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The Real Cost of Poor Nutrition for Triathletes (It’s More Than You Think)

Jun 13, 2025

You’re training hard. You’ve got your swim, bike and run sessions scheduled in, maybe even some strength training. But if your nutrition isn’t dialled in, you could be flushing all that hard work down the drain.

In this post, I want to shine a light on something most triathletes never calculate: the real cost of poor nutrition. And spoiler, it’s not just a bad race day or a mid-run gut explosion. We’re talking about:

Wasted time and energy
Thousands of dollars down the drain
Lost performance you didn’t even realise you had in you

Let’s lift the lid.

Obvious Costs: What You Do See

These ones hurt — and most triathletes can relate:

1. Race-Day Blow-Ups or DNFs

You’ve trained for months, only to DNF because of gut issues, dehydration, or cramping. Factor in race entry fees, travel, accommodation, gear — not to mention the emotional toll. It’s not just gutting. It’s preventable.

2. Injury from Underfueling

Think stress fractures, tendon issues, or burnout from poor recovery. Now you’re adding in physio, doctors, time off work and missed training blocks. Sorting your fuelling before injury hits? Far more affordable.

Hidden Costs: The Ones You Don’t See Coming

This is where things really start to sting...

3. Wasted Time & Mental Energy

Endless Googling, scrolling Insta, copying your training buddy’s nutrition hacks… but still no clear plan. Nutrition becomes a mental load you carry daily — decision fatigue that zaps your training focus and recovery.

4. Throwaway Products

How many half-used gels, bars, or “gut bombs” are sitting in your pantry right now? What about trendy sports drinks you bought because a pro used it, but it didn’t work for you? That’s money and confidence, wasted.

5. Poor Recovery = Poor Progress

Training is only half the equation. Without proper fuelling and recovery, you don’t adapt. You carry fatigue, flirt with overtraining, and fail to make gains — even when you’re putting in the work.

Supplements: The $6,500 Mistake

TNA athlete Jo crunched the numbers:

“I saved over $6,500 a year once I stopped wasting money on unnecessary supplements. I thought they were foundational — turns out, I didn’t need most of them at all.”

Supplements often feel like a safety net or shortcut to performance. But when you’re spending thousands and still underperforming, it’s time to reassess.

The Mental Toll

Nutrition isn’t just physical — it can affect your lifestyle, too:

Snapping at your family because you’re hangry
Skipping social events due to “food rules”
Feeling like you have to buy X, Y, Z to compete

This isn’t how triathlon should feel.

The Most Expensive Cost of All?

Lost Performance.

Under-fuelling slows you down — literally.

You feel flat, sluggish, or bonk mid-session. You can’t hit power numbers. You lose confidence before race day. You put in the work but don’t get the return.

And here’s the gut punch:

You’re leaving minutes on the table without even realising it.

Why Does This Keep Happening?

After 20 years working with triathletes, here’s what I see over and over:

1. Overwhelm

There’s too much conflicting advice. Everyone has an opinion. Most don’t have a degree in sports nutrition.

2. DIY Mentality

You wouldn’t DIY your bike fit or training plan — so why try to figure out race fuelling with Google?

3. It’s Not Prioritised

You think you’ll get to it later. But later never comes — until you’re injured, burnt out, or frustrated with lack of results.

The Smarter Investment

When you get your nutrition right:

Training feels better
Recovery is faster
You stop second-guessing
You save money on products that don’t work
You show up on race day with a plan and confidence

That’s why I created the Triathlon Nutrition Academy — to help age-groupers stop guessing and start performing.

Ready for the next step

“If you think nutrition education is too expensive… wait until you add up the cost of getting it wrong.”

If you're ready to fuel smarter, recover faster and perform at your best, the next round of the Triathlon Nutrition Academy is starting soon.
👉Register your interest now