Marathon race week: organise meals, travel and race supplies
Topics: Sport · marathon race week · meal organisation · race travel · race supplies · marathon checklist
Race week adds practical constraints to your usual meals: travel, accommodation, schedules and access to your chosen products. This checklist helps you put an already prepared strategy into practice, working around your actual race start.
Start with an established strategy for your race
The IAAF consensus recommends a personalised, practical approach to nutrition adapted to training and competition contexts, with attention to travel. It encourages collaboration with coaches and qualified experts. Source: IAAF consensus abstract.
This guide organises the logistics. It does not set your carbohydrate amounts, hydration needs or a marathon nutrition preparation protocol. If you have yet to decide these, have them reviewed before transferring them to the checklist.
References: [1]
Build your schedule around the race start
| Actual schedule | What to record | Practical check |
|---|---|---|
| Race date and start time | Travel to the start, access and any bag-drop arrangements | Up-to-date information from the organiser |
| Travel and arrival | Meals during the journey, shopping opportunities and accommodation | What you can bring or buy locally |
| Race number collection | Time slot and associated travel | Meals or shopping not to overlook |
| The day before and race morning | Meals already chosen and products needed | Access to a kitchen, breakfast or a portable option |
| After the race | Return journey, luggage and planned meals | Availability of meals at the planned time |
References: [1]
Read your race documents
Note the announced aid stations, the products listed and the practical access arrangements. Record the date of the document you consulted. A product category does not guarantee the same brand, format or composition as the products you have planned to use.
For each missing detail, write “to confirm” and check with the organiser. This checklist does not list the aid-station supplies for a particular marathon; it sets out what to check for yours.
References: [1]
Separate what to buy from what to pack
| List | What it contains | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Meals during your stay | Ingredients for the meals you will actually prepare | Kitchen access, existing supplies and pack sizes |
| Chosen race products | Exact products and quantities from your prepared strategy | The precise product and where it is packed in your luggage |
| Local purchases | Products you have decided to buy at your destination | Shop, opening hours and availability to confirm |
| Logistical backup | Your planned alternative if a purchase or meal becomes unavailable | Compatibility with your established choices, to review with your support team if needed |
References: [1]
Review the day before, then get ready in the morning
Check the official timings and your route to the start.
Gather the products to take according to your strategy, without improvising new intake amounts in this checklist.
Prepare the breakfast and post-race meal items you are responsible for.
List the packaging, containers and equipment you plan to use.
Keep useful information and your list of details still to confirm accessible.
References: [1]
Distinguish race week from a training week
The schedule helps you organise choices already established for your situation. It does not calculate an intake target from the duration of your recent training sessions.
For meals during an ordinary week, the guide for runners covers training sessions, shopping and meal preparation. This checklist focuses instead on your stay and the race start.
References: [1]
What Sthenia can organise
The manual calorie and macronutrient diary is free and unlimited. The personalised plan, its budget and the grocery list are part of the paid Pro subscription. A diary entry or photo remains distinct from the planned meals; it does not prove that subsequent meals have been recalculated automatically.
Costs are estimates based on manually maintained reference prices in France, not live store prices or an established representative national average. In the calculation checked on 23 October 2026, prices were not synchronised with stores or automatically adjusted using your postcode, local inflation or shopping receipts. Ingredients without a matched price can lead to an underestimated total, and buying whole packs can change what you pay at checkout.
Your budget is an ideal target, not a hard cap. The warning threshold is the target plus 10%: a plan between the target and that threshold may be offered without an over-budget warning, and a plan above it may still be offered with a warning. See the nutrition method and the budget method.
Keep the race information and the choices from your race strategy separate in this checklist.
Frequently asked
- What if the marathon is not on a Sunday?
Use the actual race start as your reference point. Then arrange travel, accommodation, race number collection and the relevant meals around that date.
References: [1]
- Does the checklist specify how much to consume during the race?
It helps you prepare the products and information for a strategy you have already established. It does not provide individual intake amounts.
References: [1]
- How do I use it if I am eating at a restaurant?
Identify the meals involved and the available serving times. Note what you need to confirm with the restaurant in light of your choices and constraints.
References: [1]
Sources
Also worth reading
- From macros to meals: build your 7-day meal planTurn your calorie and macro targets into a week of meals: menu ideas, portion adjustments and a method for putting together your grocery list.
- Calories and macros for a cut: calculate a realistic targetEstimate your maintenance calories, set a deficit and work out your macros, then check whether your targets fit the meals you actually eat.
- Cutting meal plan for strength training: review your week before changing your intakeSeparate planned meals, actual intake and uncertainties to review your cutting meal plan, without automatic rules for changing calories.