Cooking for adventure racers is easy. If it grows or moves, they'll probably eat it. If you haven't yet gotten the hang of sculpting a tomato into a rose, this is the place for you.

Start your food planning by methodically going through the stages of the race. You'll need dinner for the night before the race, a snack before the race starts, snack-pack goodies, one main meal for each day of the race and a celebratory meal for after the race. You'll need liquids - water, energy drinks, juice, tea, coffee & hot chocolate - and possibly supplements.

Get the team together and discuss likes, dislikes, allergies and any other dietary peculiarities. Get their consensus on the important things like proteins (red meat, chick, fish, vegetable protein, eggs), carbs (white/brown bread, rice, potato, sweet potato, pasta), fruits, vegetables and sandwich fillings (cheese, egg mayo, peanut butter & syrup, tuna mayo, jam).

Take their meal suggestions for breakfasts, sandwiches and hot meals into consideration but go for whatever is logistically the easiest i.e. what can you precook at home and what can be cooked on the cadac using one pot. Keep your meals simple. You may need to remind them that this is an adventure race and not the Sandton Sun.

Find out who drinks coffee, tea or hot chocolate. Who has milk? sugar? Does anyone want coke or fruit juice? Find out what brands and flavours of energy drinks they want.

On the supplement side, I go for a daily cup of Berocca C. If the racers want other vitamins or minerals, ask them to provide the supplements and to give you instructions.

Plan your meals and write a list of goods and quantities to buy before you go shopping so that you don't forget anything. Consider the "hidden" ingredients you'll need i.e. sugar, salt, pepper and herbs.

Then, go shopping by yourself. Adventure racers in a supermarket are like kids in a toy shop - they're compulsive and impulsive.

Plan the quantities you'll need for each meal. If you will only need 500g of rice for a meal, only take along 500g. Also pack in one extra meal. Teams have been known to finish a day or two later than expected. Use your first race as a learning experience and streamline for future events. It is better to cook too much than too little.

Pack your groceries into labelled containers - with lids - instead of leaving them in their original packaging i.e. sugar. Keep your "kitchen" tidy and organised.

You're going to need some good cooler boxes, which double-up as tables and chairs, and a good supply of ice - or one of those fancy camping fridges you can hook up to your car battery.

Meal suggestions

Breakfast

• Tasty Wheat porridge - cooks in a few minutes and is great with sugar or honey

• Pronutro

• Yoghurt & muesli

• Muffins - they keep well for about 3 days and are perfect for the pre-race snack

• Fruit - bananas are a necessity. They contain magnesium and potassium, which help to prevent cramping. Don't go for soft fruits like nectarines and peaches because they will get bashed and bruised during transport. Stick with apples and oranges

• Cereals e.g. cornflakes, rice crispies, wheatbix

• Pancakes - great for breakfast after the race

Hot meals

• Butternut soup (freezes and keeps well) - good as a hot snack if they're only planning on a big meal later in the day
• Chicken stew with veggies. Serve with a mashed potato and sweet potato mix. The chicken stew can be frozen and then heated in a pot on the Cadac. Boil the potatoes at home. They will keep for a few days

• Pasta with chicken and veggies (freezes well)

In general, during the first few transitions, your team should only make quick stops to change equipment, refresh snack-packs and fill Camelbaks. You should not need to prepare a cooked meal for the first 20hrs and thereafter only one cooked meal a day.

Pig-slop type meals are the best. The last thing is having to balance peas on a fork. Stews with rice, mash or pasta can be thrown together, scooped up with a spoon and downed. Don't make spicy food. Although bland is boring, it works and won't upset any tummies.

Wrapping the pot in towels will keep the food warm until the team comes into transition. Remember not to heat the food up too much. They'll be eating fast and won't want roasted mouths.

Non-cooked meals (quickly prepared)

• Tuna and salad (cucumber and tomato) rolls (with or without mayo)

• Cold meat, cheese, tomato, chutney & lettuce roll (lettuce keeps the bread fresh)

Snacks available all the time

• Fruit and dried fruit

• Rusks

Liquids (available all the time)

• Water

• Tea, coffee, hot chocolate

• Juice, coke

Race liquids for Camelbaks & bottles

• Energade/Mega Load - Mix with water in 2 litre bottles to fill up Camelbaks. Don't premix the Mega Load too early.

• You may have to ask each team-member, at each transition, what they'd like in their Camelbaks and bike bottles. They'll probably vary the dilutions each time. After a few days Energade gets sickly-sweet if mixed too strong. Try to stick with water the whole way and add a dash of Energade or fruit juice for a little flavour and added carbohydrates. Straight water gets a bit boring when you're drinking over 4 litres a day. On the cycling legs carry a bottle of Energade your bike. You could also try a mixture of half water, half fruit juice like apple or grape juice. It is not as sweet as some of the commercial drinks and provides a good carbohydrate supply.

IMPORTANT

• Do not experiment with anything new, or any new concentrations, during a race. Always test evrything during training -- you do not suddenly want to develop stomach cramps halfway into a race! It is very important that you take note of how much each person is drinking. You have every right to give them a lecture on the importance of keeping hydrated.

Snack-packs

• Snack-packs, aka grab bags, really make racing fun. Make certain that your team always leaves transition with sufficient food in their packs. On a long leg, they may not meet up with you for over 16 hours. There is also the distinct possibility that they could get lost.

This is the only item that you need to remove or add to their packs each time they come in to transition. Check the pack you've removed to see how much the person has eaten. It is your responsibility to make sure that they are eating a sufficient amount. (It is also a very good idea to appoint one of the team members to remind the others to eat and drink enough on the road.)

The sweets can be prepared in big ziploc bags before you even start the race. Sandwiches must be fresh so make them between transitions. Don't get too creative - they'll eat whatever you give them. Tomato makes the bread go soggy and cheese goes waxy if it's hot. Bland food tends to counteract the sweet energy drinks -- your team may very well want something salty like a Marmite sandwich at transitions to get rid of the ever-present sweet taste. Wax-wrap does keep the sandwiches fresher for longer, especially over a long leg.

Keep a stack of sticky nametags to label snack-packs. Besides marking specific packs for each person, you can easily check who has and who hasn't grabbed their grub.

To make up a grab-bag: Pack sandwiches into sandwich bags and then place in a bigger ziploc bag, which already contains an assortment of sweets and goodies (see below). Don't overwrap the food, as your team will not have the time to battle with loads of wrapping while they are racing.

Snack-pack suggestions

Sweets: Go wild. If your trolley looks like you're catering a kiddies party, you're on the right track. Jelly beans, jelly babies, wine gums, fruit jubes, sparkles, frutus...

• Raisins

• Peanuts and other nuts - keep them separate from the sweet stuff. Salted jelly babies taste vile

• Energy Bars & health bars

• Chocolates (make sure they're in wrappers i.e. mini BarOne's

• Sandwiches (cheese, peanut butter & honey, jam)

(For all the other seconds out there, if you have tips you would like to share or questions that need to be answered post them in the forum and we will take it from there)

Good Luck!