Triathlon Nutrition Academy

What happens when someone with zero athletic background decides to completely change their life… and accidentally signs up for an Ironman four months later?
In this episode of the Triathlon Nutrition Academy Podcast, Advanced Sports Dietitian Taryn Richardson sits down with Triathlon Nutrition Academy athlete Chris Tubbs to unpack his incredible journey from couch potato to multiple Ironman finisher.
Chris started triathlon at 48 years old, while travelling 60% of the time for work in the biotech industry. Early on, things didn’t go to plan. Despite doing the training, races were ending in DNFs, cramping, nausea and serious frustration.
The surprising part? Fitness wasn’t the problem.
Through this conversation, Chris shares how dialling in his nutrition and hydration completely changed his ability to train, race and actually finish events. From ditching an expensive supplement habit to discovering he loses more than 2 litres of sweat per hour, this episode highlights just how powerful personalised nutrition can be for endurance performance.
It’s an honest, inspiring conversation about resilience, learning from mistakes and why it’s never too late to start something big.
In This Episode We Discuss
How Chris went from “championship potato chip eater” to Ironman athlete

The moment that sparked his decision to completely change his lifestyle

Accidentally signing up for an Ironman just four months into triathlon

Why he kept experiencing DNFs, cramping and poor race performances

The surprising truth about supplements vs nutrition foundations

How he saved hundreds of dollars a month by ditching unnecessary supplements

Discovering his extremely high sweat rate of over 2L per hour

Why hydration, not carbs, was the missing piece of his race-day puzzle

The challenges of fuelling properly while travelling constantly for work

How personalised nutrition strategies helped him finally finish races feeling strong

The mindset shift that kept him pushing forward through setbacks

Why it’s faster and far more effective to get expert help rather than trying to figure it all out alone

Key Takeaway
You can be incredibly fit, train hard and still struggle on race day if your nutrition and hydration aren’t dialled in.
Chris is proof that when you stop guessing and start fuelling strategically, everything changes.
Chapters
01:10 The photo that changed everything03:00 From couch potato to triathlon at 4806:10 Accidentally signing up for an Ironman09:00 Why his early races kept falling apart12:30 The supplement mistake many triathletes make16:00 Discovering a massive sweat rate19:30 Hydration vs carbs for endurance performance23:10 Learning to fuel properly while travelling27:00 Racing in heat vs cold conditions30:30 The mindset shift that changed everything34:00 Why getting expert help speeds up progress37:00 Chris’ future triathlon goals
Links & Resources
Learn more about the Triathlon Nutrition Academy Program
Listen to Episode 101: How much money triathletes waste on supplements
Connect with Chris on Instagram@iron_clydesdale
Other Links & Resources
Download the FREE audio series The 5 Biggest Nutrition Mistakes Costing You Time on Race Day
SUPPORT THE PODCAST HERE
CONNECT WITH TARYN
Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube
The Triathlon Nutrition Academy® is a podcast by Dietitian Approved®. All rights reserved.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trying to lean up but your FTP keeps tanking?
If every time you try to “eat less” your watts drop, your legs feel flat and your sessions turn into survival mode… this episode is for you.
In this week’s podcast, I’m breaking down how to lose body fat strategically without compromising performance. Because you don’t get faster by shrinking yourself. You get faster by building a strong engine and fuelling it properly.
Inside this episode, I walk you through:
Why slashing carbs across the board is one of the biggest mistakes triathletes make

How to fuel threshold, VO2, long bricks and key sessions properly without blowing your fat loss goals

What carbohydrate periodisation actually looks like in a real training week

Why protecting muscle mass is critical for both metabolism and power output

How small, boring calorie deficits beat aggressive six week shreds every time

A real athlete case study of a masters triathlete who lost 45 pounds while improving her FTP and keeping it off long term

This is the difference between dieting and performance nutrition. Dieting just shrinks you. Strategic fuelling supports your training, your recovery and your long term triathlon career.
If you’re training for three sports, juggling work and family and still trying to create a massive calorie deficit on top of that, you’re setting yourself up to underfuel and underperform.
You don’t need to eat less. You need to eat smarter.
Chapters:
00:00 Why your FTP drops when you try to lose weight01:05 The biggest mistake triathletes make when dieting02:40 Why cutting carbs hurts performance04:15 Can you lose fat and maintain power?05:30 Real athlete case study: 45 pounds down, FTP up08:00 Fuel the sessions that matter10:00 How to periodise carbohydrates properly12:00 Protecting muscle mass and metabolism14:00 Why your calorie deficit should be small16:00 How to lean up without losing watts17:30 What to do next
Links & Resources Mentioned
Triathlon Nutrition Kickstart Course
Step-by-step guidance to build your performance plate, pre-training fuel, during-training targets and recovery plan.
Triathlon Nutrition Academy Program
Ongoing coaching, support and accountability inside our comprehensive group program.
If you’re ready to stop guessing and start fuelling like a performance-driven triathlete, this episode is your starting point.
Other Links & Resources
Download the FREE audio series The 5 Biggest Nutrition Mistakes Costing You Time on Race Day
SUPPORT THE PODCAST HERE
CONNECT WITH TARYN
Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube
The Triathlon Nutrition Academy® is a podcast by Dietitian Approved®. All rights reserved.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Training hard but still feeling flat, constantly hungry or stuck at a performance plateau?
If you dropped into my world tomorrow as a triathlete, there are four things I would fix immediately. And no, it’s not your supplements, your race day gel strategy or your power to weight ratio.
In this episode, I break down the four big rocks of triathlon nutrition that almost every age group triathlete gets wrong. These are the foundations that make everything else work. Before you worry about fancy fuelling strategies, you need to get these right.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why recovery is more than just a protein shake and how to refuel properly after key sessions
How to fuel before training, especially early morning sessions, without feeling heavy or sluggish
What a true “triathlete’s plate” looks like on a double session Tuesday
How to fuel during long rides, long runs and bricks without underdoing it or overdoing it
Why inconsistent nutrition leads to cravings, poor sleep and stalled body composition
How to stop DIY-ing your nutrition with piecemeal advice and build a structured weekly plan
Most triathletes love structure in their training but completely wing their nutrition. They copy what their mates are doing, grab tips from Instagram and end up with inconsistent carbs, random recovery and underfuelled long sessions.
Chapters:
00:00 - Training hard but still underperforming?01:20 - Why most triathletes DIY their nutrition04:10 - The 4 foundations that actually matter06:15 - Fix #1: Recovery nutrition done properly09:10 - Fix #2: Pre-training fuel, especially mornings12:30 - Fix #3: Building your triathlete performance plate16:55 - Fix #4: During-training carbs and sodium strategy21:40 - What happens when you nail the fundamentals24:30 - Stop jumping to advanced strategies26:00 - How to get structured support
When you nail these four fundamentals:
Your energy stabilises across the week
Your session quality lifts almost immediately
Cravings and snack-cidents reduce
Recovery improves and sleep gets better
Body composition goals become easier to achieve
You build consistency and longevity in the sport
These aren’t sexy strategies. They’re the foundations. And they change everything.
Links & Resources Mentioned
Triathlon Nutrition Kickstart Course
Step-by-step guidance to build your performance plate, pre-training fuel, during-training targets and recovery plan.
Triathlon Nutrition Academy Program
Ongoing coaching, support and accountability inside our comprehensive group program.
If you’re ready to stop guessing and start fuelling like a performance-driven triathlete, this episode is your starting point.
Other Links & Resources
Download the FREE audio series The 5 Biggest Nutrition Mistakes Costing You Time on Race Day
SUPPORT THE PODCAST HERE
CONNECT WITH TARYN
Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube
The Triathlon Nutrition Academy® is a podcast by Dietitian Approved®. All rights reserved.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ironman has changed its on-course hydration globally. Sounds simple. It’s not.
All Ironman-branded events have now moved to PH1000 for hydration and Maurten for carbohydrate fuelling, separating fluids and carbs completely. If you’ve relied on sports drink to do both jobs, this shift has major implications for your race nutrition plan.
In this solo episode, I break down exactly what’s changed, how much sodium you’re actually getting per bottle and how to decide whether this setup works for your individual sweat rate, sodium losses and fuelling preferences.
Because hydration and sodium are never one-size-fits-all. And winging it at 70.3 or full distance is how you end up walking the marathon.
Chapters & Highlights:
00:00 - Why this Ironman change matters02:15 - What’s actually changed on course05:30 - PH1000 explained: sodium without carbs08:10 - How to calculate sodium per bottle11:45 - Will this setup work for you?14:20 - What if you prefer to drink your carbs?16:00 - Why practising in training is non-negotiable18:00 - How to build a race plan that actually works
Key Takeaways:
PH1000 provides 1000mg sodium per litre and zero carbohydrate

Carbohydrates now come separately via Maurten gels and solids

Your sweat rate and sodium losses determine whether this works for you

You may need to be more self-sufficient on race day

Testing your full race setup in training is essential

Hydration isn’t about what’s on course. It’s about knowing your body and executing with confidence.
If you want help building a personalised race nutrition plan:
Register your interest for the Triathlon Nutrition Academy
Or start with the Triathlon Nutrition Kickstart Course
And if you’re not sure where your current plan stands, download the free Triathlon Nutrition Checklist
Other Links & Resources
Download the FREE audio series The 5 Biggest Nutrition Mistakes Costing You Time on Race Day
SUPPORT THE PODCAST HERE
CONNECT WITH TARYN
Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube
The Triathlon Nutrition Academy® is a podcast by Dietitian Approved®. All rights reserved.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does it take to go from a promising junior to a world champion triathlete?
In this episode, I sit down with Aussie triathlete and 2025 World Champion Matt Hauser for a real, behind-the-scenes chat about his training load, nutrition evolution and what’s driven his rise to the top of the world triathlon stage. Matt shares what his day-to-day looks like, how his mindset and fuelling approach have shifted over time, and the routines that support peak performance.
Whether you're an age-grouper trying to balance work and training, or just keen to hear what it takes to compete at the highest level, this episode is packed with golden takeaways.
Here’s what we cover:
⏱️ [00:00] Welcome and intro to Matt
⏱️ [01:08] Career highlights: From Junior World Champ to World #1
⏱️ [03:00] What it means to win on home soil
⏱️ [05:00] A typical training week: 30 hours of triathlon training
⏱️ [08:28] Daily routine: early starts, fuelling strategies & coffee orders
⏱️ [13:00] The role of gym strength in elite triathlon
⏱️ [15:27] Cramping: The strength connection
⏱️ [17:18] Matt’s fuelling evolution - from mayo subs to plain rice
⏱️ [21:00] The realities of early-career athlete life
⏱️ [24:44] Mental resilience, setbacks and chasing progress
⏱️ [27:00] Transitioning from raw talent to strategic athlete
⏱️ [29:29] Building an identity outside of sport
⏱️ [31:38] What’s next: Going back-to-back, Olympic goals & short course focus
⏱️ [35:00] Will Matt ever go long course? His take on 70.3 and Ironman
⏱️ [37:45] The future of triathlon and Matt’s legacy
If you’re ready to take your nutrition (and racing) to the next level, don’t just wing it. Start with the Triathlon Nutrition Checklist and get clear on what you need to work on today.
Links & Resources
🎙 Listen to the Episode that proves Results (EP 227)
👉 Grab the free Triathlon Nutrition Checklist to find out exactly what you're missing:
Download the FREE audio series The 5 Biggest Nutrition Mistakes Costing You Time on Race Day
SUPPORT THE PODCAST HERE
CONNECT WITH TARYN
Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube
The Triathlon Nutrition Academy® is a podcast by Dietitian Approved®. All rights reserved.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.