Episode 204 - What It Takes to Fuel Your First Ironman

What It Takes to Fuel Your First Ironman

Thinking about stepping up to Ironman but not sure you can handle the distance?

In this episode, I’m joined again by long-time TNA athlete Steve Duquette, who just ticked off his first full Ironman—and did it feeling strong all day. We unpack the key nutrition shifts that helped him overcome cramping, avoid the dreaded GI issues, and finish smiling (even with a dodgy knee and back!).

You’ll learn how Steve built confidence through consistent fuelling, what he changed as his training ramped up, and the one thing he says made the biggest difference to his Ironman success.

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 204: What It Takes to Fuel Your First Ironman

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.

Taryn Richardson (00:00)
Today's guest is no stranger to the TNA podcast. In fact, I think this is probably his fourth time on the show. Nothing like a high achiever. You might remember Steve Duquette from episode 89, where we dove into a case study around his transformation from cycling to becoming a triathlete. We talked about his background, his journey into triathlon, and some of the crazy advice he’d been given by well-meaning training buddies that probably didn’t set him up on the right foot.

He was also in episode 171, Steve’s insider secrets to his massive 64-minute PB at Sunshine Coast 70.3 last year, where we unpacked everything he did to smash that race — including how the Triathlon Nutrition Academy helped dial in his nutrition and finally stop the debilitating cramping that had plagued him.

That performance, I think, is what gave him the confidence to take on the full-distance event we’re talking about today. Most recently, he also had a cameo in episode 200, where he helped me celebrate that milestone and shared his biggest game-changing nutrition strategies.

This time, we’re here to talk about the big one: Steve’s very first Ironman at Ironman Canada in Ottawa, close to home for him. I know there are plenty of triathletes out there listening who are in the same position Steve was in.

Steve Duquette (01:25)
Mm-hmm.

Taryn Richardson (01:43)
Either thinking about doing their first Ironman or already deep in preparation. Steve is going to take us through what it was like tackling that milestone, the role nutrition played in helping him feel amazing all day, and his advice to help you on your own path to the finish line.

Steve Duquette (01:44)
Yeah.

Taryn Richardson (02:02)
And if dialing in your nutrition is on your to-do list this year, the final Triathlon Nutrition Academy cohort starts on October 4th. You can register your interest at dietitianapproved.com/academy. All right, Steve, let’s get into it.

Steve Duquette (02:10)
Thank you.

Taryn Richardson (02:18)
Welcome back to the podcast, Steve, and congratulations on your very first Ironman. Woohoo!

Steve Duquette (02:25)
Thanks for having me, Taryn. I’m excited to talk about my first full Ironman.

Taryn Richardson (02:32)
How much do you think learning about nutrition played a role in deciding, I can actually do this — I’m going to sign up for my first Ironman?

Steve Duquette (02:44)
A huge role. If you’d asked me three years ago, when I started doing triathlons, I never would have dreamed I could do a full Ironman. It was too daunting. Just thinking about those distances — the swim, the bike, the run — was overwhelming.

Taryn Richardson (03:08)
Yeah, it’s a long way.

Steve Duquette (03:14)
Back then, signing up wasn’t on the cards. Nutrition has made a massive difference. You alluded to the cramping issue — I struggled with that in the past. Through the TNA program, we figured out what was happening and how to fix it.

The changes in tactics, recovery strategies, and fuelling properly mean I haven’t cramped in ages. It’s been such a relief not to feel like I’m about to blow up mid-race.

Taryn Richardson (04:10)
I think Sunshine Coast last year was your first race without cramps, right? That was the moment you realised, hang on, there is another way. You found freedom from those cramps, and then the world was your oyster.

Steve Duquette (04:15)
Yeah, exactly. At Sunshine Coast, I kept waiting for the cramps to come — on the bike, on the run — but they never did. I finished the race thinking, this is crazy, I actually enjoyed that! Before, it had felt ugly and painful. That race was the turning point.

Taryn Richardson (05:12)
Do you think you would have attempted an Ironman if you hadn’t worked on your nutrition?

Steve Duquette (05:30)
No, I don’t think so. Maybe after the 70.3 the idea might’ve crossed my mind, but without proper nutrition, I wouldn’t have been able to do it. I’d have been scrambling, making things up, hoping for the best.

An Ironman is a monster to prep for. Even with nerves and anxiety building before the race, I knew I had a plan. Without it, I’d have been terrified of blowing up.

Taryn Richardson (06:38)
Thank goodness you didn’t! And you had the greatest day out there — you said you felt good all day. Can you take us back to before race day though? You came into triathlon as a strong cyclist but had to learn how to swim straight and run off the bike.

Steve Duquette (06:43)
Still learning that swimming straight bit… Running off the bike, that’s a whole other story.

Taryn Richardson (07:02)
Exactly. Running off the bike is so different to running alone. You escalated quickly to 70.3 distance. A lot of triathletes are in that same boat. What changes did you make in your training and nutrition to step up to full distance?

Steve Duquette (07:37)
Training-wise, the volume is greater — more hours, more consistency. I trained for a year, not just three months. Consistency was everything.

Nutrition-wise, being in the TNA program for over two years meant I had already built habits around recovery, fuelling before and during sessions, and eating properly post-workout. Those strategies just scaled up for Ironman training.

The biggest change for me was recovery nutrition. Before, I had no strategy. Learning to recover properly made a huge difference in handling 10–16 hours of training a week.

Taryn Richardson (09:33)
You thought you had it sorted before though, right?

Steve Duquette (09:57)
Exactly. I thought I knew what I was doing, but I didn’t. Being consistent with nutrition for months on end was critical. You can’t just wing it here and there — you need to be methodical.

Taryn Richardson (10:10)
And now you probably don’t even notice the changes — it’s become habitual. That gave you the confidence to take on Ironman without falling in a heap like many athletes do at the end of their training block. You still had energy for work and family commitments, which shows your nutrition was right.

Steve Duquette (10:46)
Absolutely. I was amazed that after long sessions — like five or six-hour rides — I could still function for the rest of the day instead of being smashed on the couch. That never used to happen.

Taryn Richardson (11:56)
Was there a moment in training where you thought, I’ve got this nailed — I can do this Ironman and I’m not terrified?

Steve Duquette (12:10)
Yes. On the long bike rides, around five or six hours, I was having GI issues — bloating, discomfort. We figured out it was a product I was using. Once we adjusted it, the problem disappeared. That gave me huge confidence. I knew if I could ride five or six hours comfortably and then run, I could handle race day.

Taryn Richardson (14:06)
So the nutrition became second nature — just doing things the TNA way.

Steve Duquette (14:07)
Exactly. It became habit.

Taryn Richardson (14:14)
How much of your Ironman confidence came from training versus knowing your nutrition inside out?

Steve Duquette (14:27)
Both mattered. Training built my endurance and consistency, especially swimming. I’m not the fastest, but I could swim 3–4,000 metres, hop out, and feel fresh.

But nutrition was equally important. Without fuelling properly — carbs, protein, fats, electrolytes — the training wouldn’t have stuck. My first 70.3 years ago was a disaster because I had no plan. I was eating whatever other athletes told me worked for them, and it was awful.

Taryn Richardson (16:57)
That’s okay. We’ve all had those learning experiences.

Steve Duquette (17:02)
Failure is fine if you learn from it. And I did.

Taryn Richardson (17:16)
On race day, you said you felt amazing all day, even with a sore knee and back. What key parts of your nutrition and hydration strategy made that possible?

Steve Duquette (17:39)
Carb loading properly was huge — not just eating pasta the night before. We had a plan written out weeks in advance, from 3 a.m. breakfast through the entire day. I stuck to it, and it worked.

I had a strong swim, rode 180K in 5:41, and still felt good despite the heat. On the run, even with knee and back issues, my stomach was solid. I was smiling, chatting to volunteers, and enjoying the day.

Taryn Richardson (20:10)
So there was no point where you thought it would all go pear-shaped?

Steve Duquette (20:19)
No. I half expected problems around 120K on the bike, but they never came. The run was slower with more walking, but my stomach felt great the entire day. I used aid stations for water and ice, stayed hydrated, and kept fuelling consistently.

Taryn Richardson (22:41)
Especially important since you’re a heavy sweater. And it was so hot they nearly cancelled the race because of fires and smoke, right?

Steve Duquette (23:23)
Exactly. I’d done sweat testing beforehand, which showed my fluid and sodium losses. Knowing my numbers helped me nail electrolytes, which was key to avoiding cramps and fatigue.

Taryn Richardson (23:54)
Do you think truly understanding your plan gave you the confidence to attempt an Ironman?

Steve Duquette (24:14)
Absolutely. Hope is not a strategy. The spreadsheets we used in TNA laid out my carb loading and fuelling hour by hour. That data gave me peace of mind — I knew exactly what to do on race day.

Without it, I’d have been winging it, grabbing random stuff at aid stations, and cursing my way through. Instead, I was self-sufficient, calm, and prepared.

Taryn Richardson (26:51)
So for someone still winging it, what would you say?

Steve Duquette (27:02)
Stop winging it. Seriously. Seek out experts. I didn’t know what I didn’t know, but working with an advanced sports dietitian changed everything. Just like you’d take your car to a mechanic, take your nutrition to a professional.

Taryn Richardson (29:11)
Now that you’ve done one, is there a next one?

Steve Duquette (29:19)
Haha — don’t tell my wife, but never say never. I’ll do some 70.3s, like Sunshine Coast, and maybe another full in 2027.

Taryn Richardson (30:12)
What would you do differently?

Steve Duquette (30:24)
Mainly address my knee and back. Otherwise, I’d keep the same approach because it worked. If I can feel as good in my next Ironman as I did in this one, I’ll be happy.

Taryn Richardson (31:04)
Amazing.

Steve Duquette (31:25)
Yeah. The swim was steady, the bike was great, and without the knee/back issues, my run would’ve been 45–60 minutes faster. But I’m still thrilled. I even finished in daylight — no headlamp needed!

Taryn Richardson (33:01)
And you had a good experience, which so many people don’t in their first Ironman. Training, a good coach, and the right nutrition gave you that.

Steve Duquette (33:03)
Exactly. I’ve done races where I cramped and felt terrible. But Sunshine Coast 70.3 and this Ironman were night and day. No GI issues, no cramps — just enjoyment.

Taryn Richardson (34:19)
And you even earned yourself a new bike! Okay Steve, if you could sum up becoming an Ironman in one sentence, what would it be?

Steve Duquette (34:29)
One sentence? That’s hard. It’s a huge undertaking but incredibly fulfilling. To join the tiny percentage of people who’ve done a full Ironman is something I’m very proud of.

Taryn Richardson (35:31)
Steve, thank you so much for coming back on the podcast and sharing your first Ironman experience. Your story shows the power of pairing solid training with a well-tested nutrition strategy. Not only did it help you feel amazing all day, it gave you the confidence to take on the biggest race of your life.

If you’re listening and in the same position — thinking about your first Ironman or already training — know this: nutrition isn’t an afterthought. You can’t wing it and expect Steve’s success. It’s the thing that will keep you strong, help you enjoy the day, and make sure you cross that finish line proud, with a smile on your face.

If you want to fuel your training and racing with the same confidence Steve has, check out the Triathlon Nutrition Academy at dietitianapproved.com/academy.

Thanks for tuning in, and I’ll see you next week with more practical strategies to help you train hard and fuel smarter.

Steve Duquette (35:50)
Thanks, Taryn.

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!