed to carb-load. 

“They’re going to run out of energy much sooner if they’re not ingesting a lot of carbohydrate during the event.”

Wright warns it’s not just an excuse to pile up the pasta pre-event, though. 

“If you go the other way and have too much, you risk your stomach being unhappy and feeling bloated, full, heavy and potentially quite sick.”

Unsure how to pack in the optimum amount of carbohydrates? Wright reveals her top 10 tips… 

Nutritionist Jo is also a qualified physio, and she combines her two areas of expertise working for the military, helping service persons recover from injuries. She’s a top Ironman age-grouper, too, and has raced the 2022 and 2023 Ironman Worlds in Kona. 

10 experts tips on how to carb-load 

01 The magic number

A general rule of thumb is that your body can store 2,000 calories of glycogen, while guidelines suggest consuming 8g to 12g of carbohydrates per kg of bodyweight during a carb load. 

You won’t enjoy any additional benefit from having more than that. 

The most recent research suggests starting to load 48hrs before the event and, like before, there’s no additional benefit from starting further in advance than that.

02 Little and often

Rather than using it as an excuse to have a pasta party at every meal, the key is little and often. Don’t have huge meals; instead, look to consume reasonable portions and snacks in between. 

If you want to load right up to the last minute, a light carb snack just before bed is fine.

And when it comes to the staple carbohydrates of rice, pasta and bread, refined white versions are better than a ‘healthier’ wholemeal alternative. 

Brown rice, for example, is going to fill you up a lot more than white rice but doesn’t have any  more carbohydrates.

03 Reach for the rice

While this can come down to personal preference, when you look at what a lot of the top triathletes are doing, rice is generally the preferred option.

It’s a more concentrated carbohydrate and there isn’t much protein, fibre or fat in it.

 It’s also easy for the body to digest, whereas the gluten in pasta and bread is harder on the stomach than rice.

04 Stock up on sweet stuff

When it comes to snacks it’s okay to snaffle the sweets for the duration of the carb-load. 

People get a bit obsessed with whether it’s starchy or sugary. But some of the sugary forms of carbohydrates, which you might traditionally think are less good for you, are better because you’re less full and there’s more carbohydrate per gramme. 

It’s best to avoid chocolate, though, because of its fat content. 

They’re calories that you’re not going to use as effectively compared to if you’re just having Haribo. 

05 Manage the other macronutrients

When ramping up the carbohydrates, it’s important to modify your fat, fibre and protein intake. 

Foods that are high in fat are much harder for your body to digest, so your body has to use more energy to break it down. 

It’s the same with fibre, which can also sit in your gut. 

If you’re prone to any sort of stomach problems, then that can be a factor. Protein intake should be a bit lower, but not cut entirely. 

Choose lean sources like chicken, eggs and salmon, and avoid any fatty meats because they can be much harder to digest.

06 The longer the race, the more important the carb-load

For a longer event, carb-loading becomes more important because you’re going to be getting through all of that store of carbohydrate during the event.

If it’s a sprint triathlon, the science says it’s beneficial. But as long as you’ve had some carbohydrate in the 24hrs before, you’re not going to be fully depleting your glycogen stores.

07 Hydration stations

A load isn’t limited to solid foods. Sipping carb-packed drinks through the day is a great way to hit the recommended amounts without straining your stomach. 

While fizzy drinks like Coke are an easy source (53g per 500ml bottle), if you have an aversion to sugary sodas, I’d recommend sports drinks like Maurten (80g per 500ml serving) or Lucozade Sport (78.5 per 500ml bottle). 

08 Time to perfection

Quality sleep is crucial to getting your race day off to a winning start, so I would suggest having your evening meal at least two, if not three, hours before you go to sleep to avoid feeling bloated in bed. 

If you want to load right up to the last minute, a light carbohydrate snack such as a bowl of cereal or white toast with jam just before you hit the hay is fine.

09 Pre-race re-up

Your race-day nutrition can be considered the final stage of your carb-load. 

So having 50-100g of carbohydrates two to three hours before you start will keep your glycogen stores maxed out.

You should top things up further by having a gel or an energy drink 30mins before you enter the water. 

It’s good to get something down you, but starting your energy drink early can be a good option for people who are struggling to eat much.

10 Practice makes perfect

As with all nutrition, it’s important to figure out what works for you during training. 

But the sheer quantity of carbohydrates consumed during a load can require your body to build up its tolerance. 

If someone’s never done it before and they think, ‘I’m going to try and have 12g per kg of bodyweight’, then it’s not necessarily going to end well. 

I recommend practising your carb load on bigger training days – your longest brick sessions are ideal. 

Sometimes people can have a lot more on the bike and their stomach can feel fine. And then it’s only when you come to run that you’re aware of any stomach problems.