What’s in a Race Day Nutrition Kit? A Sports Dietitian’s Checklist
Now that your training and tapering are behind you, let’s turn our focus to the essentials: what’s going in your race day kit.
Race week can make even the most prepared athletes second-guess their nutrition kit. Let’s take out the guesswork- here’s what belongs in your race day kit, straight from a sports dietitian who’s seen the results when athletes improvise (spoiler: it’s not pretty).
Your Energy Source: Gels, Chews, or Bars
This is your main fuel, the stuff keeping your legs moving when your brain is begging you to stop. For most endurance events, you’re aiming for 30–90g of carbohydrates per hour depending on how long you’re out there and how well-trained your gut is.
The science backs this up. A 2024 review published in Research, Society and Development confirmed that consuming 60–90g of carbohydrates per hour during exercise improves energy oxidation and reduces fatigue. Importantly, the upper end of that range requires a combination of glucose and fructose (as found in most quality gels) to maximize absorption. Single-source carbohydrates cap out at around 60g/h.¹
Your gut matters too. Research shows that practicing your race-day fuelling strategy in training, what sports scientists call “gut training”, reduces GI discomfort by an average of 47% over a 2-week protocol.² Translation: what you eat on race day should never be new information to your stomach.
What to pack: Use your trusted gels or chews; only those tested in training. Race day isn’t for new flavours. Bring extras.
Quick rule of thumb: one gel every 20-30 minutes for efforts over 60–75 minutes.
Hydration: More Than Just Water
Water isn’t enough for race day. You lose electrolytes through sweat, and water doesn’t replace them. This matters especially in hot or humid weather.
Research is clear on this: drinks containing sodium significantly improve fluid retention and plasma volume maintenance compared to water alone. One analysis found that higher-sodium beverages reduced urine output by around 60% compared to water, keeping athletes better hydrated for longer.³ The American College of Sports Medicine also recommends that athletes consume fluids containing sodium during long-duration or high-intensity exercise to prevent body mass losses over 2% and maintain electrolyte balance.⁴
What to pack: A hydration mix or sports drink with sodium and carbohydrates. Something like Tailwind or a Nuun performance tab works great.
Electrolytes & Salt: Know Your Needs
Sodium is the electrolyte you lose most in sweat, and maintaining electrolyte balance plays a key role in hydration, performance, and reducing the risk of cramping. That said, not every athlete needs to carry dedicated salt tablets, and understanding why is important.
For most athletes, sodium needs can be met through sports beverages, gels, and chews consumed throughout the race. Many of these products already contain meaningful amounts of sodium. If you’re relying on a well-formulated sports drink on course, extra salt tabs may not be necessary.
Salt tablets are most relevant for longer events (typically over 90 minutes), in hot or humid conditions, or for athletes who are heavy or salty sweaters. Research highlights considerable individual variability in sweat sodium concentration, meaning there’s no one-size-fits-all answer here.⁵ If you’re doing a shorter event like HYROX or hybrid racing, where most athletes finish in 60–90 minutes, dedicated salt supplementation is generally not needed. Focus instead on adequate pre-race sodium intake and a sports drink during the race.
What to pack: If you’re racing a longer endurance event and tend to sweat heavily or cramp, a salt tab like SaltStick is worth having as an easy back-up if you're not getting in enough salty foods or drinks. For shorter events, like hybrid fitness competitions, your drinks and gels likely have you covered.
Your Caffeine Strategy (If You Use One)
Caffeine is one of the most well-researched performance enhancers in sport. But it needs a plan, not a panic.
The International Society of Sports Nutrition’s position stand confirms that caffeine has consistently been shown to improve exercise performance, with aerobic endurance showing the most consistent moderate-to-large benefits. Effective doses range from 3–6 mg/kg of body weight, and the most commonly used timing is around 60 minutes before or during exercise.⁶ A 2022 meta-analysis of endurance running studies further supports caffeine’s ergogenic effect across a range of race distances and intensities.⁷
If you use caffeine, time your dose for when fatigue sets in, usually the second half of your race. Only use what you’ve practiced in training.
What to pack: A caffeinated gel or two saved for the back half of your effort. If caffeine isn’t your thing, no stress; there are plenty of great caffeine-free options that fuel just as well.
A Backup Fuel Source
Unexpected things happen on race day: you drop a gel, aid stations run out, or flavours become unbearable by kilometre 30. Pack a backup, like a chew, a bar, or a second gel type, as extra security.
What to pack: One or two backup fuel sources your stomach tolerates. Think of it as your safety net, not your main plan.
The Kit Checklist (Save This)
✓ Gels or chews- tested in training, packed with extras
✓ Hydration mix or sports drink with sodium
✓ Salt tabs or electrolyte caps (for longer events or heavy sweaters - not required for all athletes)
✓ Caffeinated fuel- optional, timed strategically
✓ Backup fuel source
✓ Gel flask if you prefer pre-loading (game changer for crowded races)
✓ Hydration mix or sports drink with sodium
✓ Salt tabs or electrolyte caps (for longer events or heavy sweaters - not required for all athletes)
✓ Caffeinated fuel- optional, timed strategically
✓ Backup fuel source
✓ Gel flask if you prefer pre-loading (game changer for crowded races)
If assembling your own kit feels overwhelming, you have an alternative.
Don’t leave your race to chance. Choose Fuel Kit and let a sports dietitian prepare your kit for optimal performance. Eliminate the guesswork and anxiety. Get ready for your best finish.
Or build your own with the Fuel Kit Builder →
Your training got you to the start line. Your kit gets you to the finish.
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Written by: Ashley Leone, RD, MSc, IOC Dipl. Sport Nutr. Drafted with the assistance of Claude AI and edited for accuracy.
Ashley is a sports and performance dietitian and the Founder of Fuel Kit and the Owner of Gazelle Nutrition Lab. Ashley has been a dietitian for over 25 years and holds a Master of Science degree from the University of Toronto, as well as a Diploma in Sports Nutrition from the International Olympic Committee.
References
- Jeukendrup A. A Step Towards Personalized Sports Nutrition: Carbohydrate Intake During Exercise. Sports Med.2014;44(Suppl 1):25–33. doi:10.1007/s40279-014-0148-z
- Snipe RMJ et al. The Effect of Gut-Training and Feeding-Challenge on Markers of Gastrointestinal Status in Response to Endurance Exercise: A Systematic Literature Review. Nutrients. 2023;15(9):2169. doi:10.3390/nu15092169
- Pérez-Castillo Y et al. Compositional Aspects of Beverages Designed to Promote Hydration Before, During, and After Exercise: Concepts Revisited. Nutrients. 2024;16(1):94. doi:10.3390/nu16010094
- Sawka MN et al. American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Exercise and fluid replacement. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2007;39(2):377–390. doi:10.1249/mss.0b013e31802ca597
- Lara B, Gallo-Salazar C, Puente C, Areces F, Salinero JJ, Del Coso J. Interindividual variability in sweat electrolyte concentration in marathoners. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2016 Jul 29;13:31. doi: 10.1186/s12970-016-0141-z. PMID: 27478425; PMCID: PMC4966593.
- Guest NS et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: caffeine and exercise performance. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2021;18(1):1. doi:10.1186/s12970-020-00383-4
- Wang Z et al. Effects of Caffeine Intake on Endurance Running Performance and Time to Exhaustion: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutrients. 2023;15(1):148. doi:10.3390/nu15010148