Photos by Jennifer Ward Barber

Gooey gels and Gatorade may not be relics of triathlon's past quite yet, but they are facing some fiercely tasty competition. At this year's A-races, an Iron-Chef educated populace has made its preferences clear: multisport nutrition better taste good, too.

At the expo here at the Ford Ironman Lake Placid 2010, LAVA took stock of some of the newest products to hit the transition area and recovery zones. Besides the pasta dinners offered by every hotel in town, what are the athletes eating, drinking, and munching on in the hours leading up to the race? What can you look forward to trying at your own upcoming Ironman?

Erin Baker's Homestyle Granola

It's been deemed the official granola of Ironman. Whoever Erin Baker is, she must be feeding some very active people: per half-cup, the Ultra Protein variety has 200 calories, 8 grams of fat, and 8 grams of protein. In the average cereal bowl, that's enough to keep you going for at least a few hours.

In addition to the Ultra Protein Power Crunch, the official Ironman variety, the company also offers Double Chocolate Chunk, Fruit & Nut, Peanut Butter, and Oatmeal Raisin.

In full support of the sport, the company also sponsors a triathlon team, and runs the Healthy Start Foundation, donating thousands of their Breakfast Cookies (see below) to organizations and events all over the country that promote activity and healthy eating for kids.

Ojio Acai-Cacao Nib Snack Mix

With a product brand-new to the sports scene, the folks at Ojio have crafted some straight-from-the-source superfoods. Here at Ironman, they're sampling their delicious snack blend (containing dried bananas, dates, coconut, acai berries, and cacao nibs, to name a few), as well as their agave syrup.

The packets contained one of the tastiest offerings in the expo, and I went back for a second pack. It's great to see whole, raw foods creeping up on the popular processed sugar blasts—as much as I know I'd love them on mile 100 of the bike. This year, the company is also sponsoring Chris Werner in his 9th Ironman Race.

PowerBar Perform

On a much less whole foods note comes this years' race-course drink: the newest sports drink, PowerBar PERFORM. This line of Ironman-branded premium sports drinks developed by the sports nutrition experts at PowerBar was just launched last month.

Designed for athletes who take part in intense workouts, or who exercise in the heat and experience significant fluid and electrolyte loss, the new sports drink enhances performance by delivering essential electrolytes. The beverage, which doesn't require mixing, is made without the use of high fructose corn syrup. PERFORM is available in Lemon Lime, Orange Mango and Mixed Berry, so pick a flavor and try it for yourself.

Erin Baker's Breakfast Cookies

I f you call it breakfast, is a cookie still a cookie? Erin Baker's second claim to fame is a hearty morning meal, or, if you're a triathlete, snack. Depending on the flavor, one cookie contains around 300 calories, 6 grams of fat, and up to 8 grams of protein, and is made with whole grains and sweetened with fruit puree.

The cookies come in a huge variety of flavors, including Peanut Butter, Caramel Apple, and Mocha Cappuccino. There are also two vegan varieties: Chocolate Chunk, and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk. They're a chewy, satisfying, guilt-free reward to a long day of training.

PowerBar Energy Gel Blast Energy Chews

If all this talk of whole grains, agave nectar and gogi berries is making you yearn for the good ol' days, never fear: the candy is here. PowerBar has a new line of energy blasts for those who fear the gel: in these new energy chews, the gel is hidden in gummy candy. These quick shots of energy contain PowerBar's C2MAX dual source energy blend: a two-to-one glucose to fructose blend found to deliver 20–50% more energy to muscles than glucose alone. The blasts come in Raspberry and Strawberry-Banana. Beware: they're addictive, even if you're not about to burn three days' worth of calories.

Six of these chews contain the energy equivalent of one PowerBar Gel, and for this gel-aversive triathlete, a heck of a lot more enjoyment. But you can visit PowerBar yourself to read all the nutrition specs you need.

Wheaties FUEL

Last but not least we bring you back to cereal. This time, it's not homemade, small batch processed hippie food: it's Wheaties, made over (and more hard-core than ever) in black and orange packaging.

Just last month, Wheaties FUEL was chosen as the official cereal of the Ironman Triathlon for its ability to provide professional and aspiring Ironman athletes with energy-delivering nutrients like as complex carbohydrates and B-vitamins. The new cereal was developed with the help of Peyton Manning, triathlete Hunter Kemper, Kevin Garnett, gold medal-winning decathlete Bryan Clay, Albert Pujols, and sports nutritionist Dr. John Ivy. After a year-long development process, the result is a nice honey-cinnamon crunch that delivers long-lasting energy.

Per 3/4 cup, the cereal contains 210 calories, 3 grams of fat, and 3 grams of protein. Visit the product's homepage to learn more about its unique nutritional profile.