interesting to see the variety of habits... we are all different and it's important to find out what works for you.  I run without eating, but if I'm planning to go more than seven miles, I take a gu at about five miles and every three-five miles after that.  And of course water in small amounts periodically.  So I also plan my routes to go past a public restroom at least a couple times during the run.

but for race day:  banana and triscuit crackers 1-2 hours before run time.  Since I can't sleep anyway, there is always time.  Plus of course I pack gu for the run.  I've done four half marathons and am currently training for my first full marathon at the age of 48.

I have the benefit of being able to wait until 10am for my runs so I eat a normal breakfast and let it sit for a couple hours.  However, for some cruel reason, races usually start around 7:30 or 8 so I just wake up drink some water, eat a bannana, and the 20 minutes it takes to stretch is enough time to let that settle.  Then you can eat a normal breakfast when you get back.  I have read that for best recovery: drink fluids immediately after work out, then stretch for 15-20 minutes, and eat your meal 30-45 minutes after that.

something else I thought of...

since I've been doing long runs (10-18 miles) on Saturday mornings, I've noticed that the quantity eaten the day before makes a difference.  So I make a point of eaten larger meals (healthy of course) on Friday.  One of the many benefits of running!

gu is actually a brand name... it's a high-carbohydrate gel substance (100 calories) that you ingest during endurance activities.  Lots of flavors available, with and without caffeine.  There are other brands out there, as well as chew varieties and liquids.  For me, I need something or I completely run out of energy after 90 minutes or so.