The carbohydrate maths is the same one every runner uses. What changes is the food list it is built from.
Sports dietitian review pending
A meal-by-meal plan from the race-week-safe list will appear here.
The g/kg target does not shrink because you are vegan. Burke and colleagues (2011) and the ACSM 2016 stand still point to about 8–12 g of carbohydrate per kg per day when the goal is to supercompensate glycogen. This calculator uses 8 g/kg at three days out, 10 g/kg at two days, and 12 g/kg the day before.
For a 70 kg runner that is 560 g, 700 g, and 840 g. That is several plates of white rice or pasta plus juice or maple — not a single large dinner.
Key takeaway:
Being plant-based does not change the carbohydrate target. It changes which foods can hit it without blowing a ~15 g fiber day.
Why the food list is race-week-safe only
The model may only choose foods marked race-week-safe. That is how oats and chili stay out of a 15 g fiber day. One cup of cooked white rice in this table is 45 g of carbohydrate and 0.6 g of fiber. A white bagel is 55 g and 2 g. Those are the building blocks.
If you add a restaurant salad or a “just this once” lentil side, paste the whole day into the Fiber Load Checker. The calculator cannot see a plate you did not feed it.
Hawley et al. (1997) and later practice support a short high-carbohydrate window with tapered training. Starting a full 10–12 g/kg load five days out mostly makes you feel heavy and constipated. Two days of boring starch is the job.
If the race is a half, start with the half vs full splitter so you do not copy a 700 g marathon day onto a 75-minute finish.
Key takeaway:
Body mass and days-out set the target in code. The language model only phrases a plan around foods that already exist in the table. It cannot invent a 900 g day from chia pudding.
Common misses
Dinner-only loading. 700 g will not fit in one sitting. Spread it.
Whole-grain loyalty. Brown rice and whole-wheat pasta keep fiber high while you are trying to go the other way.
Skipping protein. Firm tofu (150 g) is 16 g of protein and 1 g of fiber here. Use it.
Copying a training-block bowl. The high-carb dinner bowls on this site are for January, not Friday.
What to do next
Set the target here. Check fiber on the same menu. Build dinner and breakfast as separate sittings. Then put race-day packets on a clock with the race fuel planner.
Frequently asked questions
How many carbs do I need to carb load?
Published guidance is roughly 8–12 g of carbohydrate per kg of body mass per day over the final 36–48 hours. This calculator uses about 8 g/kg at three days out, 10 g/kg at two days, and 12 g/kg the day before.
What does that look like in real food?
For a 70 kg runner, 10 g/kg is 700 g of carbohydrate in one day. Two cups of cooked white pasta in our table are 80 g. Liquid carbohydrate is part of the protocol, not a hack.
Can you carb load on a vegan diet?
Yes. The carbohydrate target does not change. The difficulty is fiber. Swap to white rice, bagels, peeled potatoes, ripe bananas, tofu, and maple for about two days.
Should I still eat protein while carb loading?
Yes, but keep it low-fiber. Firm tofu and fortified soy milk cover protein without lentils.
Do I need a depletion week first?
No. A short high-carbohydrate window with tapered training is the current practice. Starting a full 10–12 g/kg load five days out mostly makes you feel heavy.
How does this relate to the fiber checker?
This tool builds the gram target from race-week-safe foods. Paste that menu into the Fiber Load Checker if you add extra snacks or a restaurant dinner.
Is a big pasta dinner enough?
No. One restaurant bowl cannot store 700 g. You need repeated plates plus juice or maple across the day.
Should a 75-minute half copy this plan?
Usually not. Use the half vs full splitter first so you do not copy a marathon load onto a short race.
Educational content only. Carbohydrate, fiber, iron, B12, and hydration needs vary. Consult a sports dietitian or physician for individualized guidance — especially if you have a GI condition, anemia, or a history of underfueling.
