What to Eat - Last Meals Before a Sprint Tri?

It's all personal preference listed below are just some things I've found to work for me. Just remember the "Nothing New On Race Day" motto. I normally eat a lite meal the evening before a race, something like grilled chicken and a sweet potato. Nothing with to much fiber and I don't stuff myself, which can cause me GI problems the morning of the race or even worse during the race. I eat the pasta the couple days before.

Your breakfast can be whatever your used to eating before going out for training, if it works in training it should work for your race. I may eat cottage cheese, special K, banana at home before driving to the race site so that can be 3 to 4 hours before actual race time for me. I seem to have an hour or longer drive to most races. And of course I have to have my coffee.

I normally eat a hard boiled egg ( I know you don't eat them it's just part of my crazy race breakfast) 90 min before race time cliff bar an hour before race time and a GU or Hammer Gel 15 to 20 minutes before, of course I sip on water throughtout the morning, maybe even some Gatorade.

Of course I don't believe you need to put this much effort or thought into nutrition since it's a sprint, but it's a great way to practice what may work for you in the future if you decide to tackle longer distances were nutrition may play a bigger role.

I pack everything I can the evening before a race so the morning of the race is nothing more then setting up water bottles and cooler, quick meal, restroom duties, and getting a quick shower and hoping in the truck for the drive.

Get your sleep the nights leading up to your race, not the night before when you may toss and turn and have some nerves brewing, I never seem to sleep great the night before a race. I'm a morning person and never have to many issues getting up earlier on race day.

I like to get to the race site when the transition area opens so I can usually park easily, get my stuff all set and have time to use the rest room, do my eating and of course some warming up and light stretching. If I know other BT'ers are going to be racing I try to find them if possible to meet or say hi to the ones I know already. It's always nice to see someone familiar on the course, even if you just met them race morning.

Enjoy the experience and good luck if you did your training you'll be all set!


Edited by rottieguy 2008-08-31 3:28 AM

Just eat whatever you used to eat. Don't do any changes.
Sprint races are too short to worry about nutrition anyway.


Edited by doubleplay 2008-08-31 1:01 PM

HEED is a powder to mix with your water. Kinda like gatorade only the ones I have drank are all awful tasting.