By Coach Brendon

Ironman, Coast to Coast and 1/2 Ironman Nutrition

As we start to approach the summers longer races I thought that I would give everyone some advice on how to get their nutrition right for these events. Race day nutrition is so important that we strongly recommend that our Ironman, Coast to Coast, and half Ironman athletes come in and discuss their plan with us. We have refined the nutrition plans over last few years to the point where the number of problems on race day are very few indeed.

I have seen a great number of very fit individuals fall apart in long distance races because they got their nutrition wrong. Yes I have been there myself! So what do you need to do to ensure that this does not happen to you. Firstly you need to have a system for refining what you plan to use when racing. That system usually goes something like this:

Work out what you need to consume in the way of water and energy every 15minutes on the bike and run. Go riding and running and try it out. Modify until you are happy.

If any of the following happen take note and change your plan:

1) You feel nauseous but your stomach is not full
What this means: The concentration of energy or carbohydrate (can be different) is probably too high
What to do: Try drinking more water (most likely solution) or dilute down your sports drink or eat a bit less solid food. Some liquid supplements may cause this type of problem so you can also try some solid foods with a sports drink. The safest product with years of research and millions of years of evolution behind it is the good old "Ripe" Banana. Note never eat green Bananas they will only make you feel ugly!

2) Your stomach is bloated
What this means: You are drinking too much per hour or your concentration of energy in your stomach is slowing down the emptying.
What to do: Either drink a bit less or dilute your sports drink.

3) You run out of energy but your legs are fine
What this means: You are Stuffed!
What to do: Next time eat a bit more or if you had problems 1 or 2 as above you may need to slow your pace down. Another possibility was that you went too fast at the start so check your pacing (can be done with a HRM).

4) You get cramp and you are well hydrated (several pit stops on the bike)
What this means: You are drinking too much
What to do: Drink Less

Where to start with fluids?

A good place to start for a 12 hour Ironman athlete is about 750mls/hr. In training you may find that you are going to have to visit a lot of gas stations (you will sweat a great deal more in the race). That's OK what we are trying to establish here is an idea as to how much your body can safely process.

Where to start with food?

A good place to start for a 70kg 12 hour triathlete is one banana and 750mls of sports drink (6.5-8%) per hour. That will provide about 75g of carbohydrate per hour.

Generally when running you will be able to consume 80% of the fluid that you were consuming while biking. That means that if you were having 750mls/hr biking you will be looking at around 600mls/hr running and I would recommend that you consume a small amount of solid foods.

One final point. Once you have your race nutrition worked out don't make the mistake of listening to all the 'Experts' on your Sunday ride. If it works for you stick to it.

If you'd like help with a nutrition plan for your racing season, visit our Endurance Nutrition page here.

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