How to Fuel Your First Ironman and Actually Enjoy It with Lily Godding

What does it actually take to finish your first Ironman at 22 years old - and cross that finish line with a smile?

Lily Godding is a TNA athlete, a rugby rep player and a chef who had never raced a triathlon three years ago. On the weekend, she crossed the finish line of Ironman Cairns 140.6 in 13 hours, 21 minutes and 54 seconds. In this episode, Taryn sits down with Lily just days after the race to talk about what it took to get there — the brutal washing-machine swim, the six-and-a-half-hour bike leg, and the moment on the run where Lily quietly reminded herself: I can do hard things.

What you'll hear in this episode:

What Lily's nutrition looked like before TNA - and how far off the mark it was
How her race nutrition plan held up across 140.6km (spoiler: to a T)
The biggest mistakes younger triathletes make with nutrition and training
Why she almost didn't join TNA because of the price — and what changed her mind
How good recovery nutrition had her collecting her own bike the morning after the race
What Lily wishes she'd known sooner, and her advice for anyone tackling their first Ironman

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Lily opens: race nutrition to a T — gut trained, fuelled, mapped out

00:26 Welcome — Taryn introduces Lily, Ironman Cairns finisher

00:56 From rugby to triathlon: how Lily balances two completely different sports

02:11 What made her fall in love with triathlon and sign up for a full Ironman?

03:02 Is Ultraman next? Lily's answer: a faster Ironman and maybe Kona

03:14 Come-down after Cairns — take me back to the finish line

03:54 The finish line moment: electric, community, absolutely amped

05:00 Taryn preps the toughest moment question

05:20 The toughest moment on course: the brutal washing-machine swim

06:38 70 people pulled from the water — absolute carnage

07:22 What a 13:21:54 finish at 22 years old actually meant to Lily

08:34 What young triathletes get wrong: nutrition and overtraining

09:49 Lily admits to being the over-trainer (just ask coach Pablo)

10:06 Advice for younger athletes who think nutrition can wait

10:24 TNA's first module: recovery nutrition changed everything

11:39 What Lily's nutrition actually looked like before TNA

13:05 Would she have finished Cairns without TNA?

13:20 "100% no. It was when I joined TNA I thought — yeah, I can do this"

14:00 How she tried to figure out nutrition on her own

14:27 Social media, the algorithm and the weight-loss noise aimed at female athletes

16:07 How TNA tuned out the noise — worksheets, carb loading, race plan

16:36 What TNA taught her about everyday eating

17:12 The forgotten stuff: colourful plate, healthy fats, nuts, seeds, beans

18:28 The protein myth - more protein isn't always the answer

19:03 Why nobody teaches us how to eat — health as a lifelong foundation

19:34 How did race nutrition hold up on race day?

20:01 Lily: to a T - gut trained, fuelled, everything consumed at the right time

20:55 The run: Coke, gels, chews and carrying her own water bottle

21:51 The one adaptation she'd make: take Panadol for tight calves and hamstrings

22:24 What would she do differently? Not play a rugby game the week before

22:59 First Ironman goal: just finish — next one is for performance

23:37 Recovery: went and got her own bike the morning after the race

24:31 The toilet test - she's perfected the technique

24:51 Balking at the price - what made Lily commit anyway

25:16 Joined in October after Port Macquarie with zero race nutrition plan

26:28 Is TNA worth the investment?

26:36 Lily: "113,472%. I would not be an Ironman finisher without TNA"

27:23 Youth alone isn't enough - nutrition is what gets you across

27:42 Advice for someone about to do their first Ironman

28:30 The finish line photo tip: arms up, smile, don't touch the Garmin

29:05 Has finishing an Ironman changed how Lily sees herself?

29:13 "I can do hard things" - the mantra that got her through lap three

29:49 The moment Taryn ran alongside Lily on the third lap

30:18 What's next: Kona, performance focus, so many years of triathlon ahead

30:57 The privilege of being able to race - and being an Ironman

31:14 Iron Woman? (Lily's aunt is campaigning for it)

31:26 Taryn's closing reflection on Lily's story — and the TNA CTA

33:54 Sign off

ABOUT THE GUEST

Lily Godding is a 22-year-old age-group triathlete, rugby rep player and TNA athlete from the Snowy Mountains, Australia. She completed her first sprint triathlon in November 2024 and progressed to Ironman 140.6 Cairns in June 2026, finishing in 13:21:54. A chef by trade, Lily balances high-level representative rugby with full Ironman training and gives a first-hand account of what evidence-based triathlon nutrition actually does for a young athlete.

Connect with Lily on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lily.godding

If the Cairns Ironman story has you thinking about your own race day nutrition, come and join us in the Triathlon Nutrition Academy. Head to dietitianapproved.com/academy and register your interest in our upcoming cohort.

Download the FREE audio series The 5 Biggest Nutrition Mistakes Costing You Time on Race Day

Recovery Accelerator Program

SUPPORT THE PODCAST HERE

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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