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For our money, Jan Frodeno, 42, has got to be considered the greatest male triathlete of all time. We concede that it is possible to surface some names from an earlier era. But consider: Frodeno won a gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. He’s twice won the “half” Ironman 70.3 World Championship, in 2015 and 2018. And he won the Ironman World Championship 3 times, in 2015, 2016, and 2019. He set the world record at that brutal distance (a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, and 26.2-mile run) in Roth, Germany in 2016 with a time of 7:35:39. Then in 2021, he broke his own world record in the Tributtle in Allgäu, Germany with a time of 07:27:53.

Last month, after more than 20 years of competition, Frodeno crossed his last finish line as a professional in Nice, France at the men’s Ironman World Championships. GQ caught up with Frodeno just after his final race as a pro to talk diet, retirement, mountain biking, and how he’s feeling about not training for the next big triathlon.

For Real-Life Diet, GQ talks to athletes, celebrities, and other high performers about their diet, exercise routines, and pursuit of wellness. Keep in mind that what works for them might not necessarily be healthy for you.

GQ: What does it take, calorie-wise, to train for an Ironman? It's at least eight hours of all-out effort, swimming, biking, and running as fast as you possibly can.

Jan Frodeno: 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.

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.

How much are you eating in a training block for a big race?

Enough for most people to stare in wonder when I load 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.

It’s said that food is the fourth discipline of triathlon, is that true? Any lessons you’ve learned about food in race situations?

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.

Can you take us through what you eat on race day? When do you wake up? When do you first eat? What does an Ironman look like food-wise?

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. 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. I sip on an energy drink (Maurten 160) until the race start.

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.

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.

What do you eat after an Ironman or big race? Immediate big meal or can’t really eat for a while after a huge effort?

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.

What was your absolute best post-race meal?

Definitely a pulled pork burrito at a local Sgrail race in Girona. Just unbeatable.

What’s your favorite meal at home? Do you cook?

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.

Is there anything you’re looking forward to in retirement that you felt you couldn’t do when training for the next triathlon?

The cost of breaking a leg isn’t quite the same anymore. Gravel biking, trail running. I love backcountry skiing. I’ve really found such a passion for that. I definitely want to do a few trips. A friend of mine invited me out to Canada for a stand up paddleboarding and fishing trip.

I live on a mountain biking resort, so I’m looking forward to sending it down some trails and just really seeing where my energy takes me. But I'm not the biggest daredevil, having wrapped myself in cotton for 20 years.

How quickly do you think you’ll miss the Ironman training, if at all?

I don’t know that I will. I mean, I like numbers and data and results, but when you think about what it’s all worth, it’s just about the shared experience. And that’s really something quite unique, I think, in triathlon. People have a much closer access to pros than in another sports. We’re out on the same course at the same time. And people are flying from all around the world just to compete in and even to just watch the race. That’s really cool. That’s kind of the only purpose in sport, right? To inspire and unite people.

You’ll look to keep inspiring people, then? Is there anything you won’t be doing? Or anything you hated about training for an Ironman?

Don't get me wrong, I won't be going to the pool and doing any of those kinds of sets. But I'll tell you what, this morning at 7 a.m. I probably had the most magical swimming experience I’ve had in years, just going out in the Mediterranean—the sun came off the water super clear. That’s something I wouldn't want to say no to either. I’m just keeping an open mind. I'm not gonna miss full reps and VO2 efforts, but I'm gonna get out there and find a hill to punish myself on.

After retirement, will your diet change much? Do you imagine eating less? Eating differently?

I have already noticed my appetite going down a bit, and I think vanity will prevent my sweet tooth from taking over. But I look forward to having more time to invest in finding out about different flavors, herbs, spices and ways of cooking—I live to eat so I guess I'll still have to train quite a bit.

After so many years as an endurance athlete, is there anything you’re looking forward to not ever eating again? Are you sick of gels and electrolyte mix?

Not really. I never forced myself to eat in ways that didn’t feel right, especially after the 2008 Olympics and the two years after, when I simply took things to an extreme. Even when you’re looking to perform at your absolute best physically, it's important to not overly restrain yourself and in turn hate it. You’ve got to find joy in all measures of it, and the happiness you gain will turn into watts too.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

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