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200 Episodes In: Fuel Tactics That Made These Age-Group Triathletes Faster

Aug 01, 2025

Still winging your nutrition? You’re not alone, and you’re definitely not the only one suffering through long rides cramping, bonking mid-race or living off gels and hope.

In this milestone 200th episode of the Triathlon Nutrition Academy podcast, four everyday triathletes—Chris, Becky, Steve and Tony—flip the script and interview Advanced Sports Dietitian Taryn Richardson. These athletes share exactly how dialling in their nutrition helped them race faster, feel better and train more consistently.

If you're training hard but not seeing results, here's what they want you to know.

The Biggest Nutrition Mistakes Age-Groupers Make

Let’s start here because it’s where most of us have gone wrong (maybe still are):

1. Copying the pros

“Just because Blummenfelt does it doesn’t mean you should.”

Age-groupers often mimic elite strategies without the elite foundation. Pros have time to recover, nap and eat perfectly. You’ve got work, family and life to juggle. You need a different approach.

2. Underfueling

“I thought eating less would make me faster… it didn’t.”

Many triathletes try to lean down by cutting back. The result? Poor recovery, constant fatigue, and compromised health. The TNA athletes learned to eat more, strategically, and got leaner, stronger and faster.

3. Skipping the basics

“We chase shiny gadgets and gels but ignore day-to-day fuelling.”

Race day starts with your Monday brekkie, not your Saturday bike nutrition. Without a solid foundation, advanced strategies won’t stick.

Real Athlete Wins from Better Nutrition

Here are a few jaw-dropping (and totally relatable) wins from the TNA crew:

Erin: After nearly 10 years in the sport, she finally stopped underfuelling and dropped 20kg while PBing nearly every race.
Tony: A type 2 diabetic who was carb-phobic for decades, he’s now fuelling with confidence, has lost 13kg and has better blood sugar control than ever.
Steve: No longer bonks after a 100km ride and can now recover from a 6-hour ride and still function for the rest of the day.
Becky: Has stayed injury-free, raced strong into her 50s and coaches others using her new fuelling knowledge.

What Actually Works

These strategies turned things around for these athletes and they can for you too.

✓ Build a strong daily foundation
Know how to fuel every day, not just before race day.

✓ Nail your recovery
Get this right and you’ll bounce back faster. It’s one of the quickest wins in the program.

✓ Pre-train with purpose
Ditch the fasted sessions. Fuel your training so your body can actually adapt and get stronger.

✓ Learn how to periodise
Adjust your nutrition around training volume, intensity and life stress.

✓ Be carb-smart, not carb-scared
Strategic carb use fuels your sessions and helps avoid that dreaded bonk.

Why Nutrition is the Fourth Discipline of Triathlon

“We spend thousands on race entries and gear but often zero on nutrition education.”

It’s not sexy. You can’t show off your new carb periodisation plan on Strava. But this is where the biggest gains are hiding, especially if you want to train consistently and race well into your 50s, 60s and beyond.

So, Where Should You Start?

If you’re new:
The Triathlon Nutrition Kickstart course gives you the core pillars—what to eat before, during and after training, plus how to organise your meals around your sessions.

If you’re ready for the full strategy:
The Triathlon Nutrition Academy is our deep-dive program, helping you build a complete nutrition system customised to you. It’s where performance and health meet longevity.

Not sure where you stand?
Download the Triathlon Nutrition Checklist and see what gaps you’ve got to plug.

Final Thoughts

Whether you’ve listened to one episode or all 200, there’s one message that rings loud and clear: stop guessing. Nutrition can either hold you back or propel you forward. It’s your choice.

Make today the day you stop winging it.
Build a plan that works for your body, your training and your life.