10 Secrets to the Diet of the Greatest Ironman of All Time

Jan Frodeno, 42, is the greatest male triathlete of all time, according to GQ magazine. After competing for more than 20 years, he crossed his last finish line as a pro in Nice, France, where the publication got a chance to ask him about all of his health secrets. Here are 10 of his diet and workout habits. 

"I'm certainly not careful or meticulous when it comes to food. I do make calculations of my intake during pretty much every training session. Like most things, to an outsider it may seem obsessive, but for me it's become a daily habit and definitely normalized over time," Fordeno says. "As for my regular diet, though, I'm far away from counting calories. Food is one of my biggest pleasures in life and I don't want to ruin that."

It isn't uncommon for people to "stare in wonder" when Fordeno loads a plate at a buffet. "In numbers, I need about 800 grams of carbs, 160 grams of protein, and about the same amount of fat, per day. To give you an idea, that's 16 cups of rice spread over a day if I'm getting ready for a hard training day or a race. It can feel like an eating competition at times," he dished. 

"It used to be transitions were the fourth discipline, but it has indeed become food. We used to go off as little nutrition as possible, thinking that lighter is better, but that's changed to more calories equals more energy, which turns into speed and stamina. The next generation is definitely taking a much healthier approach than we did," he says. 

"I wake up 3 hours before the race, so usually around 3:30 a.m. I do a little stretching, mobility and breathing exercises and then prepare a coffee," says Fordeno. 

"My race day brekky is usually a big bowl of overnight oats (1.5 cups of oats, 2 tablespoons of maple syrup, a banana, some blueberries, and cinnamon) and that is the last solid thing I'll eat until after the race," he revealed. 

Fordeno gets some extra energy from a drink. "I sip on an energy drink (Maurten 160) until the race start," he said. 

"About 15 minutes before the gun goes off I'll have a caffeine gel. On the bike I aim for 130 grams of carbs per hour. I make this up through gels and a carb concentrate in my drink bottles, which I try to start taking in from the get go," he added. "Once I get out on the run I go down to about 80 grams of carbs per hour, so a gel every 20 minutes."

"After that I can't see any sweets for a while and need a cold beer to celebrate. Although I'm mostly alcohol-free, there's no better way to recover and reward myself on a hot summer day without hurting the next day," he revealed about his post-race treat. 

What does he eat after an Ironman or big race? "I'm pretty picky since I feel like I deserve something special after a big effort. Unfortunately that's seldom on offer at the finish line so I try find something unique to the area I'm in," he said. One of his favorites? "Definitely a pulled pork burrito at a local Sgrail race in Girona. Just unbeatable."

"I love cooking. Currently I'm working on my smoking skills and dialing in my hot smoked salmon. Otherwise a seafood pasta, Thai curries, and Middle Eastern foods intrigue me. I'm hoping to become an even better cook," he said.