HYROX Race-Day
Fueling Plan
For a 75 kg athlete starting at 09:00, the plan is about 150 g of carbohydrate 3 hours before the start, 225 to 450 mg of caffeine an hour before, and 2 gels (25 g each) during a 1:23:04 race. Enter your start time and weight for your own timeline.
Last updated: 2026-10-25 · General guidance, not medical advice · Free, runs in your browser
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Open toolWhat to eat the night before
For events under 90 minutes the published target is 7 to 12 g of carbohydrate per kg of body weight across the whole day before. Keep dinner familiar, lower in fat and fibre, and do not try anything new. The table shows what that means by body weight, plus the other targets in the plan above.
| Body weight | Day before (g carbs) | Meal 3 h out (g) |
|---|---|---|
| 60 kg | 420 to 720 | 120 |
| 75 kg | 525 to 900 | 150 |
| 90 kg | 630 to 1080 | 180 |
Caffeine is 3 to 6 mg per kg, taken about 60 minutes before the start, and never above 400 mg a day in this plan. One cup of brewed coffee has roughly 95 mg. The meal figure is 2 g per kg, our pick inside the published 1 to 4 g per kg range.
Carbohydrate in common foods
| Food | Portion | Carbs (g) |
|---|---|---|
| Energy gel | 1 sachet | 25 |
| Banana | 1 medium | 27 |
| White rice, cooked | 150 g | 42 |
| Rolled oats, dry | 60 g | 40 |
| Bagel | 1 plain | 55 |
| White bread | 1 slice | 13 |
| Sports drink | 500 mL | 30 |
| Jam or honey | 1 tablespoon | 15 |
Values are rounded and vary by brand, ripeness and preparation. Check the label.
During the race?
The median Open Men finish is 1:23:04, so most athletes are racing for 80 to 90 minutes. For events of one to two and a half hours the guidance is 30 to 60 g of carbohydrate per hour. For finishes under 60 minutes the calculator caps intake at 30 g per hour, our own conservative choice, and under 45 minutes it adds no gels.
- Take gels on the runs, not mid-station. Wall balls and burpee broad jumps with a full stomach are unpleasant.
- Use a few sips of water with each gel. Sports drinks count towards your hourly carbohydrate.
- Drink to thirst. Over-drinking can dilute blood sodium, so do not force fluids.
- Higher intakes of 60 g per hour work best for athletes who have trained their gut with the same product.
How this is calculated
Each target is a published range multiplied by your body weight. The only RoxUpdates choices are where we sit inside a range (for example 2 g per kg for a meal 3 hours out) and the gel timing, which starts at 20 minutes and repeats at the interval that delivers your chosen grams per hour from 25 g gels. The default finish time is the Open Men median of 1:23:04 from 224,008 recorded race results.
Sources and limits
- Thomas DT, Erdman KA, Burke LM. Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine: Nutrition and Athletic Performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2016;48(3):543-568.
- Burke LM, Hawley JA, Wong SH, Jeukendrup AE. Carbohydrates for training and competition. J Sports Sci 2011;29(Suppl 1):S17-S27.
- Guest NS et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: caffeine and exercise performance. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 2021;18:1.
- EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies. Scientific Opinion on the safety of caffeine. EFSA Journal 2015;13(5):4102.
- Sawka MN et al. American College of Sports Medicine position stand: exercise and fluid replacement. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2007;39(2):377-390.
- Hew-Butler T et al. Statement of the Third International Exercise-Associated Hyponatremia Consensus Development Conference. Clin J Sport Med 2015;25(4):303-320.
- This is not medical or dietetic advice. It does not account for allergies, diabetes, pregnancy, medication, heart conditions or eating disorders. Ask a doctor or registered dietitian before changing your diet or using caffeine if any apply.
RoxUpdates is an independent results site and is not affiliated with HYROX.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I eat before HYROX?
Eat a carbohydrate-led, low-fat, low-fibre meal about 3 hours before your start. For a 75 kg athlete, 2 g per kg is about 150 g of carbohydrate, such as oats, rice or a bagel with jam. The published range is 1 to 4 g per kg, so go smaller if the start is closer.
Should I take caffeine before HYROX?
Caffeine can help performance at 3 to 6 mg per kg, taken about 60 minutes before, according to the ISSN position stand. For 75 kg that is 225 to 450 mg. If you rarely use caffeine, start at the low end and test it in training first, because jitters and stomach upset can ruin a race.
Do I need to eat during a HYROX race?
Probably, if you expect to take over 60 minutes. Guidance for events of one to two and a half hours is 30 to 60 g of carbohydrate per hour. For a 1:23:04 finish, the plan above suggests about 2 gels. Practise it in a hard training session, because gels do not sit well when you are bouncing on wall balls.
What should I eat the night before a HYROX race?
Eat more carbohydrate than usual and keep fat and fibre low, using foods you know. The published figure is 7 to 12 g per kg across the whole day before an event under 90 minutes, which is 525 to 900 g for 75 kg. You do not need to force a huge pasta dinner.
How much should I drink before and during HYROX?
Sip about 5 to 7 mL per kg of fluid in the 4 hours before the start, then drink to thirst during the race. Over-drinking can dilute blood sodium, which is dangerous, so do not force fluids. In a hot venue or if you sweat heavily, add electrolytes to what you drink.
What if my start is early in the morning?
Pick the 2-hour meal option in the calculator, which scales the meal down to about 1.5 g per kg, and eat something light and familiar, such as toast with jam or a banana. A small meal you can digest beats a large one that sits in your stomach. Do the heavy carbohydrate eating the day before.
Is this medical advice?
No. It is general sports-nutrition guidance from published position stands, scaled to your body weight. It does not account for allergies, diabetes, pregnancy, medication, heart conditions or an eating disorder. Talk to a doctor or registered dietitian before changing your diet or taking caffeine if any of those apply.
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