● PILLAR GUIDE

The Complete Race Week Planning Guide

9 min read 9 sections Race Week

Race week is not the time to improvise. Everything you do in the seven days before the start gun — how you eat, sleep, pack, and move — has a measurable effect on how you feel at mile one and mile twenty-six. This guide walks you through a day-by-day framework so you arrive at transition calm, organised, and ready.

Start your plan All resources

Why race week is different from the rest of training

Most endurance athletes spend months building fitness, then undo a chunk of that work in the final week through poor decisions: riding too hard, eating poorly the night before, forgetting a bag, or not sleeping because they never wrote anything down. Race week is a logistics challenge as much as a physical one.

The goal from Sunday to Saturday is simple: preserve the fitness you have, reduce variables, and give your body the best conditions to perform. That means fewer spontaneous decisions and a written plan for every critical step.

Seven days out: lock everything in

The week before race week (7–8 days out) is your last chance to make big decisions without time pressure. Confirm your travel, accommodation, race registration, and equipment checklist now rather than on Wednesday.

Review the race guide and athlete briefing if the organiser has published one. Note the transition opening times, special needs bag deadlines, and any course modifications since last year.

Confirm accommodation and transport booking references.

Download the race GPX files and review the elevation profile.

Check your bike has a service appointment if needed (allow 48–72 hours).

Review your race nutrition and check stock of gels, hydration tabs, and any special-needs items.

Six days out: light training, big admin

Monday of race week is typically the last day with any real training volume. Keep it to the session your coach prescribed — usually a moderate brick or a short swim — and focus the rest of the day on admin.

Pack your race bags in a first pass. Do not wait until Thursday. A first-pass pack on Monday reveals what is missing while you still have time to order or borrow it.

Start packing T1 and T2 bags — helmet, shoes, goggles, race belt.

Check all race numbers are printed and visors are clean.

Confirm your wetsuit is packed or cleaned since the last open-water swim.

Write out your race-day nutrition cues: gel at km X, bottle at km Y.

● Race Preprr

Race Preprr lets you map nutrition cues directly onto the course so you can see exactly when each item needs to happen relative to the route and aid stations.

Try it →

Five days out: course reconnaissance

If the race is local or you have arrived early, Tuesday is the ideal day for a light course recon — drive the bike route, walk transition, and swim in the race venue if open-water practice is permitted.

If you cannot visit in person, use the GPX file to study the elevation profile, note the key climbs and descents, and identify aid station locations. Mental reconnaissance counts.

Note bike course turnaround points and any technical sections.

Identify where you will pick up hydration vs. carry your own.

Check run course for shade, hills, and finish-line approach.

Confirm transition layout: bag collection points, mount/dismount line.

● Race Preprr

Import your GPX file into Race Preprr and drop POIs for aid stations, hazards, and crew viewing spots so the whole team is looking at the same map.

Try it →

Four days out: carb loading begins

For long-course events (70.3 and full Ironman), Wednesday is typically when athletes begin increasing carbohydrate intake. The goal is to top up muscle glycogen without upsetting the gut — so the focus is on familiar, low-fibre carbs rather than unusual foods.

Keep training to activation sessions only. A short 20-minute run or easy swim is enough to keep the legs moving without generating fatigue.

Increase carbohydrate portions at each meal (rice, pasta, bread, potatoes).

Reduce high-fibre vegetables and raw salads that slow digestion.

Stay well hydrated — urine should be pale yellow by evening.

Avoid alcohol, which disrupts sleep and slows glycogen synthesis.

Three days out: final gear check

Thursday is the gear-check day. Every item in every transition bag should be accounted for and verified. Run through your checklist systematically: helmet certification label, tyre pressure, race number attachment, nutrition stash on the bike.

This is also the day to confirm your pre-race morning logistics: what time transition opens, where you park, what you eat for breakfast, and what time you need to leave the hotel or house.

Check helmet is certified and straps are undamaged.

Inflate tyres and check brake pads.

Confirm all nutrition is on the bike and quantities match your plan.

Write out race morning timing: wake-up, breakfast, departure, transition arrival.

● Race Preprr

Race Preprr's bag and checklist tool lets you assign every piece of kit to a specific bag, mark items as packed, and print a checklist to run through before you leave.

Try it →

Two days out: athlete briefing and rest

Friday is for listening, not training. Attend the athlete briefing (mandatory for most Ironman events) and note any course changes, weather warnings, or rule updates. Ask questions if anything is unclear.

After the briefing, do as little as possible. A 10-minute activation swim is fine. The priority is sleep — getting two consecutive good nights before race day is more valuable than any last-minute session.

Attend athlete briefing and take notes.

Rack your bike if transition is open (check race guide for times).

Set multiple alarms for race morning.

Lay out all race-morning kit so nothing needs to be found in the dark.

One day out: eat, sleep, do nothing

Saturday (for Sunday races) is the hardest day for most athletes because the instinct is to do something. Resist it. A short 10-minute jog or swim to keep the legs turning over is the ceiling.

Your pre-race meal should be at a normal dinner time — not a late carb load that keeps you awake. Pasta, rice, or potato with a moderate protein source. Nothing new. Nothing adventurous.

Eat your pre-race meal by 18:00–19:00.

Drink to thirst — do not over-hydrate.

Check your alarms one final time.

Put your phone down by 21:00 and aim for 8 hours in bed.

Race morning: execute the plan

Wake up 3–4 hours before race start if possible. Eat a familiar, easily digestible breakfast (porridge, toast, banana — whatever you have practiced in training). Sip water and electrolytes steadily rather than drinking large volumes at once.

Arrive at transition early enough to set up methodically without rushing. Run through your pre-race checklist, collect your timing chip, and find a quiet spot to warm up and focus.

Eat breakfast 2.5–3 hours before swim start.

Arrive at transition 60–90 minutes before close.

Body-mark if not done at bag drop.

Warm up with a short swim or jog 30 minutes before start.

● Race Preprr

Export your Race Preprr brief as a PDF the night before so your crew and support team have the full plan — course map, nutrition cues, and special needs details — available offline on race morning.

Try it →

● Try it free

Build your race week plan in Race Preprr
→

Import your GPX, lock your nutrition cues, pack your bags, and export the brief — all in one place. Free during public beta.

Open Plans Sign up free More guides

The Complete Race Week Planning Guide

Why race week is different from the rest of training

Seven days out: lock everything in

Six days out: light training, big admin

Five days out: course reconnaissance

Four days out: carb loading begins

Three days out: final gear check

Two days out: athlete briefing and rest

One day out: eat, sleep, do nothing

Race morning: execute the plan

Build your race week plan in Race Preprr→

Build your race week plan in Race Preprr
→