From Bonking to PBs: How Edward Transformed His Ironman Performance Through Nutrition

If you're training hard but not seeing the results you deserve, Edward Walsh's story is about to light a fire under you.

Edward is no average age group triathlete. He's a full-time emergency physician juggling 12-hour night shifts, on-call chaos and family life - yet he still managed to take 65 minutes off his Ironman time, drop 12kg and finally unlock consistent, injury-free performance. How? He stopped winging his nutrition.

In this blog, you'll learn:

• The biggest nutrition mistakes Edward made before joining the Triathlon Nutrition Academy

• The simple but powerful changes that helped him drop body fat without compromising lean mass or performance

• How he fits high-performance fuelling into a hectic, time-poor lifestyle

The Breaking Point: Bonking, Burnout and 'Just Wingin' It'

Before joining the Academy, Edward's nutrition was...well, let’s say "unstructured".

"I'd eat a ba...

Electrolyte drinks are everywhere right now.

They're popping up on podcasts, in influencer morning routines and on supermarket shelves.

But are they really necessary for everyone?

I recently spoke with the Australian Financial Review about this exact question for their article, “Electrolyte Drinks: The Simple Rule for When to Consume Them” (note: google the title to access the article if you don't have a subscription).

Here’s the key takeaway:

•  For most people, plain water is perfectly adequate for hydration. Electrolyte drinks are only beneficial when you’re exercising for long durations (think four hours or more) or sweating heavily in hot and humid conditions.

As I explained in the article, your sweat rate and sweat-sodium concentration are highly individual.

Some athletes lose much more sodium than others. If your training clothes often have white, crusty marks or you can wring out your top after a session, you might be a salty or heavy sweater.

That’s when it’s worth...

If you're racing an Ironman this season and you don’t want to be disqualified, I’m sharing some crucial information you need to know. As of 17th of March, the Ironman rules have changed which means that your current hydration set up may now be illegal.

Ironman has introduced new race regulations that limit how much fluid you can carry and trust me, you don't want to be caught off guard by these changes. 

Nobody has time to read the massive 34-page document outlining the new guidelines so today I’m breaking down exactly what the new rules mean for you. I’m sharing ways to tweak your hydration strategy and how to avoid penalties while still staying properly hydrated and fueled for peak performance.

Why the New Hydration Rules?

The new limits on how much and where you can carry fluids on your bike are grounded in safety concerns. Excess weight, especially up front, can mess with your bike handling. So, by standardising hydration setups, Ironman aims to promote fair play and improve ri...