Nutrition podcast for runners, cyclists & triathletes. Sports dietitian Alan McCubbin answers the most common nutrition questions that runners, cyclists & triathletes ask, with help from guest researchers, practitioners, athletes & coaches.
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Episode 110 - Are special drink mixes really that special?
Episode 13
Sunday, September 27, 2026 • Duration 45:51
Water. Carbs. Salt. Flavour. Colour. Food Acid. That’s it. Glucose:fructose ratios, high or low molecular weight polymers, hypotonic or isotonic solutions, scientifically formulated electrolyte blends, hydrogels, pH neutral, the list goes on. But with only a few ingredients and some basic levers to pull, how different are drink mixes really? Is there really a “optimal” formulation? And could you just buy the raw ingredients and make it yourself for a fraction of the cost?
Timestamps:
01:42 - Intro and podcast update
03:33 - The basic ingredients of sports drink mixes
05:07 - What are we trying to achieve with a drink mix?
The Fueling Endurance eBook contains answers to 84 of the most common nutrition questions that runners, cyclists and triathletes ask, and contains insights, tips, and quotes from experts and athletes. The T -12 self-guided course will help prepare you for your next event, with online tools, guides, information and instructions to take you through the 12 weeks leading up to race day. And the Fueling Endurance Practitioner Membership provides access to online tools and calculators I use all the time when working with endurance and ultraendurance athletes. This includes working out the carbohydrate needs for runners (road and trail) and cyclists for different types of training sessions. For more into on each of these, check out fuelingendurance.com.
Episode 109 - What's lactate supplements and buffers got to do with endurance sports? | Dr Bryan Saunders
Episode 12
Monday, July 27, 2026 • Duration 01:42:42
Anyone who’s ever done an interval session, or a hard effort in a race, knows that feeling of fatigue setting in as you hold on for dear life. But is this really all the result of lactic acid, or is something else going on? Can the nutrition strategies used in shorter, more intense events like track cycling or rowing now be applied in longer endurance sports to get more out of ourselves during those hard efforts in training or race day? And why, at this years’ Tour de France, are we hearing stories emerge of cyclists consuming lactate, the very thing we’re told is the root cause of all that suffering?
Timestamps:
05:14 - Intro and Bryan's change in workplace
10:42 - Lactate vs lactic acid, and its role in the body
17:08 - Lactate testing, thresholds and what it means for physiology
32:38 - What are buffering supplements and why are they now being used in endurance sports?
40:33 - What is sodium bicarbonate and how does it work?
42:50 - Does the form of sodium bicarb matter (drink vs tablets vs capsules vs mini-tablets/hydrogel)?
49:07 - Sodium bicarb and gastrointestinal issues - how to avoid
54:22 - Dose of sodium bicarb for a performance effect
57:51 - Timing of bicarb for performance - why are cyclists taking it during exercise (rather than before)?
1:03:06 - Is there evidence that bicarb can work for performance in endurance training or competition?
1:05:24 - What is beta-alanine and how does it work?
1:06:50 - Dose and form of beta-alanine and potential side effects
Episode 108 - Does cooling and reheating my carbs reduce the benefits ?
Episode 11
Friday, June 5, 2026 • Duration 23:37
Starchy foods like pasta, rice and potatoes are an important part of the diet for most runners, cyclists, and triathletes. But in an era of pre-packaged meals and reheated leftovers, are we really getting in the carbs we think we are? Starch retrogradation is the process when cooked starchy foods cool down again. Does this reduce the availability of those carbs? And can it be reversed by reheating the food?
Timestamps:
01:44 - Listener question and background
04:41 - Understanding carbohydrates - sugars and starches
09:00 - Resistant starch
10:04 - What cooking does to starch
14:32 - What happens when starchy foods are cooked then cooled
15:55 - How big is the effect of cooling on digestible carbs?
19:34 - What happens when starchy foods are reheated?
The Fueling Endurance eBook contains answers to 49 of the most common nutrition questions that runners, cyclists and triathletes ask, and contains insights, tips, and quotes from experts and athletes. The T -12 self-guided course will help prepare you for your next event, with online tools, guides, information and instructions to take you through the 12 weeks leading up to race day. And the Fueling Endurance Practitioner Membership provides access to online tools and calculators I use all the time when working with endurance and ultraendurance athletes. This includes working out the carbohydrate needs for runners (road and trail) and cyclists for different types of training sessions. For more into on each of these, check out fuelingendurance.com.
Episode 107 - Are collagen supplements worthwhile? | Assistant Prof. Jorn Trommelen
Episode 10
Wednesday, May 6, 2026 • Duration 01:16:22
It's been one of the most popular supplements of the last few years. A lot of endurance athletes take collagen regularly, but what is it for, how should it be taken, and is there evidence it lives up to the claims? We’re joined by Assistant Prof. Jorn Trommelen, a protein researcher whose lab has done some of the most recent work in this area, to answer our questions.
Timestamps:
04:00 - Intro and revisiting Jorn's previous episode (Ep. 73)
12:17 - What is collagen (in the body and as a supplement)?
16:53 - The different types of collagen - does it matter?
22:20 - How did collagen become so popular as a supplement?
30:10 - Why are the supplements always hydrolysed collagen or "collagen peptides"?
Episode 106 - How can I maximise the effectiveness of support crew? | Rachel White
Episode 9
Monday, April 20, 2026 • Duration 01:21:49
If you’re planning an ultra-distance running or cycling event, there’s a good chance you’ll be relying on support crew to help get you through it. But what makes a great support crew when it comes to nutrition? How do you best prepare them to support you? And what does success look like? To find out, we're joined by ultrarunner, sport nutritionist, and experienced support crew member, Rachel White.
Timestamps:
04:11 - Rachel's experience as an athlete, crew member, and dietitian
Episode 105 - Can wearable sweat sensors help me as an athlete?
Episode 8
Wednesday, February 25, 2026 • Duration 44:38
Wearable sweat sensors have entered the market promising easy, accurate, repeatable, and in some cases, real-time feedback on sweat fluid and sodium losses. But do the claims live up to the hype? In this episode, we’ll unpack who these devices might be relevant to, the options currently available on the market, how they work, and most importantly, are they accurate?
23:09 - Flowbio - newly published validation study
28:47 - My own experiences and comparisons
35:06 - Where does this leave us now?
36:20 - Additional considerations
41:39 - The problem interpreting individual validation studies
43:29 - Wrap up
Research mentioned in this episode:
Baker LB. et al. (2020). Skin-interfaced microfluidic system with personalized sweating rate and sweat chloride analytics for sports science applications. Sci Adv. 6:eabe3929. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abe3929
Bandiera D. et al. (2026). Sweat sodium composition and sweat loss estimation through wearable sensors and predictive equations in dry and humid hot conditions. Front Physiol. 16:1717275. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2025.1717275
Episode 104 - 2025 Year in Review
Episode 7
Friday, December 19, 2025 • Duration 01:02:44
It's the end of 2025, and like each previous year we’re looking back and providing a brief summary of every question we’ve answered on the podcast in the past year, from “Are high carb diets a health concern for athletes?” to “Do I need a multivitamin?”, and “Can I trust AI with my sports nutrition questions?”. So if you’re new to the podcast and don’t have time to go through the whole back catalogue, or you just want a refresher and the key points from the past year's episodes, this is the place for you.
Timestamps:
01:15 - Are high carb diets a health concern for athletes?
03:43 - How does sports nutrition evolve?
05:47 - What is periodised nutrition, and is it beneficial?
10:12 - Can GLP-1 agonists work for runners, cyclists and triathletes?
12:55 - Does nutrition have a role to play in injury prevention?
15:00 - Should I go gluten-free?
17:53 - Can I predict my sweat losses without actually measuring them?
20:13 - Can I trust AI with my sports nutrition questions?
25:03 - Can menthol improve my performance in the heat?
26:57 - Do I need a multivitamin?
30:22 - Is there an optimal drink mix composition?
34:32 - How should I use the new TrainingPeaks carbohydrate and fat calorie metrics?
37:22 - Are omega-3's important for athletic performance?
40:53 - Can my nutrition reduce the chances of getting sick?
44:44 - How much sodium do I need before, during, and after exercise?
48:49 - Can I change my gut microbiome, and will it help me as an athlete?
51:46 - How do I manage exercise, nutrition, and Type 1 Diabetes?
Episode 103 - What is exogenous carbohydrate oxidation testing, and how would it benefit me? | Dr Tim Podlogar & Prof Gareth Wallis
Episode 6
Wednesday, December 10, 2025 • Duration 01:27:57
In the past decade, we've gone from low carb to high carb. Are we now heading towards a new era of personalised carb? In this episode I speak to two experts about exactly what exogenous carbohydrate oxidation is, how the testing works, who might benefit from this type of testing, and how to interpret the results.
Timestamps:
04:09 - Tim and Gareth's background and research
10:50 - What is exogenous carbohydrate oxidation?
11:41 - How do you test exogenous carbohydrate oxidation rate?
16:26 - How should an athlete prepare for exogenous oxidation testing?
19:10 - The importance of doing the test properly
22:50 - Are we testing maximal oxidation capacity, or replicating race conditions?
23:44 - What's the real-world benefit of exogenous carbohydrate oxidation testing?
28:17 - Making this testing available to athletes
33:58 - Assumptions, caveats and limitations to exogenous oxidation testing
37:33 - The difference between relative and absolute exercise intensity - does it matter here?
40:52 - What happens when you overfeed carbohydrate during exercise
43:59 - Why Tim and Gareth only test for glucose (and not fructose) oxidation
47:13 - How carb intake recommendations are made based on test results
50:58 - Can you improve exogenous oxidation through exercise or gut training?
57:26 - The (very) high carb trend - will testing help prevent unnecessary carb intake?
1:00:48 - Who might benefit most from testing, and do gut issues predict oxidation abiilty?
Episode 102 - Data-driven nutrition planning for ultra-distance events | Paul Booth
Episode 5
Tuesday, November 25, 2025 • Duration 01:24:18
It’s the fifth anniversary of the podcast! In this special episode, we’re joined by Paul Booth, who put together the nutrition plan for both the men’s and women’s winners of the 2025 Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc, or UTMB. We’ll hear how lots of different topics from previous podcasts came together for these two world class athletes, how lab testing helped inform their nutrition strategies, and how it pays to personalise your strategy based on the athlete’s own data, and not just follow the trends that all the top guys and girls are doing.
Timestamps:
05:42 - Paul's background and PhD research
11:04 - Paul's role as lead nutritionist for Salomon
18:03 - The evolution in the professionalism of nutrition in ultra trail running
23:46 - Working with the men's and women's winners of UTMB
28:32 - The use lab testing to inform carb intake strategies
38:30 - Understanding the demand for carbs across the event and how the course terrain shapes this
43:30 - Beyond just a grams per hour target - planning carbs and food/fluids for ultra-distance events
54:44 - Gut training for Ruth and Tom
58:09 - Hydration and sodium replacement testing and planning
1:06:32 - Crewing at UTMB
1:09:41 - Reflections on nutrition planning for UTMB and other ultra-distance events
1:11:20 - Applying the lessons from elite athletes to the everyone else
1:16:36 - Bonus Round
1:18:43 - Summary and wrap up
Paul Booth:
Instagram:
Episode 101 - How do I manage endurance exercise, nutrition & Type 1 Diabetes? | Dr Sam Scott
Episode 4
Thursday, November 13, 2025 • Duration 01:18:39
Juggling training, nutrition, and day-to-day life can be a challenge. But throw in the complexities of Type 1 Diabetes, and it’s a whole new ball game. In this special episode to coincide with World Diabetes Day, I'm joined by co-founder of Enhance-d and former head of research at Team Novo Nordisk, Sam Scott. Sam gives us a peek into the world of diabetes management for the endurance athlete. We’ll discuss what Type 1 diabetes actually is, how it’s managed, the impact of exercise, and the innovations in devices and data management that are making life a little easier to make this all work. Whether you’re an athlete with Type 1, a nutrition practitioner, or you’re just curious what it’s all about, there’ll be plenty in this episode for you.
Timestamps:
03:13 - Sam's background and how he came to work in diabetes and exercise
13:07 - What is Type 1 Diabetes and how is it managed?
25:57 - How does exercise affect blood glucose control with Type 1 Diabetes?
35:26 - Giving insulin with a pen vs a pump for athletes
41:38 - 'Closed loop' systems for glucose monitoring and insulin delivery in athletes
45:41 - Does high volume endurance training make diabetes management harder?
50:11 - Sam's role at Team Novo Nordisk (professional cycling team where all riders have Type 1 Diabetes)
56:59 - Tech and data insights, including Sam's role in founding Enhance-d, and the role of AI in diabetes management
1:08:28 - Very low carb diets and the very high carb (during exercise) trend in athletes with Type 1 Diabetes
1:11:33 - The future of nutrition, exercise and Type 1 Diabetes
1:14:13 - Summary and wrap up
Sam's work:
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Farias de Oliveira L et al. (2022). Extracellular Buffering Supplements to Improve Exercise Capacity and Performance: A Comprehensive Systematic Review and Meta‐analysis. Sports Medicine. 52:505-526. DOI: 10.1007/s40279-021-01575-x.
Ewell TR. et al. (2024). The Influence of Acute Oral Lactate Supplementation on Responses to Cycle Ergometer Exercise: A Randomized, Crossover Pilot Clinical Trial. Nutrients. 16(16):2624. DOI: 10.3390/nu16162624
The Fueling Endurance eBook contains answers to 84 of the most common nutrition questions that runners, cyclists and triathletes ask, and contains insights, tips, and quotes from experts and athletes. The T -12 self-guided course will help prepare you for your next event, with online tools, guides, information and instructions to take you through the 12 weeks leading up to race day. And the Fueling Endurance Practitioner Membership provides access to online tools and calculators I use all the time when working with endurance and ultraendurance athletes. This includes working out the carbohydrate needs for runners (road and trail) and cyclists for different types of training sessions. For more into on each of these, check out fuelingendurance.com.
Aussieker T et al. The Effects of Ingesting a Single Bolus of Hydrolyzed Collagen versus Free Amino Acids on Muscle Connective Protein Synthesis Rates10.1249/MSS.0000000000003788.
Buchalski A et al. Collagen Supplementation on Tendon-Related Structural and Performance Outcomes: A Systematic Review. J Funct Morphol Kinesiol. 2026. 11(1):130. DOI: 10.3390/jfmk11010130
The Fueling Endurance eBook contains answers to 84 of the most common nutrition questions that runners, cyclists and triathletes ask, and contains insights, tips, and quotes from experts and athletes. The T -12 self-guided course will help prepare you for your next event, with online tools, guides, information and instructions to take you through the 12 weeks leading up to race day. And the Fueling Endurance Practitioner Membership provides access to online tools and calculators I use all the time when working with endurance and ultraendurance athletes. This includes working out the carbohydrate needs for runners (road and trail) and cyclists for different types of training sessions. For more into on each of these, check out fuelingendurance.com.
The Fueling Endurance eBook contains answers to 84 of the most common nutrition questions that runners, cyclists and triathletes ask, and contains insights, tips, and quotes from experts and athletes. The T -12 self-guided course will help prepare you for your next event, with online tools, guides, information and instructions to take you through the 12 weeks leading up to race day. And the Fueling Endurance Practitioner Membership provides access to online tools and calculators I use all the time when working with endurance and ultraendurance athletes. This includes working out the carbohydrate needs for runners (road and trail) and cyclists for different types of training sessions. For more into on each of these, check out fuelingendurance.com.
The Fueling Endurance eBook contains answers to 49 of the most common nutrition questions that runners, cyclists and triathletes ask, and contains insights, tips, and quotes from experts and athletes. The T -12 self-guided course will help prepare you for your next event, with online tools, guides, information and instructions to take you through the 12 weeks leading up to race day. And the Fueling Endurance Practitioner Membership provides access to online tools and calculators I use all the time when working with endurance and ultraendurance athletes. This includes working out the carbohydrate needs for runners (road and trail) and cyclists for different types of training sessions. For more into on each of these, check out fuelingendurance.com.
54:05 - 5th anniversary special - Data-driven nutrition planning for ultra-distance events
54:52 - What is exogenous carbohydrate oxidation testing, and how would it benefit me?
The Fueling Endurance eBook contains answers to 49 of the most common nutrition questions that runners, cyclists and triathletes ask, and contains insights, tips, and quotes from experts and athletes. The T -12 self-guided course will help prepare you for your next event, with online tools, guides, information and instructions to take you through the 12 weeks leading up to race day. And the Fueling Endurance Practitioner Membership provides access to online tools and calculators I use all the time when working with endurance and ultraendurance athletes. This includes working out the carbohydrate needs for runners (road and trail) and cyclists for different types of training sessions. For more into on each of these, check out fuelingendurance.com.
1:07:35 - Unanswered questions in this area
1:10:37 - Bonus Round
1:13:42 - Summary, unanswered questions and wrap up
Research mentioned in this episode:
Podlogar T, Cooper-Smith N, Gonzalez JT, Wallis GA. (2025). Personalised carbohydrate feeding during exercise based on exogenous glucose oxidation: a proof-of-concept study. Performance Nutrition. 1:2. doi: 10.1186/s44410-025-00003-9
The Fueling Endurance eBook contains answers to 49 of the most common nutrition questions that runners, cyclists and triathletes ask, and contains insights, tips, and quotes from experts and athletes. The T -12 self-guided course will help prepare you for your next event, with online tools, guides, information and instructions to take you through the 12 weeks leading up to race day. And the Fueling Endurance Practitioner Membership provides access to online tools and calculators I use all the time when working with endurance and ultraendurance athletes. This includes working out the carbohydrate needs for runners (road and trail) and cyclists for different types of training sessions. For more into on each of these, check out fuelingendurance.com.
The Fueling Endurance eBook contains answers to 49 of the most common nutrition questions that runners, cyclists and triathletes ask, and contains insights, tips, and quotes from experts and athletes. The T -12 self-guided course will help prepare you for your next event, with online tools, guides, information and instructions to take you through the 12 weeks leading up to race day. And the Fueling Endurance Practitioner Membership provides access to online tools and calculators I use all the time when working with endurance and ultraendurance athletes. This includes working out the carbohydrate needs for runners (road and trail) and cyclists for different types of training sessions. For more into on each of these, check out fuelingendurance.com.
The Fueling Endurance eBook contains answers to 49 of the most common nutrition questions that runners, cyclists and triathletes ask, and contains insights, tips, and quotes from experts and athletes. The T -12 self-guided course will help prepare you for your next event, with online tools, guides, information and instructions to take you through the 12 weeks leading up to race day. And the Fueling Endurance Practitioner Membership provides access to online tools and calculators I use all the time when working with endurance and ultraendurance athletes. This includes working out the carbohydrate needs for runners (road and trail) and cyclists for different types of training sessions. For more into on each of these, check out fuelingendurance.com.
