Free Planner

3-Day Carb Loading Planner

Enter your weight, race date, and diet type. Get a personalised 3-day carb loading schedule with meal-by-meal gram targets and food examples.

Body weight

Race date

Race distance

Diet type

Sex

Training volume this week

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Carb loading is just the start.
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What's inside your 3-day carb-loading plan

Your personalised plan covers four days of fueling — three days before the race plus race morning — with meal-by-meal gram targets, food examples for omnivore, vegetarian, and vegan diets, and per-day hydration and sodium targets to land you on the start line fully topped up without GI surprises.

Day −3 (begin loading): ~7 g/kg of carbs spread across breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a snack.
Day −2 (main load day): ~10 g/kg of carbs; lower fibre to reduce gut volume.
Day −1 (peak load): ~11 g/kg of carbs from familiar, low-residue foods.
Race morning: a 1–4 g/kg pre-race meal 2–4 hours before the gun.
Per-day hydration and sodium targets, plus a "foods to avoid" list for each day.
A short training-taper note matched to the weekly volume you enter.

Sample plan — 70 kg marathon runner, omnivore

For a 70 kg athlete running their first marathon at moderate weekly training volume, a typical plan looks like this:

Day	Carbs	Hydration	Sodium
3 days out	~490 g	~3.2 L	~1620 mg
2 days out	~700 g	~3.5 L	~1675 mg
Day before	~770 g	~3.6 L	~1690 mg
Race morning	~105 g	~490 ml	~560 mg

Your numbers will differ based on weight, sex, race distance, and training volume. Run the planner above for your exact targets.

How carb loading works (and why 3 days, not 7)

Carbohydrate loading saturates muscle and liver glycogen above normal storage levels, so you start the race with more fuel and delay the point at which blood-glucose and glycogen stores fall low enough to cause the “wall.” The classic 7-day depletion-then-loading protocol has been replaced by the modern 3-day high-carb, low-fibre approach (Burke, 2017): the same glycogen super-compensation without the week of low-carb suffering.

Targets of 8–12 g/kg/day are supported by the ACSM and ISSN position stands. Each gram of glycogen pulls 3–4 g of water into the muscle, which is why most athletes gain 1–2 kg by race morning — that weight is fuel, not bloat. The peak day before the race matters most: even if days −3 and −2 slip, hitting the day-before target captures the bulk of the glycogen benefit.

Frequently asked questions

How many days before the race should I start carb loading?: Three days. Earlier than that adds GI bloat without extra glycogen storage; less than that doesn't fully top off the tank.
Will I gain weight from carb loading?: Yes — typically 1–2 kg over the loading block. Most of that is water bound to the extra glycogen in your muscles and liver. That stored water is released as you metabolise the glycogen during the race.
Is carb loading worth it for a half marathon?: For events under 90 minutes, glycogen is rarely the limiter. Standard pre-race meals are usually enough. For races that take you over 2 hours, full carb loading starts to matter.
Can I carb load on a vegan or vegetarian diet?: Easily. The planner above swaps in tofu, tempeh, beans (in moderation), and high-carb staples like rice, pasta, oats, bananas, and maple syrup. The total grams target stays the same.
What should I avoid the day before the race?: High-fibre foods (cruciferous vegetables, beans, whole grains), cream sauces, large amounts of alcohol, and any unfamiliar foods. The planner shows a daily “avoid” list for each day of the loading block.