Well after a lot of research and some trial and error on my part I know that for myself that any training run over four miles I need to take some sort of nutrition and water with me. I don't really need the water, but if you are going to be eating some of the carb dense food that runners have with them it is best to take it with water to help absorption. I run with a hydration pack from a company called Osprey. I have run with Camelbak before and it wasn't nearly as comfortable and the Osprey.
That is the pack I run with. It has a lot of pockets for different nutrition and even has a holder for my phone. Now there are a lot of different packs, water bottles and water belts out there I suggest finding something that works for you.
Now that we have water taken into account next it to find some nutrition that works for you. They range from gels to gummies and even little waffles. The place to find these are most outdoor or running stores. Places like REI, Dick's and your local running stores. The makers are all brands that anyone in the fitness industry will have heard of before and even some brands that aren't normally fitness oriented. Brands like Cliff, Power bar and even Jelly Belly are to name a few. There are other's that aren't nearly as well known, but I suggest going out and buying a few different brands and see which ones you like.
Now before a long run you should eat something that is high in carbs, but low in fiber. You don't want to have to stop for a bathroom break during the run. Things like oatmeal, bagel or even cereal are great things to eat before a long run or event.
I have personally tried several different things as race food and I'm going to talk about them below.
Gu Gel Shots: These are 100 calories of basically sugar. The first time tasting one the texture was fairly off putting, but it could have been the flavor or salted caramel. I have since tried the Kiwi Strawberry and Fudge. Both of the later tasted fine, but again the texture is different.
Gu Chews: These are also 100 calories of sugar, but they are in a gummy chew form. The texture was not as off putting as the Gel's. The flavors that I have tried so far are quite tasty, but the only problem was that after 6+ miles the act of chewing felt daunting. Also the gummies got stuck in my teeth so I had to pick them while running. Multiple flavors
Cliff Blocks: These are a lot like the Gu Chews except they are 100 calories per serving and there are two servings in a stick. In the end the taste and texture are the same as the chews, even down to getting stuck in my teeth. It was nice that when I did an 8 mile run I only had to take these one nutrition instead of two of something else. Multiple flavors
Jelly Belly Sports Beans: These things were amazing to eat. Just like their candy cousins only high calorie and caffeinated. These were also difficult to chew while on the run, but the tastes almost made up for it. They are also 100 calories, but have caffeine in them as well, for a pick me up. Multiple flavors.
Honey Stinger Energy Waffle: These things are delicious as well. They are more calories (110) and take some effort to eat. They didn't seem to get stuck in my teeth as much as the blocks and chews. They do seem to break up in the package during a run so you don't get the full circle and have to try and dump the last bits in your mouth while running. Multiple flavors.
There are more that I haven't tried yet as I am only just barely starting my training prep for a half marathon distance OCR, but as I try more I'll update this post with more info. Also it is probably best to bring a variety with you on because if you eat to many of a certain type of energy food it could cause diarrhea.
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