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How to Fuel an IRONMAN World Championship? Get Out of Your Comfort Zone!

Fueling an IRONMAN World Championship, when to replace your shoes, and are triathlon swims an endangered species?

Author

Matthew Sharpe
September 13, 2024

TOGETHER WITH THE FEED

Good morning everyone,

I’m now enroute to my first race in some time at 70.3 Michigan. I have great memories from last year’s race and northern Michigan is a great place to be this time of the year.

If any subscribers are going to be in attendance please don’t hesitate to say hi!

In today’s edition:

  • 🎢 How to fuel an IRONMAN World Championship? Getting out of your comfort zone!

  • 👟 When do you need to replace your running shoes?

  • 🐼 And are triathlon swims an endangered species?

Thanks for being here.

-Matt Sharpe, newsletter editor

Headshot of Matt Sharpe

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TOGETHER WITH THE FEED

How to Fuel an IRONMAN World Championship? Getting out of Your Comfort Zone!

Lauren Brandon (USA) is a professional triathlete and member of The Feed’s High Performance Team. After a 4th place at IRONMAN Cairns earlier this year she’s looking to nail another strong performance at next weekend’s women’s IRONMAN World Championships in Nice, France.

  • She explains how she fuels a hilly and challenging full-distance race, and how getting out of her comfort zone has taken her racing to new heights!

Want to save 15% off your first order from The Feed? Use this link. Or do you want $20 in Feed credit every quarter? Get free fuel here!

How would you describe your season so far? Have there been any key learnings or takeaways?

The 2024 season has had its highs and lows just like any other season, but that's just part of racing. I had a great race at Ironman Cairns where I put together a very solid all-around day with 4th place, and I got my slot to the Ironman World Championships in Nice, France!

  • I’ve traveled quite a bit this year which is one of my favorite things about doing this sport, and I’m just continuing to do my best in training and get ready for Worlds. 

Your next race is the IRONMAN World Championships in Nice. What does your training look like for such a unique and demanding course?

The Nice course is definitely a very challenging course for me as I prefer to get into aero position and go in a straight line :) Fortunately, I live in the mountains, so I have pushed myself to get outside more (I am someone that rather be on the trainer, lol) and tackle some new climbs and descents.

  • I also decided that I would come to Europe do a couple of 70.3 races and then stay over here and train in order to better prepare myself for the course. I am currently in Girona, Spain and it’s great for me to be out riding on the small roads and get used to the climbing and descending which is a bit different than in the states!

I will head to Nice about 10 days out from the race and hopefully get some more time practicing descending. Even though I know this isn't a great course for me, I am doing my best to get there as prepared as possible and I'll be ready to enjoy another day out in a beautiful place. 

How do you plan on fueling your full-distance race? 

I do my best to stick to a plan that has seemed to work well and since Nice will be a "longer" bike in terms of time, I will have to add some extra nutrition on the day. 

  • The night before the race I eat chicken and rice. I keep things very simple and try to eliminate fiber at least the day before the race. 

Race morning: I eat rice cereal with maple syrup, coffee, and a banana. While I am in transition getting my things together I am drinking a bottle of Maurten Drink Mix 320 and a bottle of Skratch Superfuel (lots of sodium before the race starts).

I might also have a Maurten Solid 160 bar and/or a Maurten Gel 100 if I can get it down before the race begins!

During the bike: I shoot for 90-100 grams of carbs per hour by taking;

I will most likely add a bottle in personal needs as well for some extra carbs since the bike will take longer than most other races.

  • I also take 2-3 Precision Hydration 250 mg salt tablets throughout the bike. At races with coke on the bike course, I might grab one or an electrolyte bottle- it just depends if I feel like I need more of one thing or another!

The run: It’s a bit tricky for me. Ideally, I would be taking in more Maurten gels, but I tend to struggle to get them in by that point in the race. If I can get in some more gels then I will, but I might try taking in some Watermelon Clif Bloks, which is a nice change for the body.

  • I will also take two or more Precision Hydration sodium tablets, plus coke and water. So the run is more just getting down what I can :) 

Have you had any past weaknesses in training or racing? How have you overcome them?

I think we always have things that we can work on in training and racing. Fueling has been a big one for me and racing the Maurten products seem to really be working for me. Staying healthy and injury-free has been another challenge, but I find that the most important thing is to be consistent, which means I rather do a little bit less each week, but stay healthy, then do too much and then need time off.

  • It's all a bit of a balancing act, but that's what I love about this sport, always continuing to learn and work on things. 

Since partnering with The Feed what's been the most significant change in fueling your training/racing?

My partnership with The Feed has been so amazing. It's been fun to try out different nutrition during training to see what I like (there are so many products out there!). I really believe that I have been able to stay injury free this year because I am fueling properly before, during, and after all of my sessions. 

Have any of The Feed products really surprised you?

I am enjoying trying the different Skratch hydration mixes. I especially love the cucumber lime flavor and the recovery drink mix.

When looking back at the end of the season, what will success look like to you?

These last couple of months have really been about enjoying the journey. I am very fortunate that I’ve been a professional triathlete for the last 14 years, but I am still learning and becoming a better athlete.

  • I have really pushed myself this year to try some new things and get out of my comfort zone more (such as doing a racing and training block in Europe), and so I am proud of that and looking forward to World Champs coming up!

FAVORITES

💪 High protein harms? Protein consumption guidelines have changed significantly in recent years. But in the pursuit of better health and athletic performance have we started consuming too much protein? Sports nutritionists say no, while kidney specialists are disagreeing! [Outside]

🏊‍♀️ A new era of swim speed: For years countless athletes have trusted Blueseventy to help them swim their best. And they'll be even faster in the newly redesigned Helix and Reaction wetsuits! Increased speed, better buoyancy, and Blueseventy’s unsurpassed shoulder flexibility. Head to Blueseventy.com to find your fastest swim yet. And don’t forget to save with “TEMPO20” at checkout!*

👟 New shoes who dis: You’ve been training in your shoes for a while now and they just don’t have that “pop” like they used to. So, when should you replace them? There are a few factors to consider beyond just mileage. [Triathlete]

🐼 Triathlon swim chaos: Are triathlon swims an endangered species? It’s a question professional triathlete Cody Beals has been dealing with as 4 of his last 5 races have had swims canceled or modified. He writes about this worrying trend and gives great policy recommendations to improve this issue! [Cody Beals]

*Paid partnership

REEL TIME

Nothing partisan about a great triathlon meme! 🤣

QUICK NEWS

New IRONMAN events: Big news from IRONMAN as they’ve announced three new races for 2025. IRONMAN 70.3 Boise and San Andreas. And a new full-distance event in England; IRONMAN Leeds! [IRONMAN]

T100 sidelined: The T100 Triathlon World Tour has canceled its Grand Final (rumor has it it was to have taken place in Oman). The new Grand Final will be held alongside the already-scheduled T100 event in Dubai. [TRI247]

Inspiring athletes: The “I Can” Triathlon in Troy, Ohio saw another successful edition as over 40 children with disabilities were able to swim, bike, and walk their way through an adaptive triathlon. [WDTN]

Blummenfelt to LA: After finishing a disappointing 12th at the Paris Olympics, Norwegian triathlon star Kirstian Blummenfelt has decided to shelve his plan of winning the Tour de France and instead focus on trying to win another gold medal at the LA 2028 Olympics. [Endurance Sportswire]

YOU SAID

Here’s what Tempo readers said about whether they were interested in watching World Triathlon race.

Reader: I do enjoy watching triathlon but sometimes it seems to drag on for too long - I think having all the disciplines roughly the same length (of time) would make it a more enjoyable spectator experience. Super league is a good example of this - different formats to ring the changes and short but fast and furious racing, all of which make it far more entertaining (In my opinion).

Reader: ITU and now WT is very exciting and the team announcing the races is always very good. They have set a very high standard.

Reader: The same racing week in, week out, all contenders come together during the boring (flat) bike leg for a run race. Great suggestions made by Tempo, time for somebody to listen. Add in a 10k bonus for a breakaway group of <10 to reach T2 (split amongst those who actively work in the group), this will ensure that a small group all commit to trying to stay away.

Reader: I love watching triathlon but don't usually watch WTCS races because of the paywall. I would definitely have watched Karlovy Vary but somehow missed that it was being streamed for free.

Reader: I don't know when the tri world is going to accept it but the sport will never be mainstream. Other triathletes will watch the sport on tv but the average American isn't going to sit down and watch a race the way they would a sports game or tennis match. That's ok, we're a niche sport with a small but passionate fan base.

Reader: I absolutely LOVED the Hamburg 2023 eliminator race. That was the best World Triathlon race I have ever watched. Yes. More entertaining than the Olympics. I was glued to the whole thing for what….2-3 hours. With so many different products right now, watching a World Cup race is kind of like watching division 2 British Soccer. You know the rules, it’s kind of entertaining, but you don’t really know who’s playing, and you don’t really care. A lot of the time you don’t know what these people are racing for. And sometimes they are racing for nothing, as their federation won’t select them for the big races anyway, so it’s 100% pointless ! Firstly make the ranking and selection process fair and simple, and THEN make a great TV product and narrative around it. I could go on all day...

WEEKEND RACES

Challenge Almere

Jesper Svensson (SWE) one of the strongest cyclists in the sport should use his bike strength to power away from the field. In the women’s race, it’s a tossup between Alanis Siffert (SUI) and Marlene de Boer (NED).

World Triathlon World Cup Valencia

Mixed Team Relay Olympic gold medalist Lisa Tertsch (GER) should have no problem using her run prowess to take the win. In the men’s race a trio of Spaniards including Antonio Serrat-Seone, David Cantero del Campo, and Kevin Tarek Vinuela Gonzalez (ESP) should all be in contention for the win.

IRONMAN 70.3 Michigan

Jeannie Metzler (USA) looks like the favorite to take the win in Michigan. But she’ll have to take on Olympian Summer Rappaport (USA) who will be looking to make waves in her first long-course race.

  • The men’s race is stacked with talent including Ben Kanute (USA), Jackson Laundry (CAN), and Justin Riele (USA).

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