Fueling Endurance - Nutrition for Runners, Cyclists & Triathletes

Whether it's a fall off your bike and a broken collarbone, or a runner's dreaded stress fracture, it's clear that bone health is important for endurance athletes. But what's nutrition got to do with it? We're joined by Luuk Hilkens, a researcher at the HAN University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands, who is doing his PhD with the Jumbo Visma Cycling Team, looking at nutrition and exercise st...

How does nutrition change when transitioning from age-group to elite athlete? And does the perception of how the pros do nutrition compare to reality? We're joined by elite paratriathlete Jeremy Peacock who made this transition in the last few years, to hear how his approach to nutrition has changed as an elite athlete compared to his age-group days.

We all see pro athletes online, and get an insight into what they eat, how much they eat, and the products they use. But should we try to emulate the nutrition practices of the pros, or use the same products to get better ourselves? We're joined by A/Prof. Greg Cox, who worked for 20 years with Triathlon Australia, supporting many triathletes from their junior days through to the Olympic Games. Th...

It's our 100th episode! So to celebrate we're deviating from the usual format to chat to Erchana Murray-Bartlett, who recently ran a marathon-a-day for 150 days straight. In doing so she broke the female world record for consecutive marathons run, covered 6330km from the northernmost tip of Australia back to her home town of Melbourne, and raised a heap money for the Wilderness Society. We chat to...

This episode introduces some simple but incredibly powerful add-ons to the weigh-before, weigh-after sweat rate testing process that will help you understand your results and what they mean, but most importantly, what to do with the results.

Elite distance runner Ellie Pashley returns discusses her experience with pre-exercise hyperhydration in preparation for the Tokyo Olympics, and how she monitors and manages her hydration on a day-to-day basis. 

We're back for 2023, and joined by Dr Chris Irwin (Griffith University). We discuss what being well hydrated before exercise actually means, how you can tell if you are well hydrated or not, and what to do if you're not. We also discuss the strategy of pre-exercise hyperhydration, and the results of a meta-analysis Chris and Alan are in the process of writing up for publication.

We're joined by Accredited Sports Dietitian Gaye Rutherford (Tasmanian Institute of Sport) from chilly Hobart, to discuss the concept of "outrunning a bad diet". We'll unpack this question, the mentality behind it, why it's probably not a healthy way to view exercise and food, and discuss how to reframe this question in a more positive manner.

It‘s the 2nd birthday of the podcast, and to celebrate we‘re summarising all of the previous year's topics in one jam-packed episode! From ”How do I balance eating for training quality and body fat loss?”, to ”How much carbs should I have during training and races?”, and ”How do I stop cramping?”, we‘ll provide 3-5 minute summaries of each of them to bring you up to speed on any you‘ve missed. Oh,...

A legend in ultrarunning coaching in the US, author, podcaster and running coach Jason Koop joins us for our special Episode 50. We discuss the evolution of nutrition in trail and ultrarunning, and what’s transferred over from cycling and triathlon. Jason also gives us a sneak peak of what the elite guys are doing in terms of their approach to race day fuelling and hydration, what we can or can't...

Dentist and ultrarunner Julie Savage joins us to discuss a topic that many of us may prefer not to think about. Julie explains whether sports drinks and gels themselves have a unique role in dental erosion and decay, whether exercise itself is the problem, and most importantly, what runners, cyclists and triathletes can do to protect their smiles.

We're joined this week by elite trail and mountain runner Blake Hose. Blake shares his experience with blood testing, what he's tested for and the feedback and value he's got from having bloods, and his thoughts on regular versus ad hoc testing.

Medical doctor and Sports Medicine Registrar Alice McNamara is back on the podcast. We discuss what blood tests can tell an athlete and their support team, what tests are related to nutrition for runners, cyclists & triathletes, and if athletes should get regular bloods for screening, or only when there’s a suspected issue.

Ultrarunner Martijn Doekes joins us to discuss his recent experience completing Alan's 5 hour sodium replacement study. We go through the results and how to interpret these, to determine the amount of sodium that needs replacing during exercise. 

Alan discusses his recently published research that uses existing equations to estimate the sodium replacement needs of athletes during exercise. We cover why sodium might be important to replace during exercise, what we're trying to achieve with sodium replacement, the factors that determine if deliberate sodium replacement is important or not, and how much we then need.

Aussie cyclist Neil van der Ploeg joins us again to share his experience with metabolic flexibility. We discuss the changes he made to improve his metabolic flexibility, why he did it, and how it worked out. 

Jeff Rothschild (Auckland University of Technology) joins us to discuss what metabolic flexibility means, when is it important, and his research which looked at what actually influences how our bodies use fat or carbs during exercise. A fascinating conversation with some common myths busted!

Elite cyclist turned triathlete Ben Hill joins us again, this time to discuss an issue he's struggled with most of his career. We discuss what Ben's done in the past to try and prevent or relieve his cramping, how his cramping changed from his recent transition from cycling to triathlon, and apply the questionnaire we discussed last week with Prof. Kevin Miller (Ep 45A) to try and identify Ben's s...

Prof. Kevin Miller (Texas State University) joins us to discuss one of the most common issues faced by endurance athletes. We cover what we know about cramping and why it’s so difficult to figure out the cause, the role nutrition does or doesn’t play in cramping prevention and management, and finding a strategy moving forward to help you reduce your risk of cramping.

Ironman World Champion in 2019 (60-65 yr age group), multisport master athlete Mary Mitchell joins us to share her experience over the decades of training and racing. We discuss how age has impacted her training and racing and her approach to nutrition, as well as the benefits that come with so much experience and years of accumulated training in the body.

Recently retired from Bond University, Prof. Peter Reaburn dedicated much of his career to studying the training & nutrition needs of masters athletes. He shares his wisdom about what changes in athletes as we get older, and how this impacts nutritional needs.

A researcher in supplements & performance at the University of São Paulo, Dr Bryan Saunders discusses what research has been done on creatine supplementation for running, cycling and triathlon performance, and in what circumstances might creatine supplements be beneficial or potentially detrimental for endurance athletes.

Aussie cyclist, coach and podcaster Cyrus Monk joins us from training camp in Germany, to discuss how sleep impacts his performance in training and during stage races, and the things he controls in his diet that help him to get a good night's sleep.

An expert in athlete sleep and recovery, Prof. Shona Halson (Australian Catholic University) joins us to discuss why sleep is so important for athletes, and whether the type, amount or timing of food and/or supplements can help or hinder getting a good night's sleep.

Ultra-runner Ash Daniels joins us to share his experience with gut training. We discuss why Ash did gut training in the first place, the process he went through and the end goal, the benefits he saw in just 2-3 months, and what he found easy or difficult in the process.