We all know that triathlon can be an expensive sport.  You need equipment that can be costly.  Race entry fees can run into the multiple hundreds of dollars, and travel costs add to that. Even little things can add up quickly.

I was reading a thread today on the Triathlon Forum on Slowtwitch today about making your own nutrition mixes. It had never crossed my mind that I could make my own nutrition blend, by buying bulk ingredients online, and mixing them together myself.

The basic idea behind the thread was that, the ingredients for a nutrition powder like the one that I use, are well known and common across most brands.  There are many scientific papers about what ratios of the various ingredients are most effective. Using this science, it is quite easy to make your own product.

So I can save some money by making my own blends. I can also tweak the blend frequently, to dial in a mix that works for me.  The question becomes, is it worth the hassle?

It was when I read one comment in the thread, that I realized it might actually be worth doing this.  This comment said that, using commercial blends, most triathletes are easily spending about $10-$12 dollars on nutrition, for a single 3-4 hour training ride.  I was shocked. I had never done this math before, but it was correct.  No wonder I always get frustrated when I need to buy more nutrition. This is an expensive sport.

I am not sure how much money I can save by making my own blend, but I plan to look into it.  I will keep you updated with what I find out.