Vegan marathon meal plan - Saturday
Discover exactly what to eat the day before a marathon with our vegan meal plan for runners. The key for Saturday is plenty of easily digestible carbohydrates
Contrary to previous beliefs, the week before the marathon isn't all about piling on the pasta. In fact, to maximise carbohydrate (fuel) stores before the race, runners only need to start 'fuelling up' or 'carb-loading' two or three days before the race (three days if you prefer slower increase in your daily intake). Read more in our guide to carb-loading.
Following increased interest from runners on the matter of vegan sports nutrition, we have put together a plan for a week's worth of meals leading up to the marathon which is entirely plant-based. A vegan diet needs careful planning to ensure that protein needs are met during training to support the growth and repair of muscles. Vegans also need to ensure that they're getting enough of the key micronutrients such as iron, vitamin B12, calcium, vitamin D and iodine.
While these recipes provide a good framework, there will also be times where an extra serving of higher-protein foods (such as pulses, grains, nuts and seeds) can be added to meals to increase the overall daily intake. Most plant-based foods don’t contain all nine of the essential amino acid 'building blocks' required to make them a 'complete protein', but this can be achieved through variety and different meal combinations.
As a general rule, what you eat should be different depending on the training demands for that day (or when you are preparing for the race itself) to promote sufficient fuelling and recovery. Discover what to eat on different training days with our training meal plans for runners.
Check out the London Marathon's training and meal plans. Don't have a spot to run this year? You can still take part with the virtual event London Marathon MyWay – join up for your chance to run 26.2 miles on marathon day, 21 April 2024.
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This is day six of our week-long vegan marathon meal plan. Below, you'll find suggestions what to eat and how much training you should do. For a full 16-week plan, have a look at the London Marathon's training programme.
Saturday training:
Gentle stretching
Saturday nutrition:
It's the day before the big race. While carbohydrates are still the priority to fuel for the race ahead, it's important to stick to the foods you know – now is not the time to start experimenting with extra spice or fatty dishes, which may cause a stomach upset.
Often the biggest mistake is trying to eat too much the day before and feeling uncomfortable on the morning of the race – stick to your normal routine here (only have a dessert or an evening snack if you usually have one), so you're up and ready to eat breakfast before the race.
Breakfast
Socca pancakes with hummus & lemony onions
Enjoy socca pancakes with hummus and zesty onions for brunch. The batter is made with chickpea flour which delivers a crisp texture as well as plenty of nutrients.
Morning snack
Vegan banana & walnut bread
Increasing your carb intake definitely has its perks – such as a slice of this irresistible vegan banana bread.
Lunch
Jerk sweet potato & black bean curry
Serve your vegetable curry Caribbean-style, flavoured with thyme, jerk seasoning and red peppers – great with rice and peas.
Afternoon snack
Kiwi fruit smoothie
Blitz kiwi, mango, pineapple and banana to make this delicious smoothie.
Dinner
Sticky noodles with homemade hoisin
Cook our healthy, vegan stir-fry to pack in four of your five-a-day. The hoisin sauce is made with Chinese five spice and apple cider vinegar to boost the flavour.
Dessert/evening snack (optional)
Avocado & strawberry ices
Replace dairy with creamy avocado, full of healthy fat, in these delicious ices and bring out the flavour of strawberries with balsamic vinegar.
Go back to the week-long vegan marathon meal plan.
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Not vegan? Try our basic, vegetarian and gluten-free marathon meal plans.
Find more expert advice and answers to your training questions in our marathon hub.
James Collins is recognised as a leading Performance Nutritionist through his work with Olympic and professional sport. Over the last decade he has worked with Arsenal FC, the England and France national football teams and Team GB. He has a private practice in Harley Street where he sees business executives, performing artists and clients from all walks of life. He is the author of the new book The Energy Plan, which focuses on the key principles of fuelling for fitness.
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