Episode 209 -Why Training Hard Isn’t Enough – Lessons from Triathlete Brent Saltmarsh

Why Training Hard Isn’t Enough – Lessons from Triathlete Brent Saltmarsh

Training like a pro but still cramping, bonking or blowing up on race day?

This week, I chat with Triathlon Nutrition Academy athlete Brent Saltmarsh – a retired army veteran who thought grit alone could carry him through endurance sport. Spoiler alert: it didn’t.

We dive into the classic fuelling mistakes that led to a gut shut-down mid-Ironman, the changes he’s made since joining TNA and how he’s now hitting PBs cramp-free, with more energy and confidence than ever.

If you’ve been winging your nutrition or wondering why your performance doesn’t match your training load, this is your wake-up call.

Links:

Check how well you’re doing when it comes to your nutrition with our 50 Step Checklist to Triathlon Nutrition Mastery

Start working on your nutrition now with my Triathlon Nutrition Kickstart course 

It’s for you if you’re a triathlete and you feel like you’ve got your training under control and you’re ready to layer in your nutrition. It's your warmup on the path to becoming a SUPERCHARGED triathlete – woohoo!

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Episode Transcription

Episode 209: Why Training Hard Isn’t Enough – Lessons from Triathlete Brent Saltmarsh

Welcome to the Triathlon Nutrition Academy podcast. The show designed to serve you up evidence-based sports nutrition advice from the experts. Hi, I'm your host Taryn, Accredited Practicing Dietitian, Advanced Sports Dietitian and founder of Dietitian Approved. Listen as I break down the latest evidence to give you practical, easy-to-digest strategies to train hard, recover faster and perform at your best. You have so much potential, and I want to help you unlock that with the power of nutrition. Let's get into it.

Taryn Richardson (00:00)
Today’s guest is one of our Triathlon Nutrition Academy athletes, Brent Saltmarsh. Brent recently retired from 30 years of service in the army and has thrown himself headfirst into endurance sport. His 2025 race calendar is stacked, from half marathons and trail runs to Sunny Coast 70.3, Noosa Olympic Distance, and his A race at Busselton Ironman later in December.

When Brent first joined the Triathlon Nutrition Academy program, his goal was simple but powerful: no-nonsense education to finally get his training, body, and fuelling working together. Like many athletes, especially with an army background, he had a “push harder, burn the candle at both ends” mentality. That approach backfired. Training hard, combined with poor nutrition, left him with cramping, inconsistent performances, and plenty of frustration.

We’re now halfway through his program, and Brent has already seen huge shifts in how he feels and performs. Today, he’s here to share some of the mistakes he’s made, the bad online advice he followed, and the wins he’s experiencing now. Brent, welcome to the podcast.

Brent Saltmarsh (01:38)
Thanks for having me, Taryn. Appreciate it.

Taryn (01:40)
I’m excited to dive into the “silliest things you thought were good, but weren’t.” Before that, can you give listeners a quick background on who you are and how you got into triathlon?

Brent (01:44)
Sure. I’m 49, a dad of two older boys, and only started triathlon in 2019 after years of army life and other sports. Swimming was my background; cycling felt like a foreign language. I was drawn to the endurance side of triathlon because I’ve always loved pushing limits, very much a defence thing. I enjoy the training almost as much as the racing itself. It’s an expensive sport, but it’s incredibly rewarding.

Taryn (02:46)
How many years have you been in the sport now?

Brent (03:05)
My first triathlon was the Luke Harrop Memorial Sprint on the Gold Coast in 2019. I didn’t know what I was doing, numbers upside down, swim cancelled, but I was hooked straight after. The endorphins at the finish line were like nothing else.

Taryn (04:25)
Now that you’re retired from the army, you have the luxury of more training hours. But you’ve learned nutrition is just as important as the training. What were some of the big mistakes you made before joining TNA?

Brent (04:38)
The biggest one: thinking I could out-train a bad diet. I’d eat whatever I wanted, assuming training would cancel it out. As I got older, recovery and injuries proved otherwise. Cramping became a massive issue. I also followed bad online advice and tried fuelling strategies that didn’t suit me at all, like choking down a caffeine gel mid-race that destroyed my stomach.

Taryn (08:42)
Was there a turning point that made you realise nutrition really is the fourth leg of triathlon?

Brent (09:06)
Yes. During a marathon in 2021, I cramped badly from the 26k mark. At Cairns Ironman, I cramped from 100k on the bike all the way through the marathon. It was horrendous. I’d trained hard, but poor fuelling destroyed my race. That was the big “bell moment” when I knew something had to change.

Taryn (12:29)
So now you’ve had races without cramps. What’s shifted for you?

Brent (13:46)
The biggest change has been learning what foods actually work for me. Fibre was wrecking my stomach mid-race. Once I fixed that, everything improved, no more bloating, no more mid-race toilet stops. My energy and confidence are miles ahead. For the first time, I’ve raced half marathons and a marathon without a single cramp.

Taryn (18:45)
How has that changed your confidence heading into Sunny Coast 70.3 and Busselton Ironman?

Brent (19:11)
It’s through the roof. Before, I just tried to “hang on” and survive races. Now, I can actually race them. I know I can push harder on the bike and still run strong. The fear of cramping isn’t hanging over me anymore.

Taryn (21:03)
What’s the bigger picture after Busso? Kona?

Brent (21:24)
Kona feels out of reach for now, but I’d love to chase sub-11 hours this year and eventually get closer to 10. More importantly, I want to do this sport for decades. Seeing 80- and 90-year-old athletes out there inspires me.

Taryn (26:27)
What advice would you give another triathlete who’s like you were, training hard but with no nutrition plan?

Brent (26:42)
Don’t wing it. Training will only take you so far. Nutrition has been the game changer for me, better sleep, better recovery, stronger back-to-back training, and no bonking at the end of long sessions. Getting expert help has made a world of difference.

Taryn (29:05)
If you could give pre-TNA Brent one piece of advice, what would it be?

Brent (29:14)
Be open to learning from people who do this for a living. Don’t assume online advice applies to you. And fibre is not your race-day friend.

Taryn (30:16)
Brent, thank you so much for being open and sharing your journey. Your story is such a reminder that training hard isn’t enough. When you get fuelling right, everything improves, from racing to family life. If you’re listening and can relate, maybe it’s time to do what Brent did and sort your nutrition once and for all. That’s exactly what we do inside the Triathlon Nutrition Academy.

Brent, where can people follow your journey?

Brent (32:32)
On Instagram at Brent_T_Salty. That’s where I’ll share everything I’m doing.

Taryn (32:45)
Perfect. I’ll link that in the show notes. Thanks so much, Brent. I can’t wait to follow your tracker at Busselton later this year. 

Thanks for joining me for this episode of the Triathlon Nutrition Academy podcast. I would love to hear from you. If you have any questions or want to share with me what you've learned, email me at [email protected]. You can also spread the word by leaving me a review and taking a screenshot of you listening to the show. Don't forget to tag me on social media, @dietitian.approved, so I can give you a shout out, too. If you want to learn more about what we do, head to dietitianapproved.com. And if you want to learn more about the Triathlon Nutrition Academy program, head to dietitianapproved.com/academy. Thanks for joining me and I look forward to helping you smashed in the fourth leg - nutrition!