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'24 IM Chattanooga - How I fueled my amateur female win



It's been 18 years since my first Ironman. Eight days ago I completed my 20th Ironman (23rd long distance triathlon) in Chattanooga and it was my best-ever Ironman day in terms of speed and power on the bike and pace on the run.
At the age of 42 years, I feel incredibly strong and healthy. I contribute much of my continued success in long distance triathlon to the understanding and application of sport nutrition and nutrient timing.

Although there have been several significant advancements in the science of sport nutrition over the past few years which have contributed to faster race performances, I've kept three things the same with my training and race day fueling.......

⚡KEEP IT SIMPLE - my fueling and hydrating strategy is simple (and easy to tweak depending on the weather/distance). It's not complicated, it requires little thinking, it's easy to digest/absorb and I can stick to my strategy on any terrain or in any weather conditions.

⚡LESS IS BEST - more nutrition than what your body needs (or can digest) will not give you more energy. The goal is to fuel for the effort that you are trained to do (not the effort you wish you could do).

⚡PRACTICE - I never train underfueled/underhydrated. I fuel similar before and during my long training sessions as I do on race day. This trains my gut, builds my confidence and helps take away the guessing on race day. I know what my body needs (and when) and how to troubleshoot if something feels off in my body.

Don't wait too late to master your fueling and hydration for your long distance event.