What flavor Perform is being served on Bike Course?

Joe Matchette

Just curious what has been served so far this year out on the course.

Since all I can get in powder form is the Lemon-Lime, please (please!) tell me that no one has encountered the Orange Mango dreck....

GMAN 19030

I've had all three on various race courses. Lemon-Lime, Orange-Mango and Strawberry-Kiwi.

Cary Blanco

At IMLP is was Lemon-Lime on the bike course and Mango stuff on the run. The people at the powerbar booth at the expo said they like to do it that way so you don't drink the same flavor the whole day.

Joe Matchette

Thanks Bob and Cary. My biggest fear is that I will encounter the Mango on the bike course. I agree with one of our teammates who likened it to pig vomit.

I have an email in to Ironman asking what flavor(s) will be at the bike aid stations.

Cary Blanco

I drank a lot of the Mango on the run - I do not like the taste, but i HTFU'd and just drank it, it's an Ironman so if the hardest thing I have to do is down a sports drink that doesn't taste great, then so be it.

Also, it's all RTD (ready to drink), even on the run course, no powder, this may have it taste better or worse than what you're used to. I find they powder isn't as sweet as the RTD (lemon-lime).

Also, FYI the bottles ship to the venue without sports caps, the volunteers manually put them on before they are handed out on the bike course, yet another reason to thank them as you grab one.

Dave Mehl

This thought has crossed my mind a lot this summer - why does Ironman provide the RTD bottles and orange mango flavor at races but Powerbar does not make them available to purchase ahead of time to practice with? Is this just another way to "test" you during the race and all "part of the experience"? So much for "nothing new on race day".....Or maybe someone has found these items for sale and can share their source?

Cary Blanco

Powerbar does not make Perform sports drink in RTD form for retail sale any longer. If you see it being sold somewhere it's old, like from 2010.

They offer only the powder now, which to me does not taste like the RTD, just my $.02 - I drank it on the course (bike & run) and it worked for me.

I believe they contract someone to make the RTD bottles exclusively for the race events.

Al Truscott

I wish they'd go back to Gatorade Endurance.

Nate Parady

@Dave, I've wondered the same thing. I find it strange that I can't get it direclty from Powerbar. I suspect (and I'm no business man) that it has to do with how much they produce a year and how much they profit from that production . They probably know down to the case how many they need to support the IM year but don't want to risk the lost profit from thinking athletes will place orders for more throughout the year. I do like that I can order the lemon lime powder for a good price, but its not exactly the same as the already mixed stuff. Compared to your generic Powerbar, they aren't selling a lot of Perform.

Nate Parady

Al, I'm doing Chesapeake Man this year and they do Gatorade Pro. I'm enjoying it. I can get the powder, RTD bottles and in a pinch its also nice to be able to buy regular Gatorade and add a NUN tab to it to make it the same sodium strength as Gatorade Pro (close enough).
I've also found that what doesn't seem like a big difference actually is. Perform is a 20oz bottle. Nice easy math I know, but the Gatorade Pro are 24oz. We will see how it goes in a few weeks but I suspect I'm gonna like being handed a 24 oz bottle versus a 20oz bottle in terms of making sure I always have something to drink.

Dave Mehl

Yeah, I haven't seen any of the Perform RTD available even on any obscure web sites this year and I agree that anything you find wouldn't be "fresh". Nate, I'm sure you're right and it has something to do with profit and production - frustrating though for those of us who are trying to live off the course and want to practice with what's actually going to be served. Hopefully, like Cary, my body won't revolt at the slightly different consistency/taste/whatever. Nothing I can do about it at this point except cross my fingers.

Cary Blanco

Oh, I knew from my previous 2 IMLPs that I wouldn't like the taste of the Mango flavor that they give out on the run. But after viewing the nutrition webinar, I knew i just had to HTFU and drink it. By mile 7, it was just a natural thing to do: drink a cup and a half of the perform, move body to next aid station, get it done.

FYI - In 2010, the first year they used perform on the course, it wasn't on the market yet, it was not for sale at retail locations. So Powerbar sent a case of RTD perform to every registered IMLP participant (and probably other races). I got a case of lemon-lime to train with.

Joe Matchette

Here's the answer I received:

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Hi Joe,
Thank you for your email. Bike course aid stations are located approximately every 15 miles along the course serving a variety of nutrition and lemon lime Ironman PERFORM. Run course aid stations are located approximately every mile along the run course providing orange mango Ironman PERFORM. Both courses will also offer GU Energy Gel, GU Chomps, and Bonk Breaker Energy Bars. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any additional questions.
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Peter Wick

Umm, I'm not so sure about all those things they say would be provided on the run course. Maybe IMMT was different (or they all are) but I did not see those things. I remember water, ice, Perform (yellowis? cannot recall the taste), Coke, pretzels, orange slices and bananas. There may have been more stuff but I was kinda delirious for about 4 hours and 15 minutes of my 4:28:xx marathon last Sunday.

Paul Hough

I just want to say that all they had on the bike at Ironman Sweden was water or Lemon Lime Perform. My nutrition plan requires more than water but I really had to force that crap down. No wonder it failed in the general marketplace!

Joe Matchette

Here's a little bit more of our conversation.



Me:

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Ann,

 

Thanks for the info.  Sorry to hear that the Orange-Mango is what will be served on the run course......Have you all ever considered that it is a "problem" to serve that flavor as it is unavailable for atheletes to train with?  [thereby breaking the cardinal rule of 'nothing new on race day']

Joe

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Her response:

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Hi Joe,

 

 

We appreciate your feedback, and understand that athletes have a high expectation for Ironman events. We hope to continually meet, and even better, exceed athletes expectations as we continue to learn and improve with each event. I will share your concerns, opinions and suggestions with my colleagues. We always welcome feedback and take everything into consideration while planning future events.

 

 

Please feel free to contact me with any additional questions you may have. We hope to see you at an Ironman event soon!

 

 

Warm Regards,

 

 

Ann Parks

 

 

Coordinator, Athlete Services

 

 

World Triathlon Corporation

 

 

2701 N. Rocky Point Dr. Suite 1250, Tampa FL 33607

 

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[other thoughts deleted as I am trying to not be so cynical]

Dave Mehl

Thanks for sharing your emails, Joe. Maybe some day the mango flavor and RTD bottles will be available for purchase/practice. Like Cary did, I think my plan will be to just put the drinking on the run on autopilot, focus on getting the calories & salt out of it, and ignore the taste as best I can until I can't stand it anymore (then switch to coke). Who knows, after 6 hours of lemon lime, maybe orange mango won't taste so bad.

Joe Matchette

Posted By Dave Mehl on 22 Aug 2013 09:11 AM

Thanks for sharing your emails, Joe. .........Who knows, after 6 hours of lemon lime, maybe orange mango won't taste so bad.

At IMLoo in 2011, I dang near auto-hurled at the first aid station.  Luke-warm orange-mango was awful.  I have since switched to NAPALM, but really want to live off the course and remove as many moving parts as possible.  I don't see that happening this year.

By the way, in 2011, I corresponded with the Perform people.  I let them know that I thought it tasted horrible and should never be foisted upon unsuspecting triathletes again.  They asserted that "people love the Orange-Mango flavor".  I think the fact that it isn't available anywhere other than on the IM course says otherwise......