Kelly Randolph

Hitting stride at the Birkie.

CONSIDER ONE OF THE FOLLOWING winter endurance events: Any of them can provide the requisite motivation to train right through the upcoming dreary, drizzly months of 2001 and, since they all take place in worthy destinations, any could be the cornerstone of a sporting winter vacation. After all, we'd hate to see you erase all your hard work by lying around some overpriced ski lodge for a week noshing fondue. No thanks necessary.

*TRAIL RUNNING
Frosty Trail Challenge
February 10, Littleton, Colorado
Description: Run 12.5, 25, or 50 kilometers on the foothill trails of Chatfield State Park, through snow, slush, ice, and mud. 303-973-7575;
www.mwrunning.com

*MULTISPORT
Mount Taylor Quadrathlon
February 17, Grants, New Mexico
Description: Bike, run, cross-country ski, and snowshoe up 4,800 feet of trails, spread over 22 miles, to the 11,301-foot summit of Mount Taylor, then turn around and do the whole thing in reverse. 800-748-2142;
www.mttaylorquad.org

*SNOWSHOEING
Hawley Kiln Klassic
February 17,
Hawley, Massachusetts
Description: Flop your snowshoes around a seven-mile loop, racing up 1,050 feet on Parker Hill in the Berkshires. 860-668-7484;
www.runwmac.com

*MOUNTAIN BIKING
24 Hours in the Old Pueblo
February 17, Tucson, Arizona
Description: Grab up to nine team members and take turns racing for 24 hours on a 17-mile loop of singletrack and jeep roads near Tucson. 877-419-8506;
www.epicrides.com

*CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING
American Birkebeiner
February 24, Hayward, Wisconsin
Description: Join 6,000 Lycra-clad racers in the country's largest nordic ski marathon. Based on the classic Norwegian Birkebeiner cross-country race, the course winds 51 kilometers through the woods of Wisconsin. 715-634-5025;
www.birkie.com

*SWIMMING
Swim for Your Heart
March 4, Wailea, Hawaii
Description: A one-mile open-water swim race off Maui's Wailea Beach. Proceeds benefit the American Heart Association. 808-875-9066;
www.hawaiimastersswim.org

*ADVENTURE RACING
A Wasatch Adventure Race March 15­18, Sandy, Utah
Description: Two- or four-person teams endure 48 hours and more than 100 miles of trekking, climbing, flatwater canoeing, biking, and skiing deep in Utah's rugged Wasatch Range. 801-558-6626;
www.highmountains.com

*ALPINE SKIING
Life-Link/Dynafit
Randonnée Rally March 17,
Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Description: Slap some climbing skins on your split-board or your randonnée, alpine, or telemark skis (skins are the only requirement), then cruise up and schuss down through a series of checkpoints on the resort's steepest terrain. 800-443-8620;
www.life-link.com

Field Test SPORT GELS Before any of the new high-tech, quick-fix energy gels arrived on the sports-nutrition scene, coaches had a simpler formula: Give the players a little honey. Abandoned like bell-bottoms in the seventies when nutritionists suggested its high sugar content could cause a performance crash, this forgotten player is now trying to get back in the game. Earlier this year the National Honey Board issued a series of press releases touting honey's benefits as a pre-workout energy source. And a study examining honey's performance-enhancing effects on cyclists is due out this month. Curious to see if the buzz about honey will stick, we lined it up against some of the competition. —Dan Oko
PRODUCT	VARIETALS	TASTE	CARBS/ PROTEIN/FAT	SECRET INGREDIENTS	THE WALLOP, EXPLAINED	CONSUME IT WHEN...
Honey	Orange blossom, creamed, clover, countless (new!) regional varieties like Pure Texas Honey	Pure Texas Honey: Benefits from a flowery nose, providing the fresh essence of bluebonnets. Thicker and stickier than bona fide gels, and sweeter for it.	27g/0g/0g (32g serving)	Bee feces, bug parts	High levels of natural sugars convert easily to energy; trace minerals reduce toxins left behind in muscles.	Running, weightlifting, snacking on tea and crumpets
GU	Vanilla Bean, Choco-late Outrage, Tri Berry, Orange Burst, Just Plain GU, Banana Blitz	Vanilla Bean: Has the telltale bouquet of true vanilla with a creamy caramel flavor. Viscosity diminishes with heat; serve chilled if possible.	25g/0g/0g (32g serving)	Proprietary "GU Herbal Blend," including astragalus, chamomile, cola-nut extract, and ginseng	GU's glucose polymers help maintain blood sugar levels during long workouts.	Mountain climbing, skiing, working a late night to beat a deadline
Clif Shot	Mocha Mocha, Viva Vanilla, Razz Sorbet, Peanut Buzz, Cocoa Peanut	Viva Vanilla: Enigmatic nose despite simple ingredients. Smells a little like custard. Chilled sample has toffeelike consistency but goes down more smoothly at room temperature.	24g/0g/0g (32g serving)	Brown rice syrup, sea salt	Electrolytes such as potassium and magnesium help metabolize complex carbohydrates.	On epic bike rides, when your grocer is out of Ben and Jerry's
Power Gel	Tangerine, StrawBerry Banana, Chocolate, Vanilla, Tropical Fruit, Lemon-Lime	Vanilla: A mild nougat with a nutty tang and milky appearance. Texture holds together under scorching conditions and partially solidifies in extreme cold. A fine paste in all environments.	28g/0g/0g (41g serving)	Proprietary "PowerBar Amino Acid Blend," including isoleucine and valine	Added caffeine lends boost to simple- and complex-carbohydrate formula.	Your PowerBars have (pick one): melted/frozen/ gotten lodged in your small intestine.
Duncan Hines Frosting	Vanilla, Chocolate, Buttercream, Cream Cheese, Caramel, Wild Cherry Vanilla	Vanilla: Butter rolled in sugar. Teeth-rotting sweetness enhanced by slight granular feel. Serve at room temperature; spreads like wet concrete when frozen.	22g/0g/5g (32g serving)	Sugar, vegetable shortening, and yellow number five	21 grams of sugar produces manic rush-and-crash effect.	Competing in the Iditarod, attending birthday parties