This week's recap covers KONA World Champs, the Chicago Marathon, and a kid named Vinny. Here are the Top 5 things Matt is stoked on right now.
Yesterday at the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona, our athlete Magnus Ditlev was dominating. Until 10K to go on the run, when he stumbled. He got up and ran again. Stumbled again. Ran again. Over and over, until his body simply said no more.
Magnus didn’t get the finish he deserved. But what he showed us is worth more than a result, and it’s the theme running through the top 2 today (be sure to read both).
I’ve had the fortune of seeing the world through the lens of sport, and this is the most important thing it teaches: never giving up is what wins. And even when it doesn’t win, it’s what builds a fulfilled life. Training, racing, work, family; the outcome isn’t the point. The refusal to quit is.
You’ll see it at #1. with a champion who waited a year for redemption. And at #2, a kid from Ohio who, in Chicago today, shows us what never giving up looks like.
1. MY CHAMPION
Last year I told you the story of Taylor Knibb at Kona, her mind saying go while her body simply stopped working. She spent twelve months thinking about that. Yesterday, she faded. She got passed. And this time she listened (a bit) to her body and kept it going.
Then the race flipped. Just as it turned against her last year, this year it turned her way: her competitor pushed too hard and collapsed minutes from the finish, then got up and walked it in, because finishing is what these athletes do. Taylor’s measured approach took the victory. That’s two IRONMAN World Championships this year for Taylor.
Our reward is the inspiration: always finish the last mile of the run, the last climb of the ride, that last set in the gym.
2. THIS IS VINNY
This week I sent a text to a kid named Vinny. “Hi Vinny, my name is Matt Johnson, I run The Feed. I hope you don’t mind, I got your number from your last order.”
He replied: “Hey Matt! Have been using The Feed for a bit now and love everything it has to offer! I’m actually cooking dinner for my family right now, can I get back to you after if that’s ok?” A few texts later (this is Wednesday, days before Chicago) Vinny writes: “I’m at work right now. What time zone are you in? I’m off at 3:00 EST, do you want to do 1:15 MT?”
Let me catch you up. Vinny isn’t really a kid, but so much is ahead for him; I can’t help thinking of him that way. He ran his first marathon this April. He ran 2:05, having never once run the full distance before. He trains on a treadmill at Planet Fitness outside Youngstown, Ohio, putting in serious miles at serious intensity alongside his fellow gym-goers. One more thing about those treadmills: they automatically stop at 60 minutes. So a kid running 2:05 marathon pace does his long runs in one-hour blocks, hopping off for a minute to restart the belt. His competitors have wind tunnels. Vinny has a reset button.
He lives at home with his parents and works at a local run shop. David Roche says if this all comes together, he’ll have to completely rethink training volume for his athletes.
Four days ago, in his car after finishing his shift at that very run shop, we came to terms on a deal. “How do you feel about running in a Feed hat?”. “I’ve never run in a hat, but let’s give it a go.”
To put that in context: his competitors spent this week in Chicago doing media with full teams around them. Vinny finished his shift and went to run club.
Today, he might just break the American marathon record. But even if he doesn’t, he’s exactly why we built The Feed: so every athlete has access to what used to be the secrets of the pros.
Welcome to the team, Vinny.
P.S. I told Vinny if the hat bothers him, chuck it. His performance is what matters to us, not the hat.
3. THE KONA KIT
Our gear was everywhere on the island this week, and not because we sent it. Three moments that made me proud:
Taylor Knibb told me her Feed Insulated Race Day Bottle still had ice in it 23km into the run. In Kona heat, that’s not a bottle, that’s an appliance.
An age-group winner told us the Feed Ice Bandana saved him out there.
And how could I miss Magnus, refilling his Feed Ice Hat at the aid stations, the cooling hat he invented, doing its job on the hardest day.
If you race in the heat, this is the kit: the Insulated Race Day Bottle keeps your fluids ice cold and squeezable. The Ice Bandana and ICE Hat both run on real ice from any aid station. As it melts, the evaporation actively pulls heat out of your body, supercharging your natural cooling. The pros just showed you it works at the hottest race on earth.
4. GELS IN A BOTTLE
Kona this week was about fueling more than anything, and the biggest thing I saw was the Fuel Bottle. For years this was a DIY affair. Athletes emptied actual gels into bottles, even hollowing out valves so it would flow through the nozzle. Now there are products made for it. The three most used right now: Maurten 480 Gel Mix, Precision PF 90 (90g of carbs), and The Feed Lab High Carb.
Think of it as your gels in a bottle. It’s not a bottle you drink in an hour. These mixes run 90g to 120g of carbs per serving, and most athletes double that up (180g to 240g per bottle!). On an 80g-per-hour strategy, that’s up to 3 solid hours of fueling in one bottle: ride it to the turnaround and grab a fresh one, or pour it into a run flask and sip over 5+ miles.
The one rule: you MUST carry separate plain hydration to keep fluids up and help digest these high-carb sips. It’s also the cheapest fueling in sport; on price per gram of carb, you can’t beat it: 8 scoops of The Feed Lab High Carb is 3 hours of fueling for under $6.
For the bike, a 750ml Race Day Bottle. For the run, the new Feed Run Flask, and MY new favorite product: The Feed Funnel. For $2.50, you’ll never fill a bottle or flask messily again. Bottle filling will never be the same.
5. THE SHAKE AT THE FINISH LINE
This recovery shake brings all the boys and girls to the yard.
Amacx is the official recovery of IRONMAN, and everyone crossing the line in Kona this week was handed two things: an Amacx Cherry Juice+ and the new Amacx Recovery Shake. Given the heat, most started with the Cherry Juice+.
The full IRONMAN protocol: Cherry Juice+ right away, then, once your stomach settles, ideally within the first 60 minutes - the Recovery Shake.
Here’s my simple rule for you: a protein shake is just protein. If you’ve gone max effort or longer than an hour, you’ve earned a recovery shake, protein AND carbs to refill the tank. The new Amacx is the best balance I’ve tried without being too much: 22g of protein, 30g of carbs. I did the Salted Caramel today (good without being overwhelming), and there’s Vanilla and Chocolate too.
