FREE 7-Day Race Week Meal Plan for Triathletes

Your race week diet can be the difference between a personal best and a DNF.

When you’ve spent months training for a race, the last thing you want to do is screw it up at the last minute by eating badly.

With so much riding on how you eat, it pays to plan out your taper-week meals in advance, especially if you’ll be traveling to your race. For the first few days of the week, athletes eat similarly to their normal diet, with about 55 percent of calories coming from carbohydrates and the remainder split evenly between protein and fat.

A few days before the gun, switch to a carb-load diet to boost glycogen stores—and your available energy—for the race. Exactly how long in advance depends on the length of the event we recommend one day for an Olympic-distance triathlon, two days for a half-Ironman, and two to three days for a full Ironman.

Pay attention to your plate here. Carb load correctly and don't eat too much fat, fibre or protein and make sure you are eating the right carbs. At this point, a little over 70 percent of your calories should be coming from easy-to-digest carbs like white rice and potatoes.

If you’re used to getting most of your calories in one big meal, be prepared to make adjustments. You won’t be able to consume enough carbohydrates during dinner the night before a race. Plan on eating a bigger than normal breakfast and lunch, and fitting in snacks between meals.

This meal plan is designed for an average-size male athlete racing a half-Ironman. Your actual needs will vary based on your size, experience level, any allergies or special dietary needs and race plans; consult a dietitian for optimal results.

This meal plan is best viewed via our FREE App. Please get in touch if you would like access to the App which includes videos, full recipes and more.