can't stand gels

[salsabike]

luna moons also good.

[colby]

Whatever you can eat on the go. Some of the gels have pretty nasty taste+texture, but if you've tried several brands (Gu, hammer, powergel, etc) I'd just try something else. I can't chew bloks/chomps at that pace, but sharkies and Luna moons and Sport Beans are much smaller.

For Real Food (tm), bananas are also a good choice.

As Oak suggested, the other option is sports drink. The advantage is you can get water+drink in one bottle if it's not mixed too strong. You might not need to worry too much about precise calorie intake depending on how long you expect the race to take.

Good luck!

[kermit]

Gu chomps...love em.

[alexis_the_tiny]

For a sprint distance tri, depending on your body, you could probably get away with a sports drink and maybe something to eat if your stomch gets growly. Sports beans are a nice. There's also Lara Bars, these raw food bars that taste really clean and go down easy. Mars bars, oreos or brownies are definitely edible and can give a nice energy boost if you don't mind the sugar content.

[gromit68]

So what kind of drink mixes are you talking about? I use Accelerade(?) after I run or bike. Is that something to drink while doing the event? Or should it be something along the Gatorade line? I'm thinking it will take 2-2 1/2 hours for the race. I'm a slow swimmer and runner.

[OakLeaf]

I use HEED, myself, but it's all what your body can tolerate. Doesn't Accelerade have a product that's meant to be used during the event/workout?

[colby]

I use HEED, myself, but it's all what your body can tolerate. Doesn't Accelerade have a product that's meant to be used during the event/workout?

I use Accelerade itself during long distance races/workouts, in and of itself it's just a sports drink with protein. They also have an "Accelerade Hydro" drink that I think doesn't have the protein, or something (haven't tried it). That would work if you can tolerate it. I only eat on the bike so I don't have to eat on the run, or maybe use the Accelerade/something on the bike and then sharkies/moons/beans on the run if you need some fuel, since it's much harder to carry sports drink.

I also like HEED for short distances, several races around here use it on the run. A lot of people I know use nuun (less/no sugar) but I haven't tried it during a race yet - I have been Sticking With What Works.

[marni]

FRS ( free radical scavenger) a sports/electrolyte/all natural energy drink in powder form also makes a chewable candy very similar in texture to starburst candies. I love them and the FRS powder- that's all I generally use although I do keep two gu packets in case of emergency and if I have to use them, I swallow the thing in one big gulp just to get past the texture.

marni