Ironman Or Triathlete?

[AmandaD]

Hi guys,

I'm looking to find out if any of you are biopsy-diagnosed Celiacs who do Ironman or triathlons? I do and I wanted to just talk to someone about their nutrition during training.

Thanks - please write back!

AmandaD

[MitziG]

Well- I ASPIRE to be, does that help? I was running a lot (30-40 miles a week) until 2 yrs ago when major anemia sidelined me. (Thank you celiac.) Now that I am feeling better than ever I have just started running again, and am planning on a couple 1/2 marathons this summer. Just started the Paleo diet and am curious to see how my performance will benefit from it!

[RockChalkChic]

I have done several sprint tris and half marathons but none as a celiac yet - first one this summer is in 2 weeks. My standard pre-race is 1/2 pb sandwich (Udi's this round) and a 1/2 banana. I use Nuun tablets in my water during the bike and it appears they are gluten-free:

ARE NUUN BRANDED PRODUCTS GLUTEN-FREE?

Yes, both Nuun Active Hydration and U Natural Hydration contain only gluten-free ingredients. The wheat germ oil used in Nuun All Day is gluten-free. Nun All Day is currently undergoing testing to verify that the other ingredients are gluten-free as per FDA GUIDELINES.

Coconut water would be a good alternative to that though. I'm not big on carb loading, but this time around I may enjoy my homemade gluten-free mac n cheese the night before (Quinoa pasta). I eat lots of nuts and fruits/veggies in general, drink tons of water, and coconut water.

Any thoughts?

[AmandaD]

i need to check ou the nuun stuff NOW! i have a swim event on Sunday.

I have done several sprint tris and half marathons but none as a celiac yet - first one this summer is in 2 weeks. My standard pre-race is 1/2 pb sandwich (Udi's this round) and a 1/2 banana. I use Nuun tablets in my water during the bike and it appears they are gluten-free:

ARE NUUN BRANDED PRODUCTS GLUTEN-FREE?

Yes, both Nuun Active Hydration and U Natural Hydration contain only gluten-free ingredients. The wheat germ oil used in Nuun All Day is gluten-free. Nun All Day is currently undergoing testing to verify that the other ingredients are gluten-free as per FDA GUIDELINES.

Coconut water would be a good alternative to that though. I'm not big on carb loading, but this time around I may enjoy my homemade gluten-free mac n cheese the night before (Quinoa pasta). I eat lots of nuts and fruits/veggies in general, drink tons of water, and coconut water.

Any thoughts?

[RockChalkChic]

i need to check ou the nuun stuff NOW! i have a swim event on Sunday.

Open water or pool? Good luck! I would go to their website to see for yourself, only b/c I'm paranoid!

[LindsayS]

I am guessing you have already done your open water event but I am a triathlete and have been gluten-free for a year and a half. I am not "diagnosed" celiac but mainly because I don't have faith in the medical community surrounding this topic and don't want to bother with it. Regardless, I train and complete gluten-free. I noticed a drastic change in my performance after becoming gluten-free. Definitely the main problem I come across is getting enough carbs. I usually notice immediately (especially in the water) if I haven't had enough. I always feel like I am swimming is syrup.

I am currently 3 months pregnant, so I am not training for any events. I still swim regularly though.

[jnnrr415]

Good thread! I use Carbo-Pro for calories/carbs, which is a totally flavorless powder that you mix into your liquids. I also mix in some EFS powder which adds flavor and electrolytes. One scoop each in a bottle is 200 cals, and both totally dissolve. Just a note: I accidentally used Hammer electrolyte Fizz and after an hour I started feeling that gluten fog. It never occurred to me to read the label on an electrolyte bottle for gluten! I'm going to try NUUN tablets which are gluten free to replace the EFS just because I want to decrease my sugar intake.

Other gluten-free nutrition: pre-workouts I'll do almond butter, honey and banana on Rudi's cinnamon/raisin bread. I also started doing "overnight oats"... soak 1 cup gluten free oats with 1 cup almond milk, 2 scoops whey protein powder, raisins, a couple spoonfuls of yogurt, a dash of cinnamon, and honey to taste. Make it the night before and pop it in your fridge. Next morning, voila! Easy peasy.

For recovery, I love Ultragen cappuccino flavor post-workout. It tastes amazing and it's gluten-free.

[RockChalkChic]

Okay - two sprint tri's down for the summer. Despite my lack of training as compared to past years, I did okay and had a good recovery. In one of our schwag bags we got mini Luna bars and I was surprised to see it was gluten-free.

Is Luna Protien gluten free? www.lunabar.com

At the beginning of 2011 we started to transition the entire LUNA Protein line to be gluten free. To do this, Clif Bar & Company has looked at all aspects of making our bars. Our ingredient suppliers have confirmed that all ingredients are gluten free, so they contain no gluten from wheat, rye or barely. Where we make our food is capable of making a gluten free food and we test our finished products to confirm that they are gluten free.

As of March 2011, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Cookie Dough, and Chocolate Cherry Almond transitioned to be gluten free, as well. You can tell if your LUNA Protein bar is gluten free by looking at the packaging.

I had the mini choc/raz Luna bar pre-race along with some coconut water in my water bottle on the bike. The first tri was hilly and WINDY but pretty. The second tri we were blessed with lovely weather so it was a nice quick ride. The lake was way down, so we were swimming in the weeds though.

Thanks for the tip on Ultragen ... where do you buy it?

[richgregory]

Hi I'm 3 months diagnosed Gluten intolerant and am 2 weeks out from my 2nd Ironman (first gluten-free). I have sought to become "fat adapted" and think that it is working, my run times have dropped drastically (about 45sec/km in 3 weeks).

 

I currently use a small amount of a product called 32GI endure (1 scoop in a 700ml bidon) over the course of a long ride and have a banana about 1 hour in then 20grams of honey per hour following. I have found this works for me and have tested it up to a 150km ride with a 5km run off the back.

2 weeks ago I tested the above minus banana in a half ironman and took 18min off my time from the previous year despite carrying a calf injury and had no problems where previously I would have had 2+ toilet stops. I had 3 scrambled eggs 2.5 hours before the race. 

 

Pre-workout I will have a FAT BLACK coffee, black coffee with 1 teaspoon butter and 1 tablespoon coconut oil. 

 

There are a growing number of gluten-free athletes getting around the triathlon scene including Luke McKenzie who came 2nd at KONA Ironman World Champs so it is definitely possible to race well and be gluten-free!

[imei]

I just saw that this post was written in 2012! But for anyone else who is thinking of doing an Ironman, I'll leave my response up.

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I have Celiac Disease confirmed by symptom (not biopsy) and presence of Herpetiformis Dermatitis and DNA HLA DQ 2 and 8 positive for Celiac Disease genetic risk. I have raced multiple Half Ironman distance, Sprint, Oly, and one Ironman, and am about to race my second Ironman in July 2018. 

So much of typical race food makes my guts cry, either because it has dextrose sourced from corn (and I can't have corn, so there went NUUN after their 2017 reformulation of their product), or a seed, nut, grain, or bean I can't have. I am on a modified AIP (Autoimmune Protocol + Terry Wahl's Protocol with a hint of low FODMAPs), and I find that in general, low carbohydrate for much of the year, and nutritional periodization that increases the amount of carbohydrate needed to keep the glycogen tanks topped off and pre-loaded before a race or heavy training keeps my guts happier and decreases my recovery time off a hard race. 

Since 2016, I've had some shifts and improvements on what I can eat, so I've been able to reintroduce foods like gluten free bread with a small amount of gum/emulsifier, allowing me to eat a gluten-free cashew nut butter +bacon+jam sandwich on the bike, cut into smaller bites and wrapped in foil like a Feedzone Portable (easy to handle with one hand while riding). I can also have Honey Stinger gummies. I still use an EPIC bar to provide some protein and fat because I've become a "fat burner" by doing LCHF and low Heart Rate running, plus Metabolic Efficiency testing so I could both determine the best pacing for me, as well as what my Resting caloric burn and my caloric burn while exercising are. These numbers help me know how much food to gobble. 

The biggest "ah-ha" nutrition and fluid wise that I have had to work on really hard has been about electrolyte balance. I eat so clean during the week, mostly eating real, natural gluten-free foods at home and very little processed food, that it has little sodium in it. Before big races, I will pre-load my electrolyte pills until I notice the water I am drinking "sticks" to me. Without doing that, I can inadvertently enter a warm-weather race and be mildly dehydrated before I cross the start line. We've used blood testing to help determine if I've needed a IV therapy to help with this; a naturopathic office set me up with a couple of IV's starting three weeks out before IMMT race in 2016, and I'll look into that again for my 2018 race. 

Finally, recovery nutrition is so important. Recovery begins the minute you cross the finish line. There will be hardly anything a celiac disease person can eat on the race finish area tables, so you should put something in your T2 bag or any other transition bag to eat or drink when you're done. As yucky as this sounds, sometimes the best thing you can pound down is a beverage with -- surprise! -- more sugar/calories. I'll be putting two Real Sugar Pepsi's in my bag for after the race is done, a small sandwich, and then flushing the system with water. About two hours after the race, I'll probably eat another snack again, and by the next morning, you'll want to eat right away. 

Currently, I have to eat four meals and 2 snacks a day to keep up with caloric demand off my training. My grocery bills are insane, and for how tiny I am, people are pretty surprised how much food I have to eat to meet demand. If I could recommend anything, test out your race day food multiple times while training hard, to make sure your guts can accept the food and hydration across a minimum of a century ride on a warm day. If you use real food like I do, make sure the food can't ferment or spoil in the hours it sits in your bag or on the bike, and work from solids to gels/gummies to liquids. If you decide to use all liquid nutrition, test test test, before committing to using it on your Ironman. It's so sad to see people's race day spoiled by nausea and vomiting as their guts give out before their bodies do. 

If someone reading this is thinking about doing an Ironman and has celiac disease, I hope this is helpful. I've had a fun time with Ironman training this year. 

[cyclinglady]

Wow!  I wish you the best on your upcoming Ironman.  I have done some sprints and relays, but never an Ironman.  Usually, I do Century Rides.  Like you, I am on a lower carb, high fat gluten-free diet.  

Hey, I am looking at two Nunn containers right now in y kitchen.  One, citrus fruit does have corn, dextrose.  The other, Pomergranate Blueberry does not.  It simply has sugar (non-GMO sourced).