Race week sits a few days away. Your training log looks good. Your bike is tuned. Your wetsuit fits. But then you open your nutrition drawer and realize you have two gels left, half a bag of drink mix, and some energy chews that expired three months ago.
This moment happens to triathletes more often than anyone admits. You spend months building fitness, and the fueling plan falls apart because you forgot to order what you need. Or you ordered it too late. Or you bought a box of 24 gels in a flavor you hate because that was the only option at the local running store.
The Feed solves this problem in a way that makes sense for endurance athletes. The company operates as an online marketplace built specifically for people who swim, bike, and run long distances. They stock over 300 brands, including more than 15 exclusive ones, and they ship from their warehouse in Colorado with speed that matters when race day is approaching.
Here is how to use The Feed to get your triathlon nutrition sorted before race week, along with everything you should know about their shipping, product options, and support services.
Why Single Servings Change Everything
Most nutrition retailers force you into a corner. You want to try a new gel flavor? Buy a box of 12. Curious about that drink mix your training partner mentioned? That will be a full tub, please.
The Feed built their entire model around single servings. You can buy one gel. One bar. One packet of drink mix. This approach lets you test products before committing to quantities that will sit in your pantry for months if you dislike them.
The company explains their reasoning simply: variety between flavors and products helps performance, and nobody wants to eat 12 bars of the same flavor. Anyone who has bonked on a long ride because they could not stomach another vanilla gel knows this truth deeply.
For race week preparation, single servings let you dial in your exact plan. If you need 6 gels for the bike, 3 for the run, two packets of hydration mix, and a bar for transition, you can order precisely that. No waste. No guessing.
The Brands You Actually Want
The Feed carries the names triathletes recognize: Maurten, Skratch, GU, Clif Bar, Bonk Breaker, Honey Stinger, and Precision. They stock hydration mixes, protein powders, recovery shakes, energy chews, gels, bars, bottles, and packs.
What separates their selection is the curation process. Every product on The Feed has been taste tested by the company. They remove products they describe as “cardboard tasting bars and chalky protein.” They also conduct real-world testing during their own workouts to check if products deliver on their promises.
The company maintains a bias toward natural products. They also keep only a few weeks of inventory on hand, which means products arrive fresh rather than sitting in a warehouse for months before reaching you.
Getting Your Order Before Race Week
Shipping timing is where many athletes get burned. You place an order on Monday assuming it will arrive by Friday, and then Saturday morning you are scrambling because the package is still in transit.
The Feed ships from their warehouse in Colorado. For addresses within the contiguous United States, standard delivery estimates apply to most orders. Orders under 1 pound, or those going to APO, FPO, or PO Box addresses, ship through USPS and typically take 1 to 2 days longer than standard estimates.
Free shipping applies to orders within the contiguous USA when you meet the threshold. For subscriptions, free shipping continues on renewals of $49 or higher. Below that amount, shipping costs $7.95.
The practical advice here: if your race is on Sunday, place your order no later than Monday of the prior week. This gives you buffer time for any delays. If your race is on Saturday, order by the Sunday before. When in doubt, order earlier. Having your nutrition arrive a week early causes no problems. Having it arrive the day after your race causes many.
Feed 1st Membership for Frequent Orders
The Feed launched their Feed 1st membership program in October 2024. It costs $99 per year and works similarly to Amazon Prime, but designed for athletes.
The headline benefit: no minimum order for free shipping. If you need to order three gels and one packet of drink mix, you pay nothing for delivery. This removes the mental math of trying to hit a threshold when you need a small restock.
Other benefits include 5% Feed Credit on every order, which functions as cash back. Private sale days happen twice per year, in spring and fall, with savings up to 30% storewide. The flavor guarantee lets you swap products you dislike at no cost.
When you sign up, you receive 6 personalized bottles with your name printed on them. The company values these at $120.
Starting in early 2025, Feed 1st members gain access to Feed Concierge, a text-to-order service. You send a text with what you need, and their team handles the rest.
The membership applies only to shipping addresses within the contiguous United States. Hawaii, Alaska, and US territories do not qualify for the free shipping benefit.
Free Coaching to Build Your Nutrition Plan
One of the more useful services The Feed offers costs nothing. Their Feed Coaches provide complimentary nutrition support to athletes at any level.
The coaching team works together on the advice they provide and how they help people build nutrition plans. You can reach them by emailing hello@thefeed.com. Share your sport, what you are training for, and any preferences around flavors or dietary needs.
About 80% of customers prefer immediate answers through chat. The Feed aims to respond to every chat within 20 seconds with a dedicated person who handles one conversation at a time, not five simultaneously.
This service makes particular sense before race week. If you are unsure how many gels you need for a half-Ironman bike leg, or which hydration mix works best in hot conditions, or how to structure your nutrition around a 6-hour event, the coaching team can help you build a plan. Then you order exactly what you need based on that conversation.
How to Structure Your Race Week Order
Let us get specific about what your order might include.
For a sprint or Olympic distance triathlon, your needs are relatively simple. A few gels, some hydration mix for your bottles, and perhaps a bar or chews for before the race. You might order 4 to 6 gels, 2 to 3 packets of drink mix, and a couple of bars.
For a half-Ironman, the math increases. You will likely need 8 to 12 gels depending on your pace and bike time, multiple packets of hydration mix, chews or bars for variety during the bike leg, and recovery nutrition for after the finish. Some athletes also pack solid food for the bike, like rice cakes or energy bars.
For a full Ironman, quantities grow further. You might order 15 to 20 gels, substantial hydration supplies, solid food options, and recovery products. At this distance, variety becomes critical because eating the same flavor gel for 10 or more hours leads to flavor fatigue and potential stomach issues.
The Feed’s single-serving model shines here. You can order 8 gels in one flavor, 6 in another, and 4 in a third. Mix flavors of drink mix. Grab a few different bar options. This variety keeps your gut happy and your brain engaged during long efforts.
The USA Triathlon Connection
The Feed maintains a partnership with USA Triathlon that runs through 2025. When you join the USA Triathlon program, you receive an $80 credit to TheFeed.com to stock up on products.
This partnership began in 2024, though The Feed supported USA Triathlon through a smaller collaboration in 2022 and 2023. The organizations expanded the relationship based on the value provided to members and early success of the program.
USA Triathlon sanctions more than 3,500 events and races annually and connects with over 300,000 unique active members each year, making it the largest multisport organization in the world. If you race triathlons in the United States, odds are good your events run through this organization.
The $80 credit provides a solid opportunity to test products across categories. Combined with single-serving purchasing, you can sample a wide range of gels, bars, drink mixes, and recovery products to find what works for your body.
Behind the Operation
The Feed operates from Colorado, with offices in Broomfield and warehouse operations in Boulder. The company has grown 60 to 70% every year and is currently building robotics to increase speed and capacity in their warehouse.
Matt Johnson founded The Feed after serving as President of Slipstream Sports, which operated World Tour cycling teams including Garmin, Cannondale, and the EF Pro Cycling Team. His background gave him direct exposure to how professional cyclists used nutrition to gain advantages in training and competition, particularly in the final portions of races and during multi-week stage races.
Johnson is also an accomplished ski racer who has won a dozen Master’s World Cup races and was Master’s Super-G World Champion. His mission in founding The Feed was to bring the fueling approaches of World Tour cycling to every cyclist, runner, and triathlete.
The company has earned 1,497 reviews on Trustpilot. Customers highlight the product selection, website usability, and delivery speed and reliability.
Placing Your Order
Go to TheFeed.com. Search by product type or brand. Add single servings of what you need. Check out.
If you want guidance first, use the chat function or email hello@thefeed.com to speak with a Feed Coach. They can help you build a race day nutrition plan, then you order the exact products that plan requires.
If you order frequently, consider Feed 1st membership for free shipping on any order size and the other benefits that come with it.
For race week timing, give yourself at least a week of buffer between ordering and your event. Better to have products arrive early than to scramble at the last moment or race with unfamiliar nutrition grabbed from an expo booth.
Your training took months. Your race day nutrition should support that work, not undermine it. Order what you need, test it during training, and show up to the start line knowing exactly what you will eat and drink during the race.