Stay in the Game Longer with Pro Triathlete Tim O'Donnell

Timothy O’Donnell is one of the world’s most successful and experienced American long-course triathletes. After joining Team UCAN in 2019, Tim went on to finish 2nd at the IRONMAN World Championships in Kona, HI and recorded the fastest American finish ever (7:59:40) at the legendary race.

Tim O'Donnell chats with Carrie Tollefson, Olympian and former pro runner, to chat about the aspects of his training. nutrition and lifestyle that are key to sustaining peak performance and let him stay in the game longer. Watch the full interview above or keep reading to get the highlights!

Keep Training Fun

Making time for enjoyment is vital in every job. Tim makes sure to keep training fun and interesting by finding unique experiences to enjoy with his family. Tim’s wife, Mirinda, is a three time world champion in triathlon and has a busy training schedule of her own. They include some more unstructured weeks in their training to have the flexibility to do more family road-trips to train in different places. Tim trains with his wife and other training partners to keep his motivation high on a daily basis. Some days, he's motivated by simply knowing that he’ll get to enjoy a great meal with family after a hard workout. Other days, it’s reminding himself that he’s setting a great example for his young daughter and soon-to-arrive baby. When he’s not training, Tim finds time to play mini golf and swim and hike with his young daughter, Izzy. To Tim, an active lifestyle is more than just professional triathlon training.

Stay Strong and Focused

Tim O’Donnell had the race of his life at Kona in 2019 and came in second place. However disappointing it was to lose the opportunity to race at Kona again in 2020, Tim has used this time to recover from the strain of racing multiple times per year and retain a high level of base fitness so that he can ramp up training on short notice if a race occurs. While Tim is a veteran of the sport, he says he feels younger than ever and thinks that this year of solid training will extend his career even further. He’s training hard but training smart - with a huge focus on increasing his efficiency on the bike. He incorporates a zero-gravity treadmill into his training to limit the damage of repeated impact from running.

Dial In Your Nutrition

Healthy nutrition is important to Tim’s success as an athlete. He eats simply and aims to make each meal well-balanced with protein, vegetables, and complex carbohydrates. With 3-4 training sessions every day, proper fueling is key. Tim includes UCAN Energy Powders and Energy Bars in between meals to power him through his busy days. Tim strongly believes that in order to reap the many benefits of UCAN, athletes must incorporate it into their daily life and training program.

Learn more about the many different ways Tim O'Donnell incorporates UCAN into his training.