Race Day Nutrition Checklist: What to Pack for Your Next NZ Winter Marathon
Race morning is not the time to be making decisions. The athletes who perform best on race day are the ones who've already made every nutrition decision the night before. Here's the checklist we use — and the products we trust.
The Night Before
- Lay out all your nutrition in the order you'll use it
- Pre-mix any drink mixes and refrigerate
- Check the weather forecast and adjust hydration plan if it's warmer or colder than expected
- Confirm your gel/chew count: for a marathon, you'll typically need 6–8 gels at 30–45 minute intervals
Race Morning (2–3 Hours Out)
- Carb-rich breakfast — oats, toast, banana. Keep it familiar. Race day is not the time to experiment.
- 500ml of water or electrolyte drink with breakfast
- One final gel or Maurten Drink Mix 15 minutes before the start gun
What to Carry
For a marathon, you'll want a reliable way to carry your nutrition. A FlipBelt or Fitletic running belt keeps gels accessible without bouncing. If you're running a trail event with longer gaps between aid stations, a USWE vest gives you the capacity to carry everything you need.
Gel Selection for Race Day
Pick one gel and stick with it — don't mix brands mid-race unless you've trained with both. Our top picks for NZ winter marathons:
- Precision Fuel PF300 Flow Gel — 30g carbs, designed for high-intensity efforts, flows easily even in cold temps
- PURE Performance + Race Energy Gel — made right here in NZ, trusted by Kiwi athletes for years
- Styrkr GEL30 Caffeine Dual-Carb Energy Gel — save the caffeine gels for the back half of the race when you need the mental lift
Not sure which gel suits you? The Applied Nutrition Isotonic Gel Variety Pack and Pure Energy Gel Variety Pack are both great ways to test before race day.
Hydration Plan
Know the aid station locations on your course and plan your drinking around them. In winter, you can often get away with less fluid than summer, but don't use that as an excuse to skip aid stations. A rough guide:
- Under 10°C: 400–600ml per hour
- 10–15°C: 500–700ml per hour
- Add electrolytes if you're a salty sweater or racing over 2 hours
Post-Race
- Get a recovery drink or food in within 30 minutes
- Change out of wet gear immediately — hypothermia risk is real after a winter marathon finish
- Celebrate. You earned it.
Pack your nutrition the night before, trust your training, and go race.