Hi JD,

Everyone is so different, as you suggested.  I could only offer that usually it is a good idea to eat a light, mild amount two hours before the race.  I limit myself to one-half fruit, one granola bar, vitamin water and raisins because that reduces the liklihood of stomach upset over the long haul.  Do not experiment with sports drinks direclty before or during the race.  They are complicated and it may be challenging to find the ones that work best for your individual circumstances.  I try to consume all calories before 4:00PM the evening before a long event to give my digestive process additional time to work to the maximum. 

Also, the notion of carb-loading is relevant for anticipated running over two hours, but not all of a sudden, for example, the night before a full marathon.  Some additional carbs should be slowly added at least two weeks out.  (In other words, there is little benefit to a huge bowl of spaghetti on the eve of the race, especially in the absence of other preparations).  I always choose high protein, moderate carb and low fat options. (again, because I have already adjusted the carbs over time).  My favorite pre-race meal is actually raw tuna.

Wishing you all the best!

This is actually something I am trying to figure out as well. I know the bagel/peanut butter combination is beloved but am not a huge fan of peanut butter. I have done a bagel with a hard boiled egg some and oatmeal some, but am not sure if I am on the right path or not. For some reason race day nutrition kind of baffels me even though I have the rest of my diet down pretty well.. I even tried to search here for eggs and found nothing haha.