Inside Precision: The Science, Sweat, and Scaling Behind a Global Endurance Brand!

TOGETHER WITH PRECISION FUEL & HYDRATION

Good morning everyone,

Today’s interview with the founder of Precision Fuel & Hydration - Andy Blow - has a lot of great insights and gives us a unique, behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like building a renowned endurance brand.

But it could be better.

Our email format is perfect for getting a quick snapshot. But the required brevity doesn’t allow us to go as deep as we’d like. Right now, I don’t have an answer to fix it.

But in the coming months, we’ll be spending some time working on a vision for the Tempo’s next five years. Most likely, we’ll see the introduction of a fresh, new voice, more resources into our podcast, and some format changes.

• If you love the Tempo and want to offer your feedback. Please respond to this email, we’d love to hear from you ❤️

In today’s edition:

• 🧂 Inside Precision: The Science, Sweat, and Scaling Behind a Global Endurance Brand!

• 😖 Muscle cramp causes.

• 🏃‍♂️ And how to check your running form!

-Matt Sharpe, newsletter editor

Have a triathlete in your life who can't stop swimming, biking, or running? Fire this off to them. Forwarded from a friend? Sign-up for free.

TOGETHER WITH PRECISION FUEL & HYDRATION

Inside Precision: The Science, Sweat, and Scaling Behind a Global Endurance Brand!

Andy Blow is a sports scientist and former elite triathlete who founded Precision Fuel & Hydration after personal struggles with hydration and cramping. He tells us

• What it’s like to fuel a World Champion,

• His biggest challenge growing a global brand,

• And his favorite PF&H product!

You just helped fuel an IRONMAN World Champion -  How does that feel? And what does Solveig’s win mean for the Precision team?

It means an awful lot. There were a bunch of grown adults from PF&H right at the finish line in Kona, literally in tears and hugging each other because it was so emotional!

PF&H as a company was born from my struggles as a triathlete (and specifically from underperformance in the heat of Kona), so 21 years later, witnessing firsthand the winner of one of the most exciting IMWC races in recent memory using our products and wearing our logos was a real milestone.

What was the ‘aha’ moment that helped start Precision? 

As a triathlete, I always suffered while racing in heat and humidity. I never really felt like I executed a great race in hot weather (as compared to having many performances I was proud of in cooler weather).

• It turned out, it was mainly due to having very high sweat sodium losses, and a sweat test was what revealed that to me, and that was a real 'aha moment'.

Once I'd stopped competing seriously and was working with athletes as a sports scientist, introducing sweat testing (and then multi-strength electrolyte drinks) to match individual sweat loss better was the concept that grew into Precision Hydration.

What’s been the biggest challenge you and the Precision team have faced so far?

Too many to mention.

From the many and varied logistical challenges of running a global business shipping food products around the world, to seeing the business we'd built over a decade nearly decimated during COVID, it's been a journey!

An enduring challenge we face with such a fast-growing business is that each year, we feel like we just about get a handle on running this year's business (in terms of scope and scale) by December.

• Then January rolls around, and we keep growing, and next year's business ends up being bigger and presents a whole bunch of new unexpected challenges! 

How does a new product go from idea to race-ready?

Most of our product ideas start in the head of myself or one of the team. We've then made test versions of some of them ourselves in the kitchen, or in a test kitchen with one of our trusted manufacturing partners.

• Once we have a testable concept, we usually act as the first guinea pigs, refining the concept until it's ready to be tested in small batch production and packaging with a wider group.

More extensive testing follows (including bigger samples of athletes and also independent 3rd party lab testing), and eventually, if we're happy with the product, packaging, and performance, we go to market.

• This process can take anywhere from a few months for a simple product or new product variant to a couple of years for more novel products. And some get started but fail along the way, so it's definitely not a 100% success rate. 

If someone’s new to Precision, what’s the one product they shouldn’t race without?

The PF90 gel is a real staple in our range and (in my biased opinion) a genuine best-in-class product - it's essentially 3 regular gels in 1 pouch and works brilliantly for longer and harder efforts where you need lots of carbs quickly and conveniently! 

As the title sponsor of the 70.3 World Championships, what about triathlon makes it a strong investment for Precision?

As an ex-competitive triathlete, the sport will always be very meaningful to me, and it's the sport where we as a company have the most loyal and supportive customer base.

We feel very authentically involved in the Tri community, and whilst we love our expanding involvement in a whole host of other sports, we were born in triathlon, so it feels like a very natural place to keep investing. 

Which Precision product means the most to you?

PH 1500 electrolyte drink. It's super high in sodium (1500mg/litre) and is the product I needed (but didn't exist) when I was racing long-course triathlon 25 years ago.

🏆 Ready to fuel like an IRONMAN World Champion? Then check out the awesome lineup of PF&H products!

• And save 15% off your first purchase using code TEMPO-FUEL.

• Or, use this link and get 15% taken off at checkout! 

FAVORITES

😖 Muscle cramp causes: Muscle cramps can quickly take you from the race of your life to a devastating DNF. So what can you do to prevent them? Firstly, avoid these risk factors. [My Sports Science]

🏃‍♂️ Running Form Check: You might think your stride just “is what it is,” but poor form usually hides something deeper - weak hips, tight ankles, or shaky balance. This article explains how a few simple self-tests can reveal what’s holding your body back - and how you can move more efficiently! [RUN]

🗸 Nike renewed? Nike has been an iconic member of the endurance community ever since Bill Bowerman created sneakers from a waffle iron. But after poor performance has left the brand in a tough spot, could a new CEO, who’s left retirement, be the one to bring Nike back? [CNBC]

🐾 Most clicked link: In case you missed it, the most popular link in Tuesday’s edition was a video explaining the Long Dog Paddle swim drill - great for building awareness of your catch! (Thanks to subscriber Robyn K for this suggestion)

TEMPO TALKS PODCAST

Why is IRONMAN’s new Kona qualification failing?

And will the massive T10 overhaul have it ready to take on IRONMAN?

All this and more in the latest episode of the Tempo Talks Podcast!

Together with The TriDoc, we bring you the biggest stories in Triathlon,

• Training tips to make you faster,

• And breakdowns of the latest in sports science and performance!

Don’t miss a moment; listen to Tempo Talks on Apple, Spotify, and more!

QUICK NEWS

Savage start lists: The 70.3 World Championships start lists have come out. And there’s only one word to describe them…savage! [IRONMAN]

Strava folds: After facing severe public backlash, Strava has folded and dropped its lawsuit against Garmin! [DC Rainmaker]

HYROX Olympics? Swim, bike, HYROX? It could be your next race format, now that the popular fitness competition has been approved as a new World Triathlon discipline. The reason? A push for Olympic inclusion! [World Triathlon]

Sport shutdown: The latest casualty of the US Government shutdown? Boulder City’s Pumpkinman Triathlon! [News3LV]

RECENT EDITIONS

• Contenders collapse, Hauser historic at World Championships

• WTCS wraps up in Wollongong, plus: key triathlon muscles!

• Favorites falter, Lovseth lifts the tape at indescribable Women’s World Champs.