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RunningHalf marathon fueling plan
What to eat before, during and after 13.1 miles, by finish time. · 2 min read · Updated September 30, 2026
How we made this guide: we built it from the research below and checked every number against it: ACSM, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics & Dietitians of Canada joint position stand (2016).
A half marathon sits right on the line where fueling starts to matter. Whether you need to carb load or fuel during depends mostly on how long you’ll be running.
| Your finish time | Carb load? | Race breakfast | During the race |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under ~1:15 | No; a normal carb-rich day before | 1–4 g/kg, 1–4 h before | Little or nothing; a few sips of sports drink, or a mouth rinse (swish it and spit it out) |
| ~1:15 to 1:30 | No; a normal carb-rich day before | 1–4 g/kg, 1–4 h before | 30–60 g per hour (you’re past the 75-minute mark) |
| ~1:30 to 2:30 | Yes: 10–12 g/kg a day for 36–48 h (the guideline covers efforts over ~90 min) | 1–4 g/kg, 1–4 h before | 30–60 g per hour, starting early |
| Over ~2:30 | Yes, for 36–48 h | 1–4 g/kg, 1–4 h before | 60–90 g per hour (start lower unless you’ve trained it) |
Based on the ACSM joint position stand (Thomas, Erdman & Burke, 2016). For your weight, use the race fuel calculator.
A typical 2-hour half, for a 150 lb runner
- Two days before: carb load, about 680–820 g of carbs a day.
- Race morning, 3 hours out: about 200 g, such as a bagel with honey, a banana, juice and cereal.
- During: 30–60 g an hour, so roughly 60–120 g across the race, starting in the first 30 minutes.
- After: a real meal with carbs and protein within a couple of hours.
Practice it on long runs
Do your race breakfast and your during-race fuel on at least a few long runs first, and note how it went. We built My Track Record so logging what you ate and drank is one spoken sentence.
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By Andrew, founder of My Track Record. Andrew has been active all of his life across a variety of sports and continues to stay active through climbing, swimming, weight training, golfing, snowboarding, and more. He built My Track Record so logging food and training takes one spoken sentence and can support any activity. He puts these guides together from published sports science research cited on each page. About AndrewSources
- Thomas DT, Erdman KA, Burke LM. Nutrition and Athletic Performance: joint position statement of the American College of Sports Medicine, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and Dietitians of Canada. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2016;48(3):543–568. Source
General information for healthy adult runners, not medical advice. If you have a medical condition, are pregnant, or have a history of disordered eating, talk to a doctor or registered dietitian before changing how you eat or use caffeine.