Fueling Endurance - Nutrition for Runners, Cyclists & Triathletes

Researcher and sports dietitian Dr Andrea Braakhuis (University of Auckland) joins us to chat about her area of research on the components in fruit and vegetables and their impact on performance. We discuss whether we should just try to eat more fruit and veggies, some of the challenges in achieving that for runners, cyclists and triathletes, and whether there's evidence to support the use of supplemental forms like greens powders, New Zealand blackcurrant and tart cherry juice.

We're joined by Aussie pro cyclist Sarah Gigante, who shares her experience relocating to Europe and learning to adapt her on-bike nutrition in a much colder climate. From cozy gloves that stopped her accessing race food, to finding suitable alternatives to cereal bars in Europe, we hear stories of adapting to life riding in Europe, and the challenges eating and drinking in the cold, wind and rain of the Spring Classics in Belgium.

Beccy Hall is a sports dietitian with the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia and previously with the Canadian Sports Institute Pacific. She discusses if nutritional needs change when training through the winter, what does 'being cold' actually means, and some great practical tips and advice learnt from working with Winter Olympic athletes and others in temperatures both above and below freezing.

Elite ultra-runner & coach, mum of one and pregnant with the 2nd on the way, Kellie Emerson joins us to share her experiences with managing training (and racing) and nutrition whilst pregnant and breastfeeding. Plenty of great advice and practical suggestions for new mums or soon-to-be new mums.

Co-founder of Compeat Nutrition, sports dietitian for Australia's women's soccer team The Matildas & mum of three kids, Alicia joins us to discuss both the guidelines and the practical reality of nutrition during pregnancy & breastfeeding, and how your training nutrition needs change during this time. Plenty of practical tips for new mums or mums-to-be that are continuing to train during this time.

Cyclist Ben Hill joins us to share his experience managing food and nutrition whilst travelling, both domestically with the National Road Series, and internationally in Europe and Asia. We discuss what's worked, what's gone wrong, and what he always takes with him when travelling. We also chat about his experience with the Australian team in the UCI Cycling ESports World Championships, a former teammate who's now a multiple Tour de France winner, and his love of riding in the breakaway.

We're joined by Jess Rothwell, Nutrition Lead for Athletics Australia and Sports Dietitian at the Victorian Institute of Sport, working with their athletics program. We tap into Jess's experience travelling with teams to training camps, World Championships and Olympic Games, as well as her own experience as an athlete. This includes common nutrition issues and challenges for both domestic and international travel and tips for overcoming these, tips for choosing accommodation and what to take with you to be prepared for any situation, and how you as an athlete can be better prepared nutritionally when travelling for an event.

Our first returning athlete guest, triathlete and Tokyo Olympian Emma Jeffcoat's back on the podcast. We discuss her Olympic experience and plans for 2022, her personal experience with supplements, the products she's tried over the years, her thought process when deciding on whether to use a supplement or not, and her experience combining supplements with international travel.

We're joined by Greg Shaw, Nutrition Lead for Swimming Australia and Performance Manager for the open water program. As a former athlete and then sports dietitian, Greg has used supplements, researched supplement use, contibuted to the AIS Sports Supplement Framework and worked with numerous athletes to advise them on supplement use. We discuss how to define supplements, his process of determining if an individual would benefit from supplements, and how we would benefit by shifting from a "magic pills and potions" to a "nutrient optimisation" mindset.

Runner and sports science journalist Alex Hutchinson joins us to provide his experience of using a continuous glucose monitor, and his research and conversations with elite and professional athletes who have been using them. We discuss what it's like to wear the monitor, what data you get back, and what to do with it. A columnist for Outside and formerly Runner's World, Alex is also the author of the New York Times best-seller Endure, where he examined the science of fatigue and the limits of human performance.