The Perfect Nutrition Plan to Become an Ironman Champion

To win at any Ironman event is not a walk in the park. But to win at one of the most difficult challenges, the Ironman Lanzarote, is a life-changing achievement. 

This year, the title went to the 30-year-old Arthur Horseau. The Frenchman is aware that you cannot win at such an event without proper a fueling strategy, and Arthur put his trust in the Nduranz brand.

Based on Nduranz's research, Arthur Horseau aimed at an intake of 90 grams of carbohydrates per hour. At the same time, he made sure to stay properly hydrated and replace the lost electrolytes.

In this blog, we'll take a look at what exactly he had to consume and drink to be able to swim 3.9 km, cycle 180.2 km, and run 42.2 km in a record time of 8 hours, 22 minutes, and 31 seconds.

Swimming

Swimming is Arthur's weakest discipline. His main goal was to finish the swimming portion without losing contact with the leading group and get a good starting position before the next challenge. 

With this goal in mind, he consumed one Nrgy Unit Gel with Caffeine right before the start of the event. This way, he made sure to have enough carbohydrates available for a little over 49 minutes of swimming, and the caffeine provided him with an extra kick of energy.

He made it out of water at 6th place, fulfilling his goal. This allowed him to climb the ranks throughout the event, as the following two disciplines suit him much better.

Swimming time: 00:49:23
Nutrition:
- 1x Nrgy Unit Gel (right before the start)

Cycling

Arthur's goal for the cycling portion of the event was reduce the time lost in the swimming portion.

The first task was to slow down the energy consumption and "repay" the energy deficit from swimming. To make this happen, Arthur squeezed 10 Nrgy Unit Gels into his sports bottle with the plan to consume two gels per hour. This way, he would intake 90 grams of carbohydrates per hour.

Another crucial factor in the hot conditions of the Canary Islands was hydration. Arthur Horseau took care of it in two ways - by consuming Nrgy Unit Drink 90 and Zero Drink. The first he used for hydration and an additional source of energy, while Zero Drink was intended specifically to replace the lost electrolytes.

His nutrition and hydration strategy was on point. The Frenchman finished the cycling portion at third place, setting the stage for his final push to achieve first place in his strongest discipline, running. 

Cycling time: 4:47:02
Nutrition:
- 10x Nrgy Unit Gel (2 per hour)
- 500 ml Nrgy Unit Drink 90
- 500 ml Zero Drink
- water at the stations

Running

After three minutes in the transition zone, Arthur Horseau was ready to hunt down the leading two athletes. He had 42 kilometers to turn the race in his favor and achieve the greatest success of his career. 

Once again, he filled his energy stores at the transition zone, consuming one Nrgy Unit Gel and 500 ml of Zero Drink. This gave him a new wave of energy and took care of proper hydration to run in the heat of the Canary Islands. 

During the run, he consumed one Nrgy Unit Gel every 30 minutes, preserving the established strategy to consume 2 energy gels per hour. He was also very careful to sustain proper hydration by drinking 500 ml of Zero Drink after 90 minutes of running and another 500 ml of Zero Drink 30 minutes later.

The closing kilometers, when the body is already yearning for rest, can often wreck an athlete's race. Arthur Horseau made sure that didn't happen by consuming another Nrgy Unit Gel 20 minutes before the finish line. 

Running time: 2:39:20
Nutrition:
- 6x Nrgy Unit Gel (2 per hour)
- 3x 500 ml Zero Drink
- water at the stations

Months of hard training combined with the correct nutrition strategy allowed Arthur Horseau to win at Ironman Lanzarote and achieve the greatest success in his athletic career. 

But that's not all. 

He also set the record time at Ironman Lanzarote. For the 226.3 kilometer long track, he required 8 hours, 22 minutes, and 31 seconds, beating the previous record by an astounding 8 minutes.