Actually, there are quite a few things better than sports drink, but here we are talking about our great yellow friend — the banana.
According to the Appalachian State University’s Human Performance Lab, the banana is rather better than the overhyped sports drink.
Research was carried out during a simulated cycling road race lasting 2.5-3hrs. The cyclists were fuelled with either a cup of carbo drink or half a banana every 15 minutes and performance was the same regardless of the fuel used.
Of course, there are added benefits from eating bananas, both from nutritional points and also financial.
More details of the banana study can be found on the Appalachian State University’s news site.
You can also get whole dried bananas which are very easy to carry. I just wrap a few in clingfilm and put them in my short’s pocket when I’m doing a long run.