Since this is my first marathon, I'm not sure what I will be eating and drinking during the marathon to replace your carbs

I'm interested to find out what other people use (gels, candy, gatorade, etc.) Please share your likes and dislikes.

Be extremely careful with gels, especially if you are also drinking sports drinks, as they are likely to get to the finish line before you. This is not the kind of thing you want to learn when you are halfway through the event, and a mile from the nearest portable toilet.

When I first started participating in half marathons, I noticed that I would burn out around mile 10, so I started splitting a Snickers Marathon bar with my husband around mile 8. It made a huge difference. Instead of slowing down at mile 10, I was speeding up. In longer events I experimented with gels, where I learned some valuable lessons, the hard way. Now I prefer to get through my events with just sports drink. I carry a Marathon bar and a gel pack, just in case of emergency, but I've carried the same ones for the last 5 or 6 races. I'm a pretty slow runner, which is probably why I can get away without consuming extra calories during the race. I have more than enough body fat to carry me through ;)

Don't worry, I'm getting all kinds of advice on trying everything out before raceday. Thanks for the reminder though! I'll be trying out different things during my longer training runs to see what works. I'm doing the full marathon.

During a full marathon, I would eat a Marathon bar around mile 16. Before we got to Disney/MGM there were people passing out candy and pretzels. They were pretty good, but probably more for the mental lift than the calories.

My first marathon was in Honolulu. The sponsor was Japan Air Lines and the sports drink was from Japan. I could tell when I needed it, because it would taste good. I would drink until it started to taste bad, and then I knew I'd had enough.

The dietician with TNT said she used orange slice candy during the race last year and just let it melt in her mouth. Of course she joked that her teeth were probably rotting out and that she never wanted to see another orange slice!

Anyone else have a fave food during the race?

I've tried the gel blocks - yuk! and you have to eat 3 for the same benefit as a gel pack. Jelly Belly jellybeans has new Sport Beans that come in 3 or 4 flavors - I am eager to try them. On my long training runs I pop some Mike-n-Ike candies in my pouch and start to nibble on them around mile 8....the hardest part is eating one at a time and only one every mile or so..... If you go with the gels, remember to drink water (alot!) with them, not sports drink....And finally (sorry for the rambling), there are food stations on the marathon course with bananas and cookies, but be careful - solid food doesn't usually sit well in a tummy under those extreme conditions (double yuk!)

I usually have a Gu gel packs around mile 9 and 18 ~ with water, I alternate water/sport drink every water station, some asprin around mile 15 or 16, half a banana mile around 22 and some gummy bears for the final leg. The sugar at the end really helps me get to the finish. :)

I have tried the jelly belly sports beans, orange and lemon/lime both were very good, but don't forget and leave them in your pocket, not a pretty picture. I got them at an expo before the CRIM in late August. I havn't seen them at any store though. If anyone knows where to get them please post it. I like your idea of a snickers marathon bar, some carbs around mile 10 sounds like a good idea. The farthest I've gone is 11.5 miles and it was awfully draining, I think the carbs might make a big difference instead of just the poweraid, beans and water.

For a longer distance run like a marathon, I use gels for the most part. Make sure you wash it down with water, NOT sports drinks. If you do it with sports drink, you'll get way too many calories at once. For a marathon, I'd usually take a gel around mile 4, 8, 13.1, 16, 20, and 22 at the aid stations. I would also bring salt tablets or capsules (Thermolytes or Thermotabs), especially if it'll be hot that day. As you already mentioned, make sure you train with it. The biggest mistake is to race with something you haven't trained with.

For something shorter like a 1/2 marathon, you'll be good with 2 or 3 gels and water, or just sports drinks.

For my Ironman, I'll likely be taking in close to 30 gels, plus potato chips, maybe a pizza, hamburger, chicken soup and pretzels.