The 24 hours before a race can make or break the final months of your training. When you are racing away from home, there are even more details to manage: when and what you are eating, adjusting to a new time zone, navigating an unfamiliar city, picking up your race packet, and getting to the start line on time.
These tips come from my experiences as a runner and as a coach preparing athletes for races since 2013.
How early should you arrive before a destination race?
Whenever possible, arrive at least one or two days before your race. This gives you time to settle in, pick up your packet, explore the start area, and handle unexpected travel delays without adding unnecessary stress.
If you are crossing multiple time zones, arriving earlier can give your sleep, meals, and digestion more time to adjust. Once you arrive, shift your routine toward the local schedule as quickly as possible. Eat meals, go to bed, and wake up based on the local time rather than the time at home.
Stick to your normal pre-race routine
Race weekend is not the time to experiment with new foods, gear, or habits. Travel may force you to make small adjustments, but try to recreate your normal pre-race routine as closely as possible.
Pack the snacks, breakfast foods, hydration products, and race fuel that you know work for you. Do not assume you will be able to find your preferred options near your hotel, especially if you are racing in a smaller town or traveling internationally.
Before you leave home, research nearby grocery stores and restaurants with familiar meal options. A little planning can prevent you from settling for a heavy restaurant meal or scrambling to find breakfast the night before your race.
Plan your pre-race meals and bathroom routine
If one of your biggest concerns before a race is making sure you are “empty” at the start line, there are a few ways to help get things moving. Drinking half a cup of warm water or coffee and stepping outside can help. The change in body temperature and warm liquids tend to kick-start the process.
Eat your largest meal the day before your race as a late lunch, then have a smaller, carbohydrate-focused meal in the evening. This gives your body more time to process the bigger meal.
Your digestive system follows a rhythm, so eating earlier in the day before your race can help keep your body a little ahead of schedule. If you are traveling across time zones, give yourself extra time in the morning rather than assuming your usual routine will happen on command.
Create a packing list
Lay out your clothes and pack your race bag the night before. This is one of the simplest ways to ease the pressure of race-day morning.
Set out everything you are going to wear, eat, and need at the start line. I always pin my bib on the innermost layer of clothing I plan on wearing to avoid having to re-pin it in the morning.
If you are flying, keep your essential race-day gear in your carry-on bag. Pack your:
- Running shoes
- Race kit
- Socks
- Race bib and safety pins
- Watch and charger
- Fuel and hydration products
- Warm-up layers
- Any difficult-to-replace items
For a longer ultra, it can be easy to overpack. I highly encourage packing the bare minimum you need through Aid Station #1 and picking up additional essentials later in the race.
Visit the start line before race morning
When it is dark and you are anxious about getting there on time, knowing exactly where you are going is key.
Go to the start line the day before your race, ideally during packet pickup. Make note of where you want to park, where you will be dropped off, and how long it takes to walk to the starting area. Drop a pin in your map app and text it to yourself.
This is especially useful if you are traveling to a remote starting location or somewhere cell service could be spotty. If you start navigating while you still have service, most phones will continue navigating if reception drops.
Before race morning, also confirm:
- Parking and road closures
- Shuttle or bus schedules
- Rideshare availability
- Bag-check procedures
- Bathroom locations
- The distance from your drop-off point to the start line
Build a race-morning checklist and timeline
Work backward from the race start time and map out your morning. Decide when you need to leave your hotel, when you want to arrive at the venue, when you will eat breakfast, and when you need to wake up.
Give yourself more buffer time than you think you need. Destination races often involve unfamiliar roads, crowded parking areas, long bathroom lines, and extra steps that are easy to overlook.
A simple race-morning timeline might include:
- Wake-up time
- Breakfast and hydration
- Bathroom time
- Travel to the venue
- Parking, shuttle, or drop-off
- Bag check
- Warm-up
- Final bathroom stop
- Start-line arrival
A few extra minutes can make the difference between arriving calm and starting your warm-up already feeling rushed.
Take five minutes to reset before you leave
Put in some headphones and give yourself five minutes to relax. Throw on a song that helps you settle down before you get out the door.
Budgeting time for this may seem unnecessary, but it can help set your mindset for the day. During those five minutes, visualize your race, review your mental race plan, and remind yourself of three things you are thankful for.
Move forward in gratitude.
Keep it simple!
The best race-day preparation plan is not complicated. Arrive early enough to settle in, stick to familiar foods and routines, keep your race gear in your carry-on, visit the start line ahead of time, and build extra time into your morning schedule.
The more logistics you handle before race morning, the more energy you can save for the race itself.
