I have a Olympic Distance triathlon coming up soon and need some advice on what to eat during the race. In some of the other forums, i have been hearing that it is best to eat powerbars and gels during the race. Is there anything else that i should conisder? Should i grab a snack in the transition area? How much should i eat and drink for a race of this distance?

Your input would be greatly appreciated.

Tridude87

the old standby rings true here, but it seems like it's one of those things that doesn't sink in until you actually try it yourself.

dont eat anything new on race day. save the experiments for training. I ignored this rule racing the San Jose Int Tri, and had a Horrible run! My gut was all over the map. I never thought it could happen to me...

:D

I would treat the race day nutrition like a normal training day, except that you might want to eat more of what you usually eat. If it's coco-puffs, and that's what you eat every morning, then eat that, trying out a powerbar, or some kind of fibrous fruit shake, could give you the wrong kind of propulsion, at the wrong time. Enough said there. We've all been on those runs where the bathroom is just a mile too far away...

That's my take on it. Train with it first. Then race with what works best for you. The training days are your days in the lab. To test, refine and discover what works for you.

Hope that helps!

I agree with TDB. Don't try anything new on race day - you never know what's going to happen. If you have time to try things in training, this is what works for me. I take a gel coming out of the swim and going on to the bike. It's pretty early in the race to add fuel, but I get really, really hungry when I swim. It helps the transition. I avoid gatorade until the gel settles, then start taking some about 1/3 to 1/2 way into the bike. I keep another one handy for the run transition, but it's a decision based on how I feel whether I eat it or not. Usually yes. Helps you to finish strong. Good luck in your race...

Thanks for the input. Using a gel and a energy bar that i was comfortable with worked really well. I at the bar and the gel at the very beginning of the bike and had liquids (gatorade) at the end. Finished 1st in the age group (19 and under) and 39th overall.

Thanks again for your input, it was key to my performance.

Tridude,

Sweet! Congrats on the race. Sounds like this was your first Olympic distance race. That's great, man...