Maurten Ironman Triathlon Nutrition Plan
Completing an ironman takes true grit and determination. Not everyone who starts succeeds.
One thing that will increase your chances of getting over that finish line and hearing those words
‘You are an Ironman’
Is a proper nutrition plan for your race.
Watch the YouTube video for a more in depth look at these plans
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1. Are Maurten products worth it?
Some of the things my athletes ask is whether Maurten gels are worth it, or any of their products for that matter, and if they are, how they should use them to help with nutrition during an ironman.
My answer as to whether the products are worth it is a definite yes. Everyone is different, but for many athletes I have found that Maurten’s nutrition range works well and can help them to successfully create a Maurten triathlon plan.
If you’re interested in-depth reviews, then I’ve discussed whether Maurten products are the best for triathletes and a Maurten bicarb review - their latest, science-backed ‘super supplement’.
I’m not sponsored or affiliated with them by the way, so I don’t get any kickbacks from saying this.
Having helped athletes successfully complete ironman events and build them nutrition plans using Maurten products like their Maurten gel 100, Maurten 320 drink mix and Maurten solid, I thought it seemed sensible to create a full nutrition plan that could be available for everyone - using only Maurten products!
I’ve actually gone one step further and created 4 nutrition plans, using the various different options that Maurten have available to create a free triathlon nutrition plan PDF.
You can read more information about the plans on this page, or scroll to the bottom of the page to download a Maurten ironman nutrition plan pdf.
Some of the Maurten products - Drink mix 320, Drink mix 160, gel 100 and gel 100 caf 100
2. How to fuel an ironman triathlon
When it comes to ironman racing, people are often surprised by just how much they need to consume to fuel their racing properly.
I try to get all my athletes to consume at least 60 grams of carbohydrates per hour when they’re racing at the ironman distance. This is a moderate number in terms of carbs per hour, with many athletes able to get as high as 90g/hour comfortably and without any gastrointestinal upset.
It can be difficult carrying all the carbs with you on the bike because let’s face it - 60g of carbs over at least 5 hours for most people is a lot!
Carbohydrates need to be the focus during ironman racing because it’s carbs that your body is going to predominantly use during your race. Dietary fat and protein don’t meaningfully contribute to energy during racing, and are harder to digest so are more likely to cause you tummy upset when doing exercise - so best practice is to consume 0 of those during racing.
Carbohydrate loading before an ironman triathlon is important, and you can find an example carbohydrate loading plan here on the website which you can also download for free.
3. Nutrition during an ironman
I have created 4 different plans for you which I’ll outline below. I’ve used a goal finish time of 13 hours, 500 grams of fluid per hour and 60g of carbs per hour. This may change depending on your own aspirations, but this is realistic target for many attempting the ironman distance.
Maurten drink mix 320 plan
This plan uses only the Maurten 320 mix to get you through the bike leg of your triathlon. By using 4 and a half sachets of the drink mix 320 you can get all the carbs you need.
I’m making an assumption that you can carry 3 * 750ml bottles on your bike, with the 4th one in the special needs area for you to pick up halfway through the bike leg.
Split the 4 and a half sachets into 4 drinks bottles, drink 500ml fluid per hour and you’ve hit your carb and fluid goal without any fuss.
Don’t worry, the next option gives you a way to do it without stopping.
Maurten drink mix 320 plan (concentrated drinks)
With this plan you concentrate the drink mixes into 2 bottles and carry all your carbs in just those 2. Then you sip at the concentrated mixes over the bike leg and also consume the same amount of plain water.
This dilutes the mix back to normal amounts and means you can swap out plain water bottles at aids stations and keep cycling the whole way without stopping!
Maurten gel
This is a bit of a neat trick. I got in touch with Maurten and asked them about a video of Jan Frodeno talking about his bike fuelling. In this, he says he puts gels into a bottle and carrys carbs that way.
Maurten advised me that because of the hydrogel structure of the gels they won’t mix with water, so you can essentially use your water bottles as storage.
I go through this maurten gel 100 strategy in this YouTube video where you can see the pros and cons of it in more detail.
Mix of Maurten products
Finally, I created a plan which uses a mix of all the Maurten products to get you through the bike leg.
By alternating between the Maurten solid bar, and a Maurten gel 100 every 40 minutes or so, and sipping on a 320 drink mix, you can get through the bike leg while taking a great amount of carbs on board.
This is good for anyone who doesn’t just want to stick to one product for the bike nutrition for an ironman.
4. Hydration during an ironman
It’s also important to consider your hydration during an ironman. My usual suggestion as a starting point is 500ml of fluid per hour and 250mg of sodium per 500ml of fluid.
Most people should be able to comfortably tolerate this during the bike leg of an ironman, but they might need to reduce this during the run leg.
Running is harder from a gastrointestinal point of view when it comes to nutrition, so you need to give yourself a little bit of breathing room (figuratively and literally!) and purposefully consume less during the run portion.
The concentrated drink mix is a viable option for the run portion of your ironman. You will need to carry a bottle on you, which you can prepare ready in transition. You could use this running belt with water bottle to carry all your carbs on you.
5. Customisable plan:
The plans I’ve created take this into account and hopefully give you an excellent starting point for your ironman nutrition.
You can change your goal fluid intake and carb goal to create a strategy that suits you.
Fill in the form below to gain access to the plan. If you've already subscribed, fill in your email and you should be taken straight to the page.
If you’ve completed an ironman triathlon you’re going to want to make sure you recover properly, too. I’ve written an article on how to recover after an ironman triathlon and you can read that here.
