Triathlon is one of the most punishing events at the Olympic Games.
It sees athletes taking on a 1.5k swim, a 40km cycle and then finish with a 10km run which requires superhuman levels of fitness to compete at the elite Olympic level.
But Team GB Triathlon has some of the world’s best triathletes in brothers Alistair and Jonny Brownlee.
The Yorkshiremen won gold and bronze at London 2012 receptively and the pair have high hopes of repeating this success at Rio at 3pm GMT on Thursday.
But the brothers have a secret weapon in third teammate and fellow Yorkshire native Gordon Benson.
The 22-year-old provides a vital support role in powering the brothers to Olympic glory by setting a strong pace for them in the swim and cycle so they’re in a good position on the run to repeat their 2012 heroics.
“I will be going as a support or a pilot role to the Brownlee Brothers. Alistair and Jonny have been identified as the medal winners for the Olympics.
“My role will be to provide as much support to their races as possible, especially on their swim and cycle. British Triathlon has used this tactic before and it works.
“I was fortunate enough to have two guys supporting me in the European Games when I won gold and they definitely contributed to my success.
“I am only 22, so taking on this role gives me the opportunity to be in the Olympics while further developing my swimming and cycling. It will ultimately prepare me for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics when I hope to go for a medal.”
The Team GB athlete, who is himself 2015 European Games champion, has an astonishing weekly training programme that has propelled him to the top level of the sport so young.
Benson can clock up more than 250km a week during his intense training schedule to prepare himself for the Olympics.
During any given week he effectively cycle the distance from London to Newcastle (215km), swim 400 lengths of an Olympic pool and run 50 laps of 400m running track.
With three disciplines to train for in the triathlon, his days are structured around running, swimming and cycling.
With his running he will do short, sharp interval training as well as longer, harder runs to build up his aerobic capacity and fitness.
His cycling training includes event-specific distances, longer rides and also hour-long timed elements.
This is what his weekly training plan looks like…
But this hardcore Olympic training programme has to be back up with the right nutrition to help maximise his performance and recovery.
“My diet is all about balance and nutrition. I don’t count calories as I eat when I’m hungry and my body needs fuel.
“For breakfast I usually have four slices of toast or lots of whole wheat cereal, so I am fuelled before I go out and train. In the evenings, I tend to make pasta with red meat, chicken or tuna and a selection of vegetables. I make more than I will eat and then save the rest to eat for lunch while I am training.
“I am often out for most of the day training, so I need constant snacks that I can eat on the go to keep my body fuelled in between meal times. As soon as I finish my swim, I enjoy Müller Rice before I head out for my run as it’s a tasty source of carbohydrates and calcium. I also always drink four litres of water a day to stay hydrated.
“When training, I don’t abstain from anything, even alcohol, but it’ll be one beer with a meal, not 10. I believe everything should be in moderation.”
Müller Rice is the official British Triathlon partner, helping Team GB go the distance in the lead-up to Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games. Look out for Gordon fronting the campaign on TV and in magazines until October
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