According to a
story in the NY Times, U.S. athletes traveling to China for the 2008 Olympics will be bringing their own food. Does this mean that Ironman racers traveling to Hainan should do the same thing? Not really, but it does highlight the importance for pros and age groupers alike to be very much aware of what they are putting into their bodies.
The USOC has been studying food issues in China for several years and in one example tested a chicken breast purchased in a Chinese supermarket. It was determined to have been so full of steroids that the committee believed anyone eating it would test positive for steroids. Other food concerns include foods tainted with
insecticides and illegal veterinary drugs. Furthermore, the standards applied to
meat there are lower than those in the United States, raising fears of
food-borne illnesses.
Scanning numerous travel blogs and other user-generated travel sites, I did not find a significant number of stories about people becoming sick while in China. Then again these are generally not athletes and comments about GI aren't usually the things that come to mind when writing about one's trip--unless you are a triathlete that is.
The USOC's approach is to tightly control where the food from the athletes will come from and to supervise it's preparation. This is not a realistic option for most Ironman participants, even the pros. Thus they will need to fall back on doing their best with what is available to them locally. A few tips:
- As you get closer to the race become more conservative to what goes in your body.
- While you can't bring all of your food, you can bring some things (not perishables) that might not be available locally.
- Drink bottled water, stay away from ice, etc.
- Stick to the "nice" restaurants in "nice" hotels. Due to the generally reasonable prices on Hainan, this should be possible for most budgets.
- Have a plan for stomach distress and bring whatever medication that you use in such situations along with you on the trip.
Use common sense and have fun.