Jodie reading the back label of an energy gel

Big days need a fuel plan (race day, training days, and even Halloween)

Race-day fuel is still food.

That sounds obvious, but think about how most of us treat gels, chews and drink mixes. We grab whatever is on sale or at the aid station, and we trust it because it says "sport" on the package. Then race day arrives and we're hoping our stomach and our allergies cooperate.

Big days deserve a plan. Here are the habits I use for race day, and why the same habits work for your training days and even for Halloween.

1. Read the label, every time

Jodie's finger pointing at the ingredient list on the back of a drink mix pouch

Sports fuel is packaged food, so it gets the same label check as anything else in your kitchen.

In the US, a major allergen has to be named on the label, either in the ingredient list (like "whey (milk)") or in a "Contains" line. That "Contains" line is optional. The drink mix pouch I use doesn't have one, so I read the full ingredient list on every gel, chew and drink mix.

Lines like "may contain" are voluntary too. If a package doesn't have one, that doesn't prove there's no cross-contact. If cross-contact matters for your allergy, email the brand or ask your allergist, before race day, not at the start line.

Before your next race, sort everything into three columns:

  • Safe: you've read the label and trained with it.
  • Not safe: it lists your allergen. Leave it off your plan.
  • Need to ask: unclear label or a cross-contact question. Email the brand.

Races list their on-course fuel in the athlete guide, so check what will be at the aid stations and read each product's ingredients on the brand's own website. Recipes can change, so check again close to race day. Even when I know what's on course, I carry my own fuel. That way I hit my fueling goals even when I can't grab something at an aid station, like on the bike.

2. Plan three numbers, not one bottle

Jodie drinking from a bottle while riding an indoor bike trainer

A fuel plan isn't one drink. It's three separate numbers per hour: carbs, fluid and sodium. They don't rise and fall together. A hot day raises your fluid and sodium needs, but not your carb needs. IRONMAN now even serves them separately on course: one drink for fluid and sodium, another product for carbs (Slowtwitch, Dec 2025).

Carbs. Sports-nutrition guidelines backed by the ACSM use about 30 to 60 g of carbs per hour, and up to about 90 g for events of 2.5 hours or more. The higher end works best with mixed carb types (glucose plus fructose), built up in training (ACSM joint position stand, as summarized in Sports Medicine).

Fluid. The goal is to lose less than 2% of your body weight in fluid, without overdrinking. Sweat rates vary a lot, from about 0.3 to 2.4 liters per hour. Too much water or low-sodium drinks can drop your blood sodium too low, so more isn't always better (Today's Dietitian, Sept 2025).

Sodium. This is the one that varies most from person to person. How salty sweat is ranges roughly from 230 to 1,610 mg per liter. High sweat rates, salty sweat and sessions over 2 hours mean bigger losses (Today's Dietitian, Sept 2025). A sweat test or a sports nutrition professional can help you find your number.

Find your sweat rate. Weigh yourself before and after a long session at race intensity, in minimal clothing and after using the bathroom. Write down everything you drank. The weight you lost plus what you drank shows roughly how much you sweat in that session (Today's Dietitian, Sept 2025).

These ranges are a starting point. Your numbers depend on you, your sweat and the day. If you don't know one of your three numbers yet, that's the one to test first.

3. Nothing new on race day

Your plan only works if your stomach has practiced it. Research estimates up to half of endurance athletes regularly have gut problems (Jeukendrup, Gatorade Sports Science Institute, 2018). Training is where you find yours, not race day.

Here are my own check-points, as examples, not rules for everyone:

  • Before long runs and rides, I eat my homemade gluten-free bagel. I like the taste, it costs much less than store-bought, and I know each one has 78 g of carbs.
  • On the run, I take a gel every 3 miles.
  • On a 3-hour ride, I aim to have 1/3 of my fluid (with my carbs and electrolytes) gone by the end of each hour.
  • I pack my fuel exactly the way I'll race with it.

After every long session, write one line: what you ate, when you ate it, and how your stomach felt. If stomach trouble keeps happening, talk to your doctor.

4. Your lift days need a plan too

Jodie smiling and holding up the snack bar she eats before lifting

Not sponsored, just a good find.

Big days aren't only race days. I recommend lifting 2 to 3 times a week, and the CDC's guidelines say adults need muscle-strengthening activity on at least 2 days a week, working all the major muscle groups.

Lifting on empty holds you back. When you eat too little for what you do over a long stretch, the IOC's 2023 consensus statement on REDs lists lower muscle strength, a weaker response to training and slower recovery. It can happen without meaning to, like skipping meals on busy days.

Before a lift, I eat protein and carbs, with more carbs than protein. Then I spread protein through the day. A general guideline from the International Society of Sports Nutrition is 1.4 to 2.0 g per kg of body weight a day, about 20 to 40 g per meal, every 3 to 4 hours. Your needs depend on you.

5. Halloween is a big day too

Jodie at her front door holding a teal pumpkin basket

When my kids were younger, we followed the teal. A teal pumpkin on a porch means that house has non-food treats for kids who can't have the candy. It's FARE's Teal Pumpkin Project.

If your family is trick-or-treating with food allergies this year, look up FARE's Teal Pumpkin Project Map before you head out. It shows homes and events offering non-food treats, so you can plan your route. Then check the haul at home before anything gets eaten. Fun-size candy may not have the same ingredients as the full-size bar, so read the label on the one in your hand (Food Allergy Canada). It's the same habit as race day: read the label, every time.

Your one next step

Pick one long session in the next two weeks and make it a dress rehearsal. Same breakfast, same fuel, same amounts, same timing as race day. Then log it.

Progress over perfection. One rehearsal teaches you more than any guideline can.

Want your three numbers built for you? Book a 30-minute Nutrition QuickStart, or join my weekly email for a practical tip like this every week.

Not medical advice. This is my experience as a Health Practitioner & Holistic Nutritionist.
Brands shown in photos: not sponsored, not affiliated.

Sources

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