Hey all, doing my first 70.3 soon and I’m soliciting gel/fuel recommendations for during the event. Trisports is having a 25% off sale and I think I should take advantage of it. Thanks!
Why buy expensive sugar when you can just use the sugar in your pantry? https://saturdaymorning.fit/
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Seconding the Speed Nectar recommendation. I use it for 99% of my activities.
I did order a box of Maurten gels to practice with for next year though. They’re provided on course, so it would be a lot easier to be able to grab them from aid stations vs. carrying my own stuff. I’ve tried running with gels in a belt, in a soft flask, etc. and I just hate it.
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Saturday all for the win
Saves hundreds if not thousands of dollars over time
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My pref for a 70.3 is to have gels in a flask (trisuit pocket, or bento)) or bottle (behind the seat), and have a bottle cage with water bottles BTA. This allows me to just grab water at the aid stations on the bike, and separate my nutrition and hydration (since on a hot day you will tend to drink more and eat less than a cold day). Having plain water also allows you to spray yourself for cooling.
As for the type of gel, you need one thin enough to flow through a bottle nozzle and that you like/tolerate. Personally I like GU straw/ban gels and Orange SIS gels (the SIS gels are bulked up with water, so you’ll need that bottle to hold enough). YMMV, so get what works for you.
Also, have a planB already thought out in case you lose your nutrition (ex. drop/launch a bottle). I had this happen (gel bottle launched on a bump) and didn’t panic since I knew at the upcoming aid station I was going to grab two packs of chews and a gatorade…probably cost me 30sec.
Thanks @Lagoon, @MrTri123, & @adgatri! 
@Argoman, we’ve done a number of reviews on our YouTube channel if you ever need an unaffiliated product review. We’ve done mostly drinks so far but have covered a few gels and chews. More already filmed awaiting production. Link is in my bio… I think. I know I’m far too late to be useful at the moment!
I am no expert and I am sure this can be done better/more efficiently/cheaper as suggested by others before me.
I use commercially available gels, both because I have had no problems with them, but also because they are easy to grab and store or bring with me when I travel for work (dump a handful in a bottle in the packaging and they go great as luggage)
For Training:
For drink mix I always use Tailwind - I mix up the taste and if I use caffeinated or not, but so far I have been very happy with Tailwind and not had any issues. For a long bike (2.5 hours) I usually drink 2 bottles with 2-2.5 scoops and then have a bottle of water as well + Gels every 30-40 min.
I dont bring any on the runs, but typically run in the morning before breakfast, so I tend to grab a cliff bar and drink one bottle of tailwind while warming up for 30 min on the bike before heading out for my runs. I hate running with water, but the area where I do most of my runs have a water fountain every 2.5k and if I go to the track I usually just bring a bottle of water.
As for Gels - in training I use a mix of GU, Maurten and SIS - whichever is on sale or what I can get the fastest (my local bike shop sells GU, so i use that if I did not plan ahead and run out) I used to train more or less exclusively on Maurten, but honestly you will get tired of any gel you eat 10-15+ of a week so now I try to mix it up a bit. I have also started using Cliff Blocks for bike rides - not because I think they are better, but just because eating gels all the time gets a tad boring.
For 70.3 racing I only use the running aid stations for drinks and ice and never used a bike aid station nor taken a gel from a running aid station - I can easily carry enough (4-5) gels with me for the run in my internal pockets or bento box on the bike and aid stations always seems like a mess with people stopping in front of you or trying to get back to speed without looking behind, so besides timing my eating to aid stations so I can use the trash zones I try to stay as far left as possible. (will probably change when I transition to full distance)
I use Maurten when racing - besides the last 2 gels on the run where I switch to SIS, both because i find the liquid texture easier to deal with during high exertion levels, but also because switching gives me a marker that I am almost done so need to keep up the pace - it is something to look forward to. I dont use SIS on the bike because the package is too long/big to fit 4 in my bento box.
I tend to have a Maurten 160 gel with me in my trisuit for the swim, I eat that running from the water to T1 to make sure I get some calories because I suck at remembering to eat on the bike during a race. Besides that just Maurten 100 gels (caff and no caff depending on where/when) every 30-40 min on the bike (+ tailwind) and every 5k on the run, the first one being a 1-2k after I settle in.
for races I also always bring 1) a Gatorade or other disposable bottle of energy drink to drink from transition to swim start - that way I can just throw it away when done. 2) 2 bottles of water that I put in T1 and T2 - don’t really plan on using them, but if needed I can take a quick swig of water before heading out, or run with it through T2 if I feel like I need it. 3) salt stick pills - I eat two before swim start and always plan on grabbing some in T2 but for whatever reason I dont always remember (they are in my ziplock bag with headband, gels and sunglasses)
I am no expert and I know I can improve my nutrition plan, especially on the bike, but this has so far gotten me through a couple of 70.3’s without too much fading in the end