This study evaluated the competitive athlete's perceived nutrition knowledge and actual nutrition knowledge. A 22 question survey was developed and administered to 13 endurance cyclists and 14 endurance runners. First, athletes were asked to rate their perception of their personal nutrition knowledge on a one to ten scale with one being no knowledge and ten being professional level knowledge. Subsequent questions evaluated actual nutrition knowledge on topics of interest to athletes such as the desired carbohydrate, protein, and fat content of diets, common food/nutrient sources, the athlete's perception of the content of their current diet, where nutrition information was obtained, and barriers to changing current habits. Sixty to 70% of calories from carbohydrate, 12–15% from protein, and 10–30% from fat were considered correct answers based on research for endurance athletes. Fifty-nine percent (16) felt that their current diet did not meet their needs. Forty-four percent (12) athletes indicated an appropriate carbohydrate range, 22% (6) indicated appropriate protein range, and 74% (20) identified appropriate fat range. Only 33% (9) correctly identified foods with comparable protein content and 41% (11) identified alternate carbohydrate sources. There was a weak correlation (r 2 =.36) between each individual's actual and perceived nutrition knowledge. Sources of nutrition information were magazines (14), books (7), friends (6), and classes (5). Barriers to changing dietary habits most frequently identified were time (6), source of food (6), preferences (5), and willpower (5). Desired dietary changes included reducing fat (9) and protein (4) content. Several athletes reduced their initial score on nutrition knowledge after completing the remainder of the questionnaire. All subjects contacted the dietitian who administered the survey to find out the “right” answers. Five athletes were contacted and volunteered to complete a 24 hour recall and 2 day food diary. Results were evaluated using Nutritionist III software to determine calories, carbohydrate, protein, and fat None of these diets were deemed to be appropriate. Four of the five athletes' consumption data was not consistent with pervious estimates of their intake. Results indicate a weak relationship between perceived and actual nutrition knowledge, show the desirability of using magazines to provide nutrition information, suggest using surveys to create awareness of gaps in nutrition knowledge, identified nutrition knowledge gaps, and confirmed the need to question validity of individual's dietary estimates. Barriers cited may be useful in determining successful change strategies. This questionnaire needs to be validated using a larger sample of competitive athletes and has the potential to be modified for use with persons who frequent fitness centers but may not be competitive athletes.