Oxygenaddict Triathlon Podcast · Rob Wilby

Maximising Triathlon Performance: Nutrition, Hydration, and Electrolytes with Andy Blow from PF&H | Ep 556

·41 min·2 clips

Andy Blow says plain water alone can dilute blood sodium during long races and hurt performance.

Coach Rob Wilby opens the show with the familiar aim of educating, motivating and inspiring triathletes. He introduces Andy Blow as the founder from Precision Fuel and Hydration and as someone he trusts for practical fueling advice. The episode is built around listener questions rather than a loose interview, which keeps it focused. The first major thread is the relationship between carbohydrates, fluid, and electrolytes. Rob and Andy keep coming back to the same point: getting the amounts right matters more than obsessing over the exact product. That idea is repeated clearly and without much fluff. Product choice sits behind the basic numbers. From there, the conversation turns to glucose and fructose. Andy explains that the body uses separate pathways for each, and that combining them can let more carbohydrate be absorbed at once. The discussion lands on a roughly two-to-one glucose-to-fructose approach, with a small warning not to get too worked up about tiny ratio differences. It also notes that this becomes more relevant once athletes are above about 60 grams of carbohydrate per hour. That gives the episode a useful practical edge. The next question is about carbohydrate before the swim start of a triathlon. Rob asks how much to take and how soon before the gun. Andy breaks the answer into breakfast and immediate pre-start fueling. Breakfast is treated as especially important for long-distance triathletes. He also acknowledges the reality of early starts and nervous stomachs, especially in Ironman races. The logistical mess of race mornings is part of the discussion, not something brushed aside. Across the whole episode, the conversation keeps returning to what actually helps. It is less interested in theory for its own sake and more interested in how athletes can build a plan that works on race day. The message is simple, but not simplistic: fuel enough, keep carbs, fluid, and electrolytes in balance, and handle the morning calmly instead of improvising when the pressure is on.

As heard by us

A practical fueling session for long distance triathletes who want fewer race day guesses.

This episode stays focused on practical race day fueling. Coach Rob Wilby puts Andy Blow through listener questions on carbohydrates, fluid, electrolytes, and glucose fructose mixes, then shifts to the trickier problem of breakfast before an early start, when nerves can make…

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Get the race-fueling basics from Andy Blow, the founder of Precision Fuel and Hydration, who built the company after his races kept falling apart in the heat.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Oxygenaddict Triathlon Podcast