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...

As a triathlete, you train hard. But are you giving your body the right tools to recover and build strength? One hot topic in the nutrition space is the rise of plant-based eating. So today, we’re tackling the big question: Is plant-based protein as effective as animal protein when it comes to muscle growth and performance?

Whether you're fully plant-based, a meat-loving omnivore or somewhere in between, this blog will help you:

• Understand the science behind protein quality
• Compare how plant and animal proteins stack up for muscle gains
• Apply practical strategies to optimise your own protein intake

Protein Basics: Why It Matters for Triathletes

Protein isn’t just for bodybuilders. As a triathlete, you need it to:

• Repair and recover after hard sessions
• Support immune function during high training loads
• Maintain muscle mass through intense training blocks
• Trigger muscle protein synthesis post-session

Proteins are made up of amino acids – some of which are essential,...

If you’re an age-group triathlete still chasing race weight or skipping breakfast thinking it’ll burn more fat, it’s time for a reality check.

Despite the endless podcasts, YouTube gurus and blog posts, some triathlon nutrition myths just won’t die. And in 2025, athletes are still falling for outdated advice that’s tanking performance and holding back results.

So let’s bust the top three myths I see every single week in clinic and inside my programs. These are the sneaky ones that sound smart on the surface—but under the hood? They’re leaving you flat, hangry and underperforming.

Myth 1: Race Weight = Race Day Speed

If you’ve ever thought, “I just need to drop a few kilos to hit my PB,” this one’s for you.

Here’s the truth: Lighter doesn’t always mean faster.

I’ve worked with hundreds of triathletes over the years, and here’s what actually moves the needle—fueling properly for training and recovery, not starving yourself into ‘race shape’.

Take Erin Byrge. She spent a decade cha...

Feel Like You’re Training Hard But Still Underperforming?

If you're smashing out sessions, eating ‘healthy’ and still not seeing the results you deserve—you're not alone.

As a sports dietitian working exclusively with triathletes, I see the same problems time and time again. In this post, I'm walking you through the four biggest nutrition fixes I’d make for you if we were working together inside the Triathlon Nutrition Academy.

Because chances are, you’re under-fuelling, under-recovering or underestimating what proper nutrition can actually do.

1. You’re Probably Underfuelled (And Don’t Even Know It)

This is the most common issue I see with age group triathletes. You’re:

• Skipping pre-training fuel to "burn fat"

• Eating the same every day, regardless of session load

• Avoiding carbs because they’re “bad”

But underfuelled training = poor adaptation, slower recovery and flat sessions.

Training doesn’t work without the right fuel.

In the Academy, the first thing ...

Are You Training Hard But Still Underperforming?

If you’re an age-group triathlete smashing big training blocks, chasing PBs and wondering why your results don’t match the effort, this one’s for you.

In this post, we dive into how Troy Bauerle went from regular injuries and average race results to podium finishes and Ironman confidence, all by sorting out his nutrition.

Through the Triathlon Nutrition Academy, Troy unlocked a whole new level of performance, recovery and mindset. Here's what he changed.

From Injured to Indestructible: The Power of Training Consistency

Like many triathletes, Troy used to struggle with training interruptions due to recurring injuries, especially as a high-volume athlete with a physically demanding job.

But after implementing a year of consistent, well-fuelled training through the Academy his highlights include:

• No injuries in 12 months. Previously unheard of for Troy!

• Completed 3-week blocks of 20+ hours of training feeling energised, inst...

If you’re a triathlete chasing performance, you already know nutrition is your fourth discipline. But here’s a hard truth: not all sports drinks are created equal - and choosing the wrong one could mean GI issues, under-fuelling or simply bonking at the worst possible moment.

In this deep dive, we’ll compare two products from Pure Sports Nutrition - Race Fuel and Electrolyte Hydration and unpack why knowing what’s in your bottle can make or break your race day.

The Problem with One-Size-Fits-All Sports Drinks

Both of these products are marketed as “sports drinks,” but they have vastly different compositions and uses:

• Race Fuel is designed for endurance fueling with a massive 90g of carbohydrate per serve
  
• Electrolyte Hydration is more of a traditional sports drink, containing 12.5g of carbohydrate per scoop
  

Sounds straightforward? Not quite. If you’re just following label instructions, you could be missing the mark entirely.

What’s in Pure Race Fuel?

Race Fuel sits in Pure’s...

When Samantha Zeps first got into triathlon, she never imagined she’d be standing on the top step of the podium — let alone qualifying for the Ironman World Championships in Kona.

A full-time professional, busy mum and dedicated age-group athlete, Sam was already training hard and showing up consistently. But like many triathletes, she found herself plateauing: tired in the afternoons, recovering poorly, and missing the spark to go from strong… to elite.

The Turning Point: From Calorie Counting to Performance Fuelling

For years, Samantha — like so many others — thought nutrition was just about eating less to stay lean. “I’d skip meals, do fasted training, and hold off eating after sessions to burn more,” she says.

The problem? She felt wrecked. By mid-afternoon, her energy would crash. Long training days left her completely wiped out. Recovery was slow. And race results didn’t match her effort.

The real shift came when she stopped thinking about food as something to restrict — and...

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....

Completing an Ironman isn’t for suckers. It's something that many triathletes dream about and today, I want to share the story of one of my Triathlon Nutrition Academy athletes, Christina, whose journey to the finish line of her first Ironman is truly inspirational. 

Christina isn't a professional athlete – she's a full-time interior designer and dedicated mother who held onto her Ironman dream since her post-college days in Tucson, Arizona. Fast forward 18 years, after juggling work, family, and fitness, Christina finally decided to take the plunge into this mammoth challenge and recently completed the Texas Ironman.

While preparing for race day, Christina navigated the same challenges most of us face – demanding work schedules, family commitments and the constant juggle to fit training into an already packed life. What set her apart wasn't superhuman abilities, but rather strategic planning, a personal and professional support network and an unwavering commitment to her goal.

Her ...

You're logging endless kilometres in the pool, on the bike and in your running shoes. Your training plan is meticulous. Yet somehow, the numbers on the scale refuse to budge. If you're feeling exhausted, constantly hungry and frustrated that you’re not losing body fat despite all that training, you're not alone. This is one of the most common struggles I see as an advanced sports dietitian working with triathletes.

The truth is, you simply cannot out-train a poor diet.

There’s No One Size Fits All

Next time you're at an Ironman event, take a look at the athletes around you - they’re all different shapes and sizes. Many of them train 15+ hours a week but still struggle with body composition. The disconnect often stems from a fundamental misunderstanding of how our bodies respond to training and nutrition.

It sounds like a contradiction, but under-fuelling during heavy training doesn't lead to fat loss – it leads to compromised recovery, diminished performance and a body that clings ...