Nutrition during competition can be the determining factor between winning that gold medal and not making it to the finishing line. For certain events, your body must be adequately fuelled in order for you to give you’re very best.

Goals of competition nutrition:

• Fuel the body for longer distance sports events

• Re-hydrate

• Sustain energy levels

During competition it is recommended that you consume around 30-60g of carbohydrate per hour. This can be achieved through eating a variety of carbohydrate foods such as sports drinks, bananas, jelly lollies, carbo shot/gels or sports bars. One bottle of sports drink will Provide you with approximately 30-40g of carbohydrate depending on the strength of the solution. Carbo gels/shots will provide you with around 20-30g again depending on the brand. Other options include, white bread sandwiches (no margarine, no crusts), fruit bars, sports bars, bananas, sweet biscuits & dried fruit are some other common examples. The cycle leg for most triathletes presents the best time to consume a variety of foods and refuel the body.

Fluids

You should aim to consume around 750ml of fluid per hour however, this will differ depending on your body weight, type of exercise as well as the outside temperature and humidity. In hotter temperatures, you may require up to 900mls per hour. During training sessions of over an hour, you should be taking 1-2 bottles of fluid with you in order to keep you hydrated. This should be practiced before competition begins.

Competition food ideas

750ml sports drink (Gatorade) 50g
750ml water
750ml ½ strength sports drink + 1 cereal bar 45g
750ml ½ strength sports drink + banana 55g
750ml water + gel squeeze + 2 small jelly snakes 40g

Important tip:

Make sure you experiment with sports drinks and gels during training. Because there is such a wide range of brands & types out there it is important to find one that meets your individual needs and agrees with your body.