Episode 246 - How to Fuel Your First Ironman and Actually Enjoy It

What does it actually take to finish your first Ironman at 22 years old - and cross that finish line with a smile?

Lily Godding is a TNA athlete, a rugby rep player and a chef who had never raced a triathlon three years ago. On the weekend, she crossed the finish line of Ironman Cairns 140.6 in 13 hours, 21 minutes and 54 seconds. In this episode, Taryn sits down with Lily just days after the race to talk about what it took to get there - the brutal washing-machine swim, the six-and-a-half-hour bike leg, and the moment on the run where Lily quietly reminded herself: I can do hard things.

What you'll hear in this episode:

• What Lily's nutrition looked like before TNA - and how far off the mark it was
• How her race nutrition plan held up across 140.6km (spoiler: to a T)
• The biggest mistakes younger triathletes make with nutrition and training
• Why she almost didn't join TNA because of the price - and what changed her mind
• How good recovery nutrition had her collecting her own bike the morning after the race
• What Lily wishes she'd known sooner, and her advice for anyone tackling their first Ironman

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 246: How to Fuel Your First Ironman and Actually Enjoy It

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.

[00:00:00] Lily: My race nutrition plan, I was gut trained, I was fuelled properly, I had it all mapped out, and it worked.

[00:00:08] My bike nutrition, six and a half hours on a freaking bike, everything was consumed properly at the right time, and I felt great. Like, there wasn't once where I was like, "Ooh, I'm not feeling so great." I was like, "No, I feel, I feel 10 out of 10 right now. I feel like I can keep going" And I did. 

[00:00:26] Taryn: My guest on the podcast today is 22 years old, and she has just crossed the finish line of her first ever Ironman. Yep, the full 140.6 up in Cairns on the weekend. Welcome to the podcast, Lily. I'm so proud of you

[00:00:41] Lily: Thank you. Thanks for having me on. So excited. So excited to finish, so excited to be here

[00:00:46] Taryn: I told you when you first joined TNA that you would be on the podcast, and well, that moment has finally come

[00:00:52] Lily: Yay. Mm.

[00:00:56] Taryn: So three years ago you'd never raced a triathlon. You come from a rugby background and you got into triathlon really just to stay fit for rugby. How do you do it? How do you balance triathlon with high-level rugby? ' Cause they are two completely different sports

[00:01:14] Lily: Yeah, I kind of ask myself that every day, how does it work? And I get asked that all the time. I don't think I've met anyone else that does triathlon and rugby. they, as you said, they are completely polar opposite. but I think, you know, they're both addictive sports. Uh, rugby's because of the community as well.

[00:01:36] It's not just the sport, but it's also the people, the girls, the team, the, the town, everything around it, and the pressure. And then triathlon is also kind of the same thing, but just it's also more personalised, so it's a little bit more about you and your performance, and I like that. I like that it's your control. So yeah

[00:01:59] Taryn: Yeah, you've got the team sport element and all the vibes of working together with people, and then you have a solo sport where it is just you out there on your bike for six and a half hours. So what made you fall in love with triathlon so much that you decided to sign up for a full Ironman?

[00:02:17] Lily: I'm not really sure, to be honest. I think I'd, you know, I did my first sprint distance back in November 2024, and I-- fortunately, my brother came with me for the race, and he was at the finish line, and I remember crossing the finish line and going, "James, that was the hardest thing I've ever done, but the most fun thing I've ever done."

[00:02:43] And I said, "I reckon I can do this again. I really-- Like, I'm addicted. I'm keen." Um, and then it's just been a progression from there. So, you know, you did the Olympic distance, and that was fun. I was like, "Okay, what can I do next?" So I did a 7.3, and then from there I was like, "All right, well, if I can do that, why not the Ironman?

[00:03:01] Give it a red hot shot."

[00:03:02] Taryn: And so is the next progression a three-day multi-sport event like Ultraman? Is that where you're heading?

[00:03:07] Lily: Maybe. no, probably at a, a faster time in an Ironman.

[00:03:14] Taryn: Okay. All right. Well, we'll get to that at the end. We've got a lot to talk about before I ask you about that. But because we just had the best time at Cannes over the weekend, I've got major come downs after spending such a good time with everyone there, and now I'm, you know, back at home and back to the grind of mum life, and I'm at my desk, and it's almost a little bit depressing.

[00:03:38] But can you take me back to the end? Take me back to the finish line. What was going through your head when you ran down that red carpet and you crossed the finish line and Pete said, "Lily Gooding, you are an Ironman"?

[00:03:54] Lily: Well, um, you're gonna make me cry a little bit. It was-- I [00:04:00] haven't-- I can't-- words don't even put, can't even do it justice, like, just how amazing it was to be there. Not only to, like, see that red carpet and that finish line, but to have TNA and the crew and you there, it was just electric to cross that finish line and have the team and the support, there.

[00:04:23] You know, even though it is an individual sport, and God, it was a hard day out by yourself, it's still the community at the end of the day, the people at that finish line who are there that really get you across. And, you know, ringing that bell, there was this little group of people that were just screaming at you, and it was like, "Yeah, I did that."

[00:04:46] And then you get across the finish line, and high-fiving you guys along the way, it's like, "Yeah, I did that." And then, yeah, cross that finish line, and it was just-- you're just pumped, absolutely amped

[00:05:00] Taryn: Now, I said to you before you went in, there's gonna be a moment where you are gonna feel pretty rough and you're gonna have a deep, dark hole mentally that you might need to climb out of, and so you were prepared for that. What was the toughest moment for you, though, out on course, and how did you then get yourself through it to get to the finish line?

[00:05:20] Lily: Yeah. Well, actually, on-- based on, uh, your recommendation on the bus to the start line, I listened to an earlier podcast where you, um, interviewed Haley Perlis, on mental resilience. And having that in the back of my mind, it was during the swim, actually. So the first leg, washing machine style swim, it was absolutely chaos, and I stopped on a, um, lifeguard's surfboard because I was just getting bashed around.

[00:05:54] And I'm not the strongest swimmer. I can swim, but it's definitely not my strong-strongest leg. [00:06:00] I stopped, and I just like, "Okay, what is this inviting me to do? It's inviting me to get through it so I can then get to the next leg." And, um, I did it. I got to... I was like, "Well, if I can do that swim, I can do that bike.

[00:06:13] And if I can do the bike, I can do that run." And I did. And, uh, yeah, I got through. There was only once on the bike where I did say to myself, "Yeah, I hate myself a little bit right now, but I can do this." And I don't think there was once, there wasn't a single time where I thought, "I can't do this. I'm not gonna finish."

[00:06:36] And I thought that was pretty special.

[00:06:38] Taryn: That is amazing. That was a really brutal swim. Apparently there was 70 people pulled out of the water. Like, this was absolute carnage. I was sitting on the beach watching everyone, and like IRB after IRB keeps coming in. That's those little electric boats, those motorized boats that they surf lifesaver you out of the water with.

[00:06:56] So many people were coming in and just like hurling their guts out over the side and then staggering up onto the beach. So good on you for getting through that. I know it was a long swim and it was a brutal swim, which is not the ideal start to the day, but I guess you weren't alone in that, and good on you for getting through

[00:07:14] Lily: Thank you. Yeah, I, um, was not one of those 70 people. Thank goodness for that. An absolute win

[00:07:22] Taryn: Yes. So what did it mean for you then at 22 years old to do a 13 hour, 21 minutes, 54 second Ironman at your first crack at the distance? Like, you're an absolute machine

[00:07:35] Lily: I think for me, like the time wasn't really in my mind. It was just about getting across that finish line, you know, finishing my first attempt, and it just meant getting there. Like, that's all it really meant to me, being that first time finisher, first time attempt, first time getting it done, and I still kind of can't believe that I did it.

[00:07:59] I think I'm [00:08:00] still in the mentality of like, don't think about the distance because if you think about that it's a 180K ride or it's a 42 run, you're not gonna get through it or it's just gonna be so much harder. So trying to tell my brain now that I did do that and that it is a long way, it still kinda hasn't hit me yet.

[00:08:22] And especially at 22, I think for me, I am 22, so maybe when I'm 40 I'll go, "Oh my God, I did that at 22?" But right now it's like, "Yeah. Yeah, I did. And what?"

[00:08:34] Taryn: I think you have the element of young on your side though ' you are one of the youngest athletes in our TNA community. Most of the people in our community are in their 40s, in their 50s, and some are even in their 60s and 70s. As the young person, or, you know, flying the young person flag, what do you think a lot of the younger triathletes just get wrong about this sport, or even about themselves?

[00:09:00] Lily: Nutrition obviously, and overtraining. I reckon those are definitely the two biggest things. Just trying to do it all so you can be it all is not the way, and not recovering properly. Like, when they blow up and then they don't like the sport anymore because, you know, they're burnt out from it, and it's like, well, if you took a step back and, you know, fixed your nutrition, ate properly, recovered properly, didn't train every hour of the day and got it right, then you'd probably fall in love with it

[00:09:34] Taryn: Yeah. I, I agree. I think 'cause when you're younger, you've got more time potentially, the body can absorb more training, and so you just keep throwing more at you. Particularly for yourself, you're a high achiever, right? You do rugby training and triathlon training

[00:09:49] Lily: Yeah, I have been known to be that over-trainer a lot. just ask my coach, Pablo. He's like, "Ellie, stop doing so much." [00:10:00] Um, no, I like it. But yeah, you just want to get it done

[00:10:06] Taryn: Do you have any advice for the younger triathletes who are not necessarily thinking that nutrition is something they need to work on, or it's something that they'll maybe revisit later when they're older or they have more time or they have more money, or they're not having any problems necessarily, so they don't know what they don't know yet?

[00:10:24] Lily: Yeah, start now. Don't be silly. you're only doing yourself a disadvantage. You know, for me, joining TNA, it was literally the first module, recovery nutrition, I was like, "Oh, yeah, right. I got a lot to learn." And I'd been listening to the podcast for ages, and I'd been always like, I just, I would literally go on a walk, listen to the podcast, have my notes app open, and jot down as much as I could to get out- anything out of the podcast.

[00:10:56] And then when I joined TNA, as e- even as amazing as the podcast was, I was like, "Whoa, there is just so much I don't know, so much I can improve on." And I think it is a privilege at my age, at 22, to be able to work on that and set myself up for the rest of my life. Like, what I have learnt in TNA is honestly going to set myself up for longevity and health and fueling correctly for, yeah, however long I'm gonna live, maybe like 85 years, you never know.

[00:11:30] Because I'm fueling... Could be

[00:11:31] Taryn: be 100 

[00:11:33] Lily: Because I'm fueling properly now, guys. Like, what?

[00:11:36] Crazy. 

[00:11:39] Taryn: So, so before you joined the academy then, what was your nutrition actually like? Can you please be honest with me? Like, were you fuelling and training at all, or were you just winging it? H- did you have any idea how to eat to support training for... You actually train for four sports, rugby and swim, bike, run

[00:11:57] Lily: Yeah. Um, I [00:12:00] did actually have a little bit of an idea. I always had an interest in nutrition, food. I'm a chef by trade, so I can cook quite well. Went to cheffing school and you learn a little bit, but not enough. Like, it's just a little bit about more technique and service. 

[00:12:17] Taryn: Yeah, you don't learn about building a proper meal

[00:12:20] Lily: Absolutely not. It's how to make it taste good, not how to make it beneficial for your health. so yeah, I knew a little bit, but-- And I would fuel, but nowhere near what I needed it to be. Like, I reckon I would've been off, gosh, hundreds of grams of carbs. Recovery nutrition, way later than when it needed to be, and not what it needed to be.

[00:12:46] Like, I was definitely one of those people that came from a strength training background. So, you know, a recovery, protein shake was all I'd have, and it was probably an hour after the gym, which is less than ideal. So yeah, I've learnt a little bit, a lot

[00:13:05] Taryn: And what would you have done? Like, this blows my mind with you. What would you have done without TNA? Like, do you think you would have crossed the finish line of Cairns Ironman without it? Like, I know you- you're pretty stubborn, but do you think you would have made it

[00:13:20] Lily: No. Like on, like 100%, no. I would've burnt out. I would've bonked. I would've-- I don't even think I would've-- I don't know if it would've crossed my mind that I could have even done an Ironman, you know? it was probably when I joined TNA that I was like, "Yeah, I actually can do this now. I've got nutrition on my side."

[00:13:42] And you've said it once, you'll say it again, it's the fourth leg. It's 100% the fourth leg, and especially for an Ironman. So that finish line would've-- Maybe I would've got there because of my stubbornness, but it would've taken me a long time.

[00:13:59] Taryn: what were [00:14:00] the some of the things that you were doing to try and figure out your nutrition on your own? Like, you were listening to the podcast, and I know a lot of people get a lot of information out of the podcast, but there is a big difference between what I give away for free on the podcast versus what my paying customers get as ter- in terms of information.

[00:14:19] You getting it off the internet? Are you asking mates? Like, how, how were you trying to figure it out for yourself? What were some of the things that you were doing?

[00:14:27] Lily: I did ask my coach a fair bit of questions, and he would just tell me, and as amazing as he is, he's not a sports dietitian. He's not an advanced sports dietitian, might I add. He does not know enough. He would just tell me, "Eat more carbs, eat more carbs." And he's not, he's not allowed to give me nutrition advice, um, and he knows that.

[00:14:48] Um, so yeah, I would ask him questions, he'd just say, "Eat more carbs." And I would, but not enough. I would eat maybe another cup of rice. That was about it in the day. And then, yeah, definitely off the internet, uh, social media. Social media was a massive way that I would try and get, um, information and, you know, the algorithm, it feeds you what you're talking about, what you're looking at.

[00:15:16] And so triathlon, nutrition, it all kinda came hand in hand, and I'd get these recipes, and it would be low-cal, weight loss, 'cause, you know, as a female,

[00:15:27] big emphasis on being s- the smallest you can be, um, the leanest, toned. And that's not performance, as I've now learnt. Um, you can be that, and you can also be fueling correctly.

[00:15:42] So the information out there is just, there's so much, and 1% of it is worth listening to, not even. So yeah, just, it was a lot of head noise. There was just so much out there, and you'd be trying to [00:16:00] consume so much of it that you just, you'd go blank because you didn't know where to start. You didn't know what was right, what was wrong.

[00:16:07] and then, yeah, joining TNA just tuned all of that out, and you learnt exactly what you needed. You learnt exactly how you personalise it for you. And, you know, I used my, Ironman training race plan for the nutrition. I used my carb loading worksheets. I used my pre-race morning, worksheet to make-- figure out what I needed to eat the day before, and it got me through.

[00:16:35] Taryn: Yay

[00:16:36] one of the things you said to me is that the Triathlon Nutrition Academy didn't just teach you how to fuel your race day and, you know, understand carb loading properly and your pre-race meal, and all those sorts of intricacies that we do in detail to build a fully customised, personalised race nutrition plan for every single distance.

[00:16:57] But what it also did was teach you how to eat just generally, like full stop, because it's not something you ever learnt in school. What are some of the things that you do now day-to-day that you never would have known to do before?

[00:17:12] Lily: A colorful plate. I reckon it's the biggest thing. Veggies. You know, I thought I ate veggies. I love veggies. But no, not enough veggies. Okay, I'll eat more. More veggies, and eating a variety. Healthy fats. say you got told a lot to stay away from oils because they're bad for you, but actually, if you eat them correctly and eat them the right way, they're really good for you, and they help you.

[00:17:40] Nuts, seeds. I would never have added chia seeds or flax seeds or something to my Weet-Bix in the morning, and now I do, and I freaking love it . beans, legumes, those are kind of the things that... those little things that you just You push aside. Yeah, I'll eat more meat, I'll eat more veggies, I'll, [00:18:00] you know, have a clean plate.

[00:18:02] But there's all that other stuff that kinda just gets forgotten about or not talked about. And yet, as I said, in school, I mean, school for me, I only finished, what, five years ago?

[00:18:14] Taryn: Stop it

[00:18:16] Lily:   so it's still pretty fresh in my mind. You don't learn that stuff. You don't learn how to look after your body. You don't learn how to fuel properly, how to set yourself up.

[00:18:28] And so, yeah, jumping into TNA and learning how to set yourself up for the rest of your life from your day-to-day nutrition is just absolutely unreal. I think another big thing, thinking back to even, like, the social media side, is more protein, more protein, more protein. And actually, that's not really true.

[00:18:52] You me- you've got your targets. In TNA, you learn how to figure out what your target is and then how to hit that correctly, and that is so valuable

[00:19:03] Taryn: Amazing. Thank you. Kicking goals, Lily. Fucking kicking goals. I think that's crazy. Like, we obviously don't learn how to eat when we're at school, but everyone eats. It doesn't really make a lot of sense to me. So I think everyone's gonna find value in understanding nutrition for them, whether it is as a triathlete or just general nutrition, whatever it is. Educate yourself so that you're putting the right building blocks into your body, 'cause you have your body for life, so we wanna be doing the best we can every single day.

[00:19:34] And health, health is obviously one of my highest values, so it's a no-brainer for me. But it's just trying to get people to understand how important it is to be eating the right things on a daily basis. So can we get really specific in your race nutrition now? How did your race nutrition hold up on the day? Did it go all to plan? Did you have to adapt anything on the fly? Uh, and what lessons did you learn in the event that maybe you'll use for the next one?

[00:20:01] Lily: My race nutrition plan, I kid you not, to a T. Like literally to a T. I had planned for a little bit of leniency with fuelling, with a little bit of extra carbs with, uh, chews, and to make sure that I wasn't pushing my stomach too much, and I did because I was gut trained, I was fuelled properly, I had spaced it out correctly, I had it all mapped out, and it worked.

[00:20:30] My bike nutrition, six and a half hours on a freaking bike, and everything was consumed properly at the right time, and when I needed it to be consumed, and I felt great. Like, there wasn't once where I was like, "Ooh, I think I'm not feeling so great." I was like, "No, I feel, I feel 10 out of 10 right now. I feel like I can keep going" And I did.

[00:20:55] And then getting onto the run, you know, I don't... I'm not a Coke drinker. I've never have been. My mother would kill me But I had those splashes of Coke, which I had mapped down in my plan, and it was great. Like, it pushed me through. I had my gels, I had my chews. I'm a chronic water bottle drinker and, um, water bottle carrier, more should I say . And I carried that bloody thing for the first lap, and I had my electrolytes in there, and I had it all, and I felt great for doing it.

[00:21:32] So I picked up my next bottle, and I carried it with me the rest of the way. And then as mapped out in my plan, I dropped it for the last two laps, and that was perfect. So it was a little safety net for me as well. Like, I could drink when I wanted to. I didn't have to wait for the next aid station.

[00:21:51] Um, so I drank to thirst, got what I needed to in. I think the only adaption probably would've been taking some Nurofen, or Panadol, sorry, along the way. 

[00:22:03] Taryn: some paracetamol for the internationals.

[00:22:06] Lily: Yeah.

[00:22:07] Taryn: from like a leg pain. You, you said you were getting stiff at about halfway through the marathon

[00:22:12] Lily: Yeah. Um, I had a really big rugby game the weekend before and I had a few niggles from that that I was starting to really feel on the run. So yeah, tight calves and hamstrings. Yep. 

[00:22:24] Taryn: Would you have done or would you do anything differently for the next time?

[00:22:29] Lily: Yeah, not play a rugby game the week before.

[00:22:32] Taryn: good good tip. Write that down for future Lily

[00:22:36] Lily: Future Lily, do not play rugby up to leading up to an Ironman.

[00:22:41] I 

[00:22:41] Taryn: We, we did talk about you not doing that game, but you were like, "It's not happening, Taryn. It's... I'm playing rugby." I'm like, "Fine. You do you, mate"

[00:22:49] Lily: It was a representative game. I had to, you know, rep the region. Anyways, uh, the only thing I would change Would have been, yeah, not playing a rugby game.

[00:22:59] Taryn: Okay. Nailed it. Fully nailed it

[00:23:02] Lily: fully nailed it. I think for my first Ironman, my goal was just to finish. You know? I wasn't necessarily racing for performance. I was not racing for a place.

[00:23:13] I'm a classic age grouper at the moment. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge. and I think, yeah, the next one will be a performance one maybe

[00:23:24] Taryn: Okay. And how are you feeling after the big race? Are you feeling, you know, good compared to maybe what you used to feel like after big training sessions? How's your recovery going?

[00:23:37] Lily: Well, there was big talk about, um, getting Kelly, who was also there racing, um, who's part of TNA, to get my bike in the morning for me because I didn't think I'd be able to walk. And I went down and I got my own bike, and I packed it up myself. So I think that just speaks [00:24:00] highly of, yeah, my rapid recovery, fuelling properly, like just being able to go back to my day-to-day life, you know?

[00:24:12] I'll probably play rugby this weekend. That's how good I feel. Uh, so yeah, I'm stiff. That's no joke. I have stairs in my house, and there is swear words every time I go up and down them. But, you know, we're only a couple of days post, and I'm feeling pretty bloody good. 

[00:24:31] Feeling 

[00:24:31] Taryn: to use your hands to sit down on the toilet? That's a good KPI

[00:24:35] Lily: Oh, I have. I've got the perfect way to sit down on the toilet. Put my hand in between my legs and one behind, and I lower myself down. I've got it all figured out. Yep.

[00:24:47] Taryn: That's a great tip

[00:24:48] Lily: But I don't have to yeet myself up anymore

[00:24:51] Taryn: That's good. When you first looked at the Triathlon Nutrition Academy, you've been following along on socials for a while now, you balked at the price, and I know a lot of athletes do, and particularly younger athletes. Can you talk me through what made you commit anyway? Like, did you have a conversation in your head or with people around you maybe about whether you could justify the investment or not?

[00:25:16] Lily: I think honestly just repetitively listening to the podcast and just hearing over and over again, you know, the stories, the, what, you know, you teach inside 10A, and I would always go, "Oh, I just wanna know a little bit more. I just wanna know more. I just wanna know what they find out in there." And I think it must have been after a race or something.

[00:25:39] Yeah, it was after Port Macquarie, so that was back in May last year, and I joined in October. And after Port Macquarie, 'cause I had no plan for Port Macquarie, absolutely none. I couldn't even tell you what my race day nutrition was. No, no idea. And so after that race, I was like, "Okay, [00:26:00] it's time to stop winging this because I got no idea what's going on."

[00:26:05] I didn't have the best day out. I finished it 'cause I'm too stubborn, but it was so freaking hard. And so I was like, "All right, it's time to bite the bullet and join," and there's been no looking back. There's not been one moment where I've gone, "It wasn't worth it. Oh, I just wish I had saved that money to spend on a bike."

[00:26:24] No, it was so freaking worth it

[00:26:28] Taryn: So now that you have been through it, you've finishing up phase three and you've just finished Cairns Ironman, is it worth the investment?

[00:26:36] Lily: Like 113,472%. 

[00:26:41] Taryn: That's a lot. That's a lot of percentage. I don't even know how many that is.

[00:26:44] Lily: Ah, I couldn't even say that number again. Um,

[00:26:47] it's so worth it. I just, would not be here or walking without TNA. I would not be an Ironman finisher without TNA. No way

[00:27:01] Taryn: No way I think there's a lot of people in that same boat. Like, they're out there and they're just struggling, and they know they need to do something, but they don't know where to go for the right information, or they're not willing yet to invest that much in it. But I think you're a great example of the difference of not having a nutrition plan and having a nutrition plan

[00:27:23] Lily: Yep. Yeah, if you're gonna look at anyone, look at a young person. Like I'm 22 and I've got youth on my side 100%, but even youth is not enough to get you across. Nutrition is. It's simple as that, I reckon

[00:27:42] Taryn: If there's somebody listening that's about to embark on their first Ironman like you, Lily, do you have any advice for them?

[00:27:47] Lily: Yeah, join TNA, duh.

[00:27:51] Taryn: Any other advice?

[00:27:53] Lily: enjoy the day. Like, it's a long day out. If you're gonna do an Ironman, it's so... And it's your first one, it's just about the freaking experience. Like, it's just about doing it. You will remember that day for the rest of your life. I know I definitely will. It's a journey. Gosh, it's a journey.

[00:28:11] It's like longer than a full-time job's day work. You're out there. You're sh- that's a shift. You're putting in a shift. And make sure you don't stop your Garmin watch across the finish line. I saw someone do that, and I was like, "Oh, you idiot."

[00:28:30] Taryn: Who, who gave you that piece of advice, Ali?

[00:28:34] Lily: Perhaps you

[00:28:37] Taryn: Uh, I did give Lily advice on how to make her finish line photos look good, and it was to not be looking down, turning off your Garmin as you cross the finish line. Like, arms up, smile on your face, like you're just living it large.

[00:28:49] Lily: Yep.

[00:28:50] Taryn: And do your finisher pics look awesome?

[00:28:52] Lily: Oh yeah, they do. Oh yeah, they do. I'm like, "Oh, look at that, her arms are up. She's smiling." Yeah, that's right, guys. I crossed the finish line with a freaking smile.

[00:29:03] Taryn: You're welcome. You're 

[00:29:04] Lily: yep 

[00:29:05] Taryn: So has finishing an Ironman at 22 years old changed the way you think about yourself or even what you're capable of?

[00:29:13] Lily: Maybe ask me that in a week. Still really hasn't hit me yet. But, um, probably, Anything is possible. #Ironman. if you can do an Ironman, what else can you do? Surely. People can do hard things. Actually, you said that to me. I reckon it was my second lap, and I reckon I said that to myself the whole of that second lap. I can do hard things. I can do hard things, and I can, and I did, and we're here now. First-time Ironman finisher

[00:29:49] Taryn: Yep. It was actually your third lap and you were starting to slow down. And I ran with you for a bit and I was like, "Lily, you got this. You can do hard things."

[00:29:59] Lily: I reckon that's when I started... That's when I said I started was starting to get sore

[00:30:04] Taryn: Yep.

[00:30:05] Lily: and tight

[00:30:05] Taryn: You can see it in your face. Like the first two laps you're pretty smiley and, you know, chatty, and then the lap after that, third lap, you're like head down, no eye contact, bit frowny, less bubbly Lily version

[00:30:18] So what's next for you then? Are you gonna do an I- another Ironman? You're gonna continue rugby by the sounds, but what's the grand plans? Have you got your eyes set on Kona?

[00:30:28] Lily: I mean, why not? what's ha- what's the harm in chasing that? World Championships, pretty freaking cool. So I guess, yeah, fin- finished the first one. Know I'm capable of it. Next natural progression is performance, I suppose. training to get faster, to get fitter. I'm 22. I've got, like, so many years of triathlon in front of me.

[00:30:51] So yeah, just gonna give it a red hot shot. Just keep going 'cause I can. How cool

[00:30:57] Taryn: That's, yeah, a privilege, isn't it, to be able to... Your body is capable

[00:31:01] Lily: Yeah. It's a privilege to toe that start line. It was a privilege to cross that finish line. Like, it's just a privilege to be able to say, "I'm a freaking Ironman. I won."

[00:31:14] Taryn: I know. Can we change it to Iron Woman? Come on, it's 2026

[00:31:18] Lily: My auntie is determined it needs to be in-person. Yes. 

[00:31:23] Taryn: Doesn't sound as sexy though, does it?

[00:31:25] Lily: It really doesn't

[00:31:26] Taryn: No. It's not working off though for me. Well, Lily, I'm so proud of you. Like, 22 years old, you've only been doing triathlon for three years, and now you've got a full Ironman to your name, and that is a serious effort. Like, you do so many things. Just even fitting in the training in your crazy, hectic schedule was a lot.

[00:31:46] So good on you. Fucking smashed it. Excuse my French. But what, what I love about Lily's story is that she didn't wait until she was older or richer or more experienced  or had h- had more time available to take her nutrition seriously. She got stuck in, and she found a way to do it, and she got herself across the finish line in Cannes because of it, not in spite of it.

[00:32:13] So if you are doing this sport and nutrition is the thing that is letting you down, and it's the thing that is the difference between, you know, having an, an experience like Lily did or maybe suffering a little bit, whether that's in your day-to-day eating to support your training or it's your race day fuelling, I think it's the difference between surviving races and getting to the finish line maybe looking at your Garmin and actually enjoying them and crossing the finish line with a smile.

[00:32:43] And Lily had so much energy at the end still. Like, afterwards, we were dancing, and she was having the best time, and she didn't look like death warmed up. I saw somebody running, like, literally sideways through the third and fourth lap, and I'm like, "Oh, that is not looking good. That is not looking pretty."

[00:33:02] So if you want what Lily has, the same confidence on race day, the same nutrition skills that she's gonna take with her for the rest of her long life, come and join us in the Triathlon Nutrition Academy program. Head to dietitianapproved.com/academy and register your interest in our upcoming cohort. And if the price makes you balk like it did for Lily, then remember this. if you think nutrition education is expensive, wait until you add up the cost of getting it wrong 

[00:33:31] Lily, thank you so much for sharing your story with us

[00:33:35] Lily: Thank you so much for having me on, and thank you so much for the best week of my freaking life. The best day. So amazing 

[00:33:46] Taryn: Well, go and enjoy that finish line feeling. Hopefully stairs get easier for you in the next couple of days, but you've absolutely earned it

[00:33:54] Lily: Thank you so much.

[00:33:56] Taryn: Catch you​  

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!