Race-day nutrition is one of those topics where forum advice grows wilder by the day. Carb-loading protocols, expensive electrolyte cocktails, specific gel timings down to the kilometre. Most of it is irrelevant for a 90-minute race.
Here's what actually matters: arriving with a full tank of glycogen, fuelled but not bloated, hydrated but not soggy. The plan below works for most first-time Hyrox racers. Adjust the volumes to your body weight and what you've trained with, never try anything new on race day.
The 48 hours before
The simplest carb-loading approach for a 90-minute race:
- Two days before: Slightly increase carbohydrate share of meals. If you normally eat a chicken-and-greens dinner, add a portion of rice or pasta. Don't double your overall food intake, that creates digestive distress, not race-day fuel.
- Day before: Normal meals, with the dinner being a carbohydrate-led plate. Pasta with a light tomato or olive oil sauce. Sushi. Rice and grilled fish. Skip heavy dairy, heavy fats, and high-fibre vegetables (broccoli, beans), they slow digestion and tend to show up at the worst moment.
- Day-before hydration: Sip water through the day. Don't chug a litre at 9 pm, you'll wake up at 3 am.
- Sleep: The most underrated piece of race prep. Aim for 8 hours two nights before, in case race-eve nerves cut into the eve-of-race sleep.
Race morning: 3 hours, 2 hours, 1 hour
Working backwards from your wave start time:
3 hours out. Wake up. Drink 300-500 ml water with a small electrolyte mix. Most pre-mixed electrolyte sachets work. Skip the "energy" versions with stimulants.
2.5 hours out. Breakfast.
The Hyrox breakfast template:
- A carbohydrate-led main: porridge with banana and honey; white toast with jam; rice cakes with peanut butter (small portion); a bagel with honey.
- A modest protein top-up: a poached egg or a small Greek yoghurt.
- Low fibre, low fat. Save the seeded toast and bowls of berries for any other day.
- 400-600 calories total. Modest, not a feast.
What works for most people:
- Porridge (50 g oats) cooked with water + 1 banana + 1 tbsp honey. ~400 cal.
- 2 slices white toast + jam + 1 boiled egg. ~450 cal.
- 1 plain bagel + honey + small yoghurt. ~500 cal.
What doesn't work for most people: a "healthy" breakfast bowl with chia seeds, granola, blueberries, and yoghurt. Fibre overload pre-race is unkind to your race day.
1.5 hours out. Last big sip of water and a coffee if you train with coffee. A normal coffee or tea is fine. Don't take a triple espresso if you usually have one cup.
45 minutes out. Small carb top-up. A banana, half an energy bar, or a few dates. Optional but helpful if you ate breakfast on the early side. Sip water.
20 minutes out. 200 ml water with electrolytes. Stop drinking after this. You don't want to be desperate for the bathroom on the second run.
Race start.
During the race
Most first-timers don't need to eat during a 90-minute race. The tank you arrived with is enough. Two situations where mid-race fuel helps:
- Race over 100 minutes. Add one gel or 30 g of carbs in chewable form at minute 45-60.
- Heavy sweater or hot venue. A second electrolyte sip at the run-to-station water station around the halfway point.
Things to avoid mid-race:
- Solid food. Your gut isn't in the mood.
- Caffeine pills or strong stimulants. Heart-rate spike during sled push is unwelcome.
- Salt tablets unless you've used them in training and know you tolerate them.
Water at the water stations is fine. Sip, don't chug.
The first 60 minutes after the finish
This is the most valuable nutrition window of the race day. Your muscles are most receptive to carbohydrate and protein replenishment within the hour after you finish.
Two windows, two priorities:
0-15 minutes. Rehydrate. Sip water with electrolytes. 500 ml over the first 15 minutes. Don't smash a litre immediately or your stomach will revolt.
15-60 minutes. Refuel.
- 50-80 g carbohydrate.
- 20-30 g protein.
- Something you can keep down even while your heart rate is still elevated.
Practical options:
- A protein shake + a banana + a flapjack.
- A chicken and rice bowl from the venue food stall.
- A Greek yoghurt + honey + a bagel.
What we don't recommend: a celebration pint immediately. Alcohol is fine after a proper recovery meal, but a pint on an empty, dehydrated stomach 20 minutes after a Hyrox is a fast way to feel terrible by the evening.
Hours 1-24 post-race
Eat normally, lean towards carbohydrate, prioritise sleep. The micro-tears in your muscles from the race repair fastest with good nutrition and 8-9 hours of sleep.
Common post-race meal templates:
- Burger and chips (sometimes the best thing is the obvious thing).
- A pasta or risotto with a small protein.
- A roast dinner if you raced on a Saturday.
Don't push a strict diet 24 hours after a race. The body has done a hard thing; it deserves a generous refeed.
The supplements question
The answer: most first-timers don't need any supplements they aren't already using.
The list of things shown to help, in rough order of evidence:
- Caffeine (if you tolerate it and use it in training). 1-3 mg per kg body weight, taken 45-60 minutes pre-race.
- Carbohydrate (food works, gels work, dextrose powders work, pick what your gut handles).
- Electrolytes (especially in hot venues or for heavy sweaters).
- Beetroot juice (modest evidence for endurance; taste isn't for everyone).
Everything below this on the supplement aisle has less evidence than the marketing implies.
The pattern most first-timers settle on
After a season of racing, most Hyrox athletes converge on a similar pattern:
- Carbohydrate dinner the night before.
- 400-500 cal carbohydrate-led breakfast 2.5 hours out.
- Coffee 90 minutes out (if a coffee drinker).
- Banana or dates 45 minutes out.
- Electrolyte water in the 20 minutes before start.
- Water station sips during the race.
- Protein and carbs within an hour of finishing.
No mystery. No specialist products. The race rewards consistency in training and a familiar fuelling plan on race day, not novelty. Eat what you've trained with. Drink what your stomach knows. Cross the line, eat properly, and sleep.
[ FAQ ]
Frequently asked
How long before a Hyrox race should I eat breakfast?
Two to three hours before your wave start. Long enough for digestion to clear, short enough that you don't arrive hungry. Top up with a small snack 30 minutes out if you need to.
Should I take gels during a Hyrox?
Optional. A 90-minute race is the edge of where gels start to help. If you've used them in training, take one at minute 30. If you haven't, don't try them on race day.
What should I drink during a Hyrox?
Water at the water stations between runs. An electrolyte mix in your pre-race drink is sensible if you sweat heavily or train in hot conditions. Avoid caffeine you don't normally use.
Written by
The Suth Performance teamCoaches and editors
The Suth Performance programming team, led by HYROX Elite 15 athlete Ben Sutherland.
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