Ironman 140.6 nutrition

What worked for me was what got me to the line.  In other words, I didn't change anything or do anything different before the race than I'd done in 2 HIM's earlier that season.  Traditional carb load the night before (not too much, and no red sauce - it tastes terrible with lake/ocean water when you burp it up during the swim).  I didn't over-hydrate prior to the race and had my usual fare of peanut butter oat meal, a banana and a G2, then sipped water and had a Gu just prior to the cannon.  Popped a Gu halfway through the swim.  Had a clif bar in T1 and popped a few advil and salt tabs.  Had beef jerky (salt) and gummy bears (sugar) in the bento box on the bike (not til mile 80ish, though), ate a clif bar every hour and chased it with a Gu.  Kept a ridiculously large candy bar in my SN bag and inhaled that when I got to it.  Had some more advil/salt tabs in T2.  On the run there is a buffet every mile, so be careful.  Limited my food intake on the run to bites of fruit and bagels and clif bars for the first 20 miles.  After that, I ate and drank everything in sight - because I could.  My recovery meal consisted of a very large beer and a Chipotle burrito.  I had my nutrition dialed in from training the way I wanted to race and it worked perfectly.  Stay hydrated - if you wait until you're thirsty to drink, you've waited too long.  Only you will know what works for you, though - through trial... and error.  Just have it done before you toe the line.  Good luck!    

x2

Night before is always sushi (kind of tradition).  The one race in four years I did not have sushi the day before, I ended up catching a stomach virus from my daughter and symptoms arrived about 4pm the day before the race.  I spend the better part of the nest 14 hours in and out of the bathroom, missing the race and struggling through the postrace party.  I am 100% positive I got sick because I didn't eat sushi. 

I go for lean protien.  I avoid the tempura and heavy suaces, but stick to the basics like a rainbow roll, tuna rolls, sashimi and/or a few pieces of tuna or salmon over rice.

Race day - on long training rides and runs I usually eat my breakfast about an 1:15 - 1:30 before my training session, so I want to keep it that way on race day even though I wake up much earlier.  When I wake up, I'll immediately have some coffee and hope to "clean the pipes", sip on sports drink and eat something light like banana or some grapes. about an hour and a half before race start I'll eat a PB&J and half a power bar, then see if I have to use the bathroom again.

Race start - one gu in T1.  On the bike, I drink most of my calories. I take off my hydration wing to save some weight & help aerodynamics (only two 20z bottles on board) and depend alot on course provided water.  I break it down like this:

1st hour - aero bottle pre made with gu20 and carbo pro mix to equal about 315 calories / 75 carbs

2nd hour - get water from 2nd aid station (dump into aero bottle) and drink water supplimented with one powerbar and 1 gu at the end of that hour (roughly same caloric and carb intake as my nutrional drink mix)

3rd hour - take the nutrional mix bottle off my frame and dump it into my aero bottle (again, about 315 calories and 75 carbs)

4th hour - repeat what I did ni the second hour.  drink only water, eat a power bar and take a gu at the end of that hour

5th hour - drink on course provided perform/gatorade and a gu about 30 minutes into this portion...should be getting off the bike in 15 minutes (ish)

On to the run: I carry a pwer bar and some gu chomps or shot blocks in case I get "hungry", but my plan is to take in one gel every 45 minutes, sip only water from the aid stations with the occasional sip(s) of cola

Oh, postrace.  Not that it always works, but it usually involves pizza or a cheeseburger and beer.

Night before: Pizza

Morning of:  Bagel with PB&J

Race-

Pre: 1 shot of redbull

Bike: Shot Bloks cube or Hammer Gel every hour + sip of Perform or water every 10min or so

Run: Water at every aid station and gel every 45 min or so until mile 15.  After that- broth and coke until finish. Also salt tab every 8 miles or so.

Dinner: 40 Buffalo wings and two beers.

I've done 1 IM, and kept my nutrition simple. Basically ate & drank the same as I did on my long rides & runs.

early breakfast of eggs, sweet potatoes, and a powerbar. Coffee!

pre-race : ate some chomps prior to swim, hydrated with salty gatorade.

bike : tried to eat & drink early & as often as possible. definitely feeding every 30-40 mins. perpetuem, gatorade, water, Gu's, powerbars.

run : Gu every 10k. gatorade/water on the aid stations. oranges and watermelon too...

post-race : hot food was available so managed to chow that down

Night before:
(gluten free) pizza or pasta, water.

Pre-race:
4 a.m. breakfast #1: (gluten free) oatmeal w/ natural peanut butter, coffee, water (430cal)
6 a.m. breakfast #2: 2 slices (gluten free) whole grain bread w/ natural peanut butter & honey (380cal), G2 (50cal)

Race:
Swim: nothing
Bike: Infinit Nutrition custom blend, 250cal per serving/6 servings (1500cal), Payday (240cal), salt pills, water 
Run: GU at miles ~7 and ~15 (200cal), sports drink at some aid stations (~150cal), Coke at others  (~150cal), water.

Post Race:
(gluten free) pizza brought to the finish line for me, Gatorade, water 

For me 

Night before:  Subway turkey sandwich some fruit and gatoraid (6').  Like most I am usually up the whole night before in the bathroom so I sip water and gatoriad (regular not pro) through the eavning.

Morning: 1 1/2 bagles with peanut butter More water and gotoraid ( no multigrain)

Swim: nothing

Bike:after 10 min 1/2 packet of shot blox and 1/2 bottle of gatoraid with a scoop of carbo Pro every1/2 hour.  2 peanut butter sandwiches in my special needs bag

Run:  can't do proform or gatoriad pro no matter how hard i try so I carry a 12 ox bottle on my back and mix my preportioned cadbopro (snack size baggies) with course water. Also a sodium tabs throughout.   I also like honey stinger chews  in my special needs bag

Recovery:  Sprite first 15 min  after that, i keep a container of chicken fried rice in the hotel fridge. Great scource of quick carbs, protein and sodium.  

I use all this in training so nothing is a surprise to my system.  

Test everything out and fine tune over training.

good Luck