The Norwegian Train Gets Back On Track: Kristian Blummenfelt Unpacks Kona, The Olympics, Training, & Lessons On Resilience After Failure

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Norwegian Train Gets Back On Track: Kristian Blummenfelt Unpacks Kona, The Olympics, Training, & Lessons On Resilience After Failure

Episode: The Rich Roll Podcast
Host: Rich Roll
Guest: Kristian Blummenfelt
Release Date: November 28, 2024

---

Introduction

In this compelling episode of The Rich Roll Podcast, Rich Roll engages in an in-depth conversation with Kristian Blummenfelt, the renowned Norwegian triathlete and Olympic gold medalist. The discussion delves into Kristian's performances at the Kona Ironman World Championship, the Paris 2024 Olympics, his unique training methodologies, and the profound lessons he has learned about resilience and overcoming failure.

---

Race Recap: Kona and Paris Olympics

Kristian opens up about his recent races, providing detailed insights into his experiences at both the Kona Ironman World Championship and the Paris Olympics.

• Kona Ironman World Championship:

  • Performance Challenges: Kristian shares his disappointment finishing 35th despite being the odds-on favorite. He reflects on the unexpected difficulties faced during the race, particularly after being dropped from a key competitor, Ditlev Magnus Ditlev.
    • Quote: “Yesterday didn’t work, but we will of course use this disappointing race to come back because this is not how we won the race.” (04:40)

• Paris Olympics Defense:

  • Disappointing Defense: Following his Olympic gold in Tokyo, Kristian attempted to defend his title in Paris but fell short, finishing twelfth.
  • External Factors: He discusses the chaotic conditions during the Olympics, including frequent race postponements due to water quality issues and unpredictable weather, which significantly impacted athletes' performances.
    • Quote: “They kept changing when you could even get into practice... It was all dependent on measuring the toxins in the water.” (34:02)

---

Training Methods and Challenges

The conversation delves into Kristian’s training regimen, emphasizing the scientific and methodical approach he and his coach, Olav Klette, employ.

• Norwegian Methodology:

  • Scientific Approach: Kristian explains how their training is highly scientific, involving constant lactate testing, altitude training, heat acclimation, and metabolic efficiency strategies.
  • High Training Load Tolerance: He attributes his success to his ability to tolerate high training loads while maintaining control over intensity.
    • Quote: “Being able to tolerate very high training load... and having control over the training, like intensity control, has maybe been the key.” (43:11)

• Adaptability and Mistakes:

  • Training Miscalculations: Reflecting on his Paris Olympics performance, Kristian acknowledges that certain training miscalculations, such as inadequate heat training and last-minute bike position changes, contributed to his subpar performance.
    • Quote: “We might have traveled a bit too late to Kona... Maybe we should have added in another week for the heat training.” (14:59)

• Nutritional Strategies:

  • Carbohydrate Intake: Kristian discusses their advanced carbohydrate intake strategies, aiming to maximize energy absorption during high-intensity efforts.
    • Quote: “We do high intake carbohydrate blocks where we try to go a little bit more than what's comfortable...” (69:05)
  • Supplementation: He touches upon the use of bicarbonate and other supplements to buffer lactate and enhance performance.
    • Quote: “We have used Morton bicarbonate quite a lot going into Paris...” (70:48)

---

Resilience and Overcoming Setbacks

A significant portion of the discussion focuses on Kristian’s mindset and strategies for dealing with failure and disappointment.

• Mental Fortitude:

  • Handling Loss: Kristian shares his personal philosophy, stating that losing hurts more than winning brings joy. This mentality drives him to push harder in subsequent races.
    • Quote: “It hurts more to lose... if I lose a race, like now in Kona, then it stays on my mind for so much more.” (62:04)

• Self-Reflection and Learning:

  • Analyzing Failures: He emphasizes the importance of honest self-reflection, documenting what went wrong, and using those insights to fuel future improvements.
    • Quote: “I write it down on the phone and just like looking through what I think was the reason...” (39:45)

• Team Collaboration:

  • Collaborative Strategy: Kristian highlights the collaborative efforts with his team, including Gustav and Olav, to dissect performances and strategize for future success.
    • Quote: “We often first sit down and do over the phone... then have a deeper one when we get back to Bergen.” (42:05)

---

Future Plans: Potential Shift to Professional Cycling

The episode explores Kristian’s future aspirations, including rumors about a potential transition to professional cycling.

• Cycling Ambitions:

  • Exploring New Horizons: Kristian discusses the initial plans to switch to professional cycling with the ambition to compete in the Tour de France.

    • Quote: “It was more like we were looking at opportunities to see how like... what’s the opportunities?” (56:28)

  • Current Stance: Despite early discussions and plans, Kristian indicates that the setbacks in recent races have caused him to reconsider this transition.

    • Quote: “It was a complete miscalculation... I should have left triathlon on a good performance.” (56:43)

  • Mindset for Challenges: He reflects on the growth mindset required to embrace new challenges, even when they diverge from established success paths.

    • Quote: “To have a goal that is almost unreachable.” (60:42)

---

Key Takeaways and Insights

Kristian Blummenfelt’s journey offers valuable lessons in resilience, adaptability, and the relentless pursuit of excellence.

• Embrace Failure as a Learning Tool: Setbacks are opportunities for growth. Honest reflection and strategic adjustments are crucial for future success.

• Scientific Approach to Training: A meticulous, evidence-based training regimen can optimize performance, but flexibility and adaptability are essential when unexpected challenges arise.

• Mental Strength: Maintaining a strong mental fortitude, especially in the face of disappointment, is vital for enduring competitive sports at the highest level.

• Collaborative Support: Effective teamwork and open communication with coaches and teammates can help athletes navigate and overcome performance hurdles.

---

Conclusion

This episode provides an intimate look into the life of Kristian Blummenfelt, showcasing his exceptional athletic prowess and the intricate balance between high-level training and mental resilience. Listeners gain a deeper understanding of the complexities behind elite performance and the unwavering drive required to excel in the demanding world of triathlon.

---

Notable Quotes:

• Kristian Blummenfelt at 04:40: “Yesterday didn’t work, but we will of course use this disappointing race to come back because this is not how we won the race.”

• Kristian Blummenfelt at 43:11: “Being able to tolerate very high training load... and having control over the training, like intensity control, has maybe been the key.”

• Kristian Blummenfelt at 62:04: “It hurts more to lose... if I lose a race, like now in Kona, then it stays on my mind for so much more.”

• Kristian Blummenfelt at 69:05: “We do high intake carbohydrate blocks where we try to go a little bit more than what's comfortable...”

(Note: The timestamps are indicative and correspond to the provided transcript segments.)

---

Resources and Further Reading

• Visit Rich Roll's Website for more information on personal and professional development, wellness, and Rich’s various projects.
• Explore Kristian Blummenfelt’s achievements and upcoming races through his social media channels and official athlete profiles.

---

This summary aims to encapsulate the essence of the podcast episode, providing a comprehensive overview for those who have not listened to the full conversation.

Transcript

[Rich Roll]

As someone who puts in a lot of time, a lot of effort into optimizing health and performance, I really thought that I had sleep dialed in. And then I was introduced to the 8 Sleep Pod 4 Ultra and it just took my rest and my recovery to an entirely new level. The Pod 4 Ultra is basically this high tech mattress cover that transforms your existing bed into like this sleep optimization powerhouse. And it does it through temperature rest regulation, which you can set anywhere between 55 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit, which you can vary at different stages over the course of the night while you sleep, as well as elevation control, which is also crucial for quality sleep. The longer you use it, the more it learns about your sleep rhythms to optimize the impact of temperature and elevation on improved restfulness. It's so effective at this Clinical studies show that the Pod 4 Ultra can increase quality sleep duration by up to one hour nightly, which, which is huge. It also tracks sleep stages, heart rate variability and respiratory rate. And it does it all without any wearables. It's like a sleep coach with a personal thermostat and also this advanced fitness tracker all in one. So if you're ready to revolutionize your sleep, head to eightsleep.com richroll and use code richroll to get up to $600 off your Pod 4 Ultra purchase when bundled. This offer will only be valid until December 14th. So hurry up everybody. I'm telling you, of all of the things that I've done to upgrade my sleep, the eight Sleep really has made a gigantic difference in the quality of my life. I can't recommend it enough. So valid until December 14th. Use the code Rich roll at checkout. We're brought to you today by bon charge. So I'm turning 58 in October and I spent much of my time, most of my life in the sun without much thought about skincare whatsoever. And around 50, I kind of hit this moment where I had a wake up call and realized like, hey, I better start to, you know, attend to this if I want to retain my youthful appearance. And that's when I discovered the benefits of red light therapy. And Bon Charge has an amazing array of these red light therapy products. They use technology that uses low wavelength light to penetrate the skin. And what it does is it stimulates cells in the mitochondria. In turn, this increases collagen production, it improves circulation, it helps with wrinkle repair and ends up promoting firmer, more youthful looking skin, which I can personally attest to. My favorite among their lineup of products is Bon Charge's innovative face mask. It's portable, it's easy to use, you can travel with it, and just 10 to 12 minutes per session is all you need to start seeing results. Everything about it is just simple. There's no messy creams, there's no endless product bottles or subscription services. It's straightforward, it's travel friendly. Plus, all Bon Charge products are HSA and FSA eligible, potentially saving you up to 40% with tax free purchases. Are you ready to elevate your wellness journey? Of course you are. So go to boncharge.com richroll that's B O N C-H-A R G.com richroll use code richroll at checkout for 15% off their entire range of wellness tools.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

My slogan on my bike it's it hurts more to lose. When I won a race, it's often more like yeah, it's great, but if I lose a race like now in Cornard and it's so much worse than the joy I would have had.

[Rich Roll]

Christian Blumenfeld is hands down one of the most extraordinary endurance athletes on the planet. At the very front, the reigning Olympic champion, Christian Blumenfeld of Norway. After winning Olympic gold in Tokyo, this Norwegian powerhouse has dominated long course triathlon, winning world championships in both half and and full Ironman distances and setting a slew of records along the way.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

I think it's important to not be afraid of jumping into new stuff. Like the biggest reason why they may be being nervous for the race is because they are nervous to fail.

[Rich Roll]

But 2024 brought unexpected challenges.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

Yeah, yesterday didn't work, but we will of course use this disappointing race to come back because this is not how we won the race.

[Rich Roll]

Following a disappointing defense of his Olympic title in Paris, Christian nonetheless headed to Kona as the odds on favorite to win another Ironman World Championship, only to falter finishing a disappointing 35th.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

I want to showcase that it's possible to come down again from arm and distance because now the projects have sort of been a failure and I do want to come back again to ensure that it is possible.

[Rich Roll]

So what happened and where does triathlon's most celebrated star go from here? Is there truth behind the rumors that he's considering a switch to pro cycling? Well, today we span the distance in a swim bike run conversation about adaptability, resilience and the relentless pursuit of excellence. I got to give you credit for finishing.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

I think it's good to finish what you have started. You have hundreds of excuses to just pull out, but I think for your own sake, it's important to finish it.

[Rich Roll]

Lots of people are curious about your training methods, and we're going to talk a little bit about that today. But first of all, welcome to New York City. We're in a studio away from my home studio, and I appreciate you taking the time to do this today. We're recording this right on the heels of. Of Kona, so I think that's probably the best place to begin. First of all, like, how are you doing? How are you feeling?

[Christian Blumenfeld]

Physically? Doing okay?

[Rich Roll]

Yeah.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

But mentally, that was a tough one.

[Rich Roll]

Yeah.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

So, yeah, Kona is the World Championship in Armand. And since. So this year I've had mixed focus both with Olympic in Paris, trying to defend my title, which didn't go with success. And then straight after that, I tried to come back for Darman World Championship. And I had one good race straight after Paris with the European Championship in Frankfurt, which a very good race caught me with quite a big surprise. Like two weeks after the mixed relay in Paris, I was able to win that race on a good time and I felt quite strong and then had like eight weeks of preparation for Kona and want to do sort of get revenge from the third place two years ago. And in the race I was, yeah, there and they were. Or they're about on the swim. First pack together with, yeah, the guys I need to be with. And had Sam Laidlow pushing quite hard on the bike in the beginning. So he got six minutes two years ago to me, and I wasn't able to close him down, but he was putting pressure on quite early. And I was riding in that main pack, as you can call it, with maybe 15 or 20 guys. Guys with like 12, 15 meters gap in between each other. So it's saving quite a lot of being in the group. But then I was waiting for Ditlev, Magnus Ditlev, the Danish guy, to fly by and I was trying to catch his wheel or 4 meters behind. And that happened maybe after 30k or 20 miles or something. And then I was thinking that that was my ticket to the front again of the race. And I just hit the wall after I got dropped from him, maybe 50k. And then after 60k. Yeah, I picked up everything and got in on the. On the bike.

[Rich Roll]

And you created a viral moment, Christian. Yeah, I think it was somewhere around after like mile 31 or so where you started to get into trouble. Started throwing up. Not just throwing up like projectile vomiting repeatedly, I think eight times in a row or something like that. So prior to that, though, your swim Went well. You're in the pack, you're moving forward, you're being strategic. And everything leading up to this race was a green light. Right. Like, expectations were high. You know, you weren't just expected to perform. There was a lot of, you know, expectation around. Around winning. And by all accounts, your training was on point and you were feeling good and. And everything was lined up for you to execute on that goal. So here we are. You're throwing up. Things are starting to go wrong. What's going through your mind in that moment?

[Christian Blumenfeld]

First then I thought, okay, now it's plan B. Like, it's only two guys up front, so then I can still go for, like, the. The more careful way of racing, going back into the group and trying to stay with them on the way from the turning point and all the way back into downtown. And, yeah, saving quite a lot of energy on being in that group or being on the tail end of it. So I then tried to recover a bit, get the nutrition back in, because we're doing quite high numbers of carbs. Like, it's 150, 160 grams per hour.

[Rich Roll]

I mean, that was my question around. I mean, like, vomiting is nothing new for you. I mean, I think in Frankfurt you were throwing up as well. You still threw down like a 2:32 marathon or something like that. But there was some throwing up involved. Like, is this just gastric distress or is it more a function of testing the outer limits of the number of calories that your body can absorb?

[Christian Blumenfeld]

I think it's neither of those. I think it's actually something with the throat, like reaction and reflex coming there. So like irritation and throat itself than the stomach and further down the system. So I'm not really sure what it is, but. So I thought since I didn't believe it was anything with the zombie. So as long as I got more nutrition down again and as long as I was able to absorb that, I thought it. I would be fine. So, yeah, I just started, like, getting the same, following the same race plan. And I had another bottle up at Harvey at the turning point so I could get like, those extra grams that I thought I lost by puking it up. And I also had some. Some emergency gels on the bike in case I lost a bottle or something. So I think it was more like a reaction and throat than being on that upper limit.

[Rich Roll]

And no sense of what's causing that.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

I will have to figure it out.

[Rich Roll]

Yeah, Like, I mean, the Norwegian method should be pouring a lot of energy into figuring that out.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

Yeah. Right. So I've been struggling a little bit with the throat since St. George 2022, like the 2021 World Championship after that dry air. So, um, normally I'm either just like getting it up before the race and feeling like getting lift moisture in the throat or. Yeah, it's more like a reflex than the stomach itself. So been used to it in training, but normally it's not.

[Rich Roll]

Right.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

Camera filming straight up in the.

[Rich Roll]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, nonetheless, I mean, despite your struggles on the bike, you still came into T2 in fairly decent position. I mean, you were ahead of Patrick Langa at that point, I think, still. Right. So you know what happened when you got out onto the Queen K and started. Started trying to run?

[Christian Blumenfeld]

Yeah, so I had like 20 seconds, I think, on Patrick and was almost nine minutes from Sam Der, who was really smashing the bike. And I did get a little bit cooked on the way back on the bike as well. Like I felt it the last hour maybe, but I was hoping that the legs will feel okay coming onto the run in Alhi drive first. So first is like 8, 9K, 6, 7 miles before coming up to the Queen K again. And I was running there for first. I battled for potentially being in the fight for the podium, and Patrick just flew by me quite easily. I had no chance of staying with him, even though I was struggling quite badly two years ago as well when I was trying to stay with Max Newman and Gustav, I just tried to stay with Patrick and from having to let him go, I tried to readjust my goal and look at the third place getting time splits to him instead. But then I just run out of energy after. Yeah, 8, 9K and looking down on the watch and seeing 11K done and 3:31K to go and it's survival modus. So then it just went slower and slower and a long day.

[Rich Roll]

Yeah, I think your. Your marathon split was something like 3:32 or something like that, which is basically an hour slower than you ran in Frankfurt. But I gotta give you credit for finishing. You know, it would've been very easy and I don't think anybody would've blanked if you just decided to pull out. But the fact that you were, you know, somebody who was laden with all of these expectations to win and those hopes being dashed, still like, okay, I'm going to complete this marathon even though it sucks and, you know, I got to have to eat a little bit of humble pie.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

Yeah, I think it's good for the future and for your own mind too. As long as you don't get more injured. Like, if you're injuring yourself and it's going to cost you for a year or so to just push through. I think it's good to finish what you have started, even though, as you said, like, you have hundreds of excuses to just pull out. But I think for your own sake, it's important to finish it. And it's going to be. It's like the learning there. It's going to hopefully helping me coming back for next year.

[Rich Roll]

Well, we're only a couple days out from that performance, but do you have a sense of what went wrong? Like knowing that your prep was in a good place going into it? Like, you know, what can you point to that you can fix?

[Christian Blumenfeld]

We might have traveled a bit too late to kona, like 15 days before the race. Maybe we should have added in another week for the heat training. Maybe we should have done a little bit more of the training in Alhi Drive, maybe with a little bit more humidity instead of staying out at Waikoloa where it was maybe a little bit more drier. Could also have been a training structure and not enough specificity going into the race and could also be in the bike position. Like, we worked a lot on the aerodynamic side since the Olympics going into Kona, but maybe I wasn't able to get the final position early enough. So I should maybe have adapted a position earlier to be in the right. Close. Close enough to the ending position two weeks before or three weeks before than what I did.

[Rich Roll]

Yeah. Changing your bike position at the last minute. I know that much was said and written about Gustav changing his position into this sort of superman position. That looks very extreme, your position, whatever changes you make made didn't quite look so drastic. But any change, you know, has to, you know, be sort of a serious thing that you take into consideration. And isn't typically the kind of thing that you would do right before a world championship.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

No, but you gotta learn as well. I think when you're doing it in a race, you also. That's. Then you're really learning for next time. But yeah, I think it was maybe a position that was great on the CDA side of it or better on the CDA side of it. And then maybe we didn't have enough time to validate it compared to, like, the power I'm able to produce and the comfort. But, like, in the shoulder and in back, it felt comfortable enough, but maybe it wasn't solid enough in terms of power above race pace and maybe not solid enough in terms of staying There overtime. But I did, like, four hours race space up in Flagstaff on the same position, and I run quite easily off it. Maybe I have to pull a little bit further backwards, like back with the elbows and maybe like a centimeter or two a little bit higher and see what's the cost of that on the CDA side. But maybe I'm getting a little bit more power then.

[Rich Roll]

Yeah. Well, across the board. The bike splits this year were insane. Five guys went under the course record. That was when Sam Laidlow said it. Everybody thought it was an insane record. Sam broke that record by, like, seven minutes, I think. And you were even. Despite all your difficulties, you were still within a minute of the old bike course record. So the bike splits were really fast this year. Is that because. I mean, it was cooler in the morning, right? It was overcast. What. Or was there. Was there no wind going into Havi or. You know, how do you make sense of why everyone was so fast this year on the bike?

[Christian Blumenfeld]

I think it's a lot of different. Like, there was a lot of strong guys on the bike, like, stronger guys, both from the front and also from behind, who could push the pace. And also condition was great. Like, it wasn't much wind up at Hobby, and it was tiny bit of headwind coming down on Queen K. But then, because we were such a large group, I think the people behind was all able to sort of just rest and stay and changed a bit of the guy who was in the front and then being able to still let the train go at a decent pace. And I think that's also where we were catching a little bit on Magnus Litlev as a group. We were sort of sharing a bit more the workload while he and Sam Lidlow was both separated and having to do all the work themselves. And of course, all the equipment is getting more aerodynamic. Like, it's getting more slim. And the more that this can test, also the easier it is to make those changes.

[Rich Roll]

You weren't the only one who ran into difficulty this year. It was kind of a shit show, right? Other than Patrick Lange, who. Who just laid down a masterclass and deservedly won, you know, the race with an extraordinary performance. All the other names that everyone was talking about, like, all had similar issues, right? Like, all the big names were in difficulty this year. And I think it speaks to what's so unique about Kona. Like, no matter how experienced you are, whether you've won it before, it doesn't matter. Like, Kona is its own thing. And even the best, the most Experienced, the most talented, the most well prepared athletes run into issues they just don't run into in other races. Usually it's the fourth discipline. It's nutrition related. Right. And on some level, whether it's your throat or whatever's going on with you, it does seem related to nutrition or the relationship between nutrition and heat and humidity.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

And I think now it's two years until next time we try it around.

[Rich Roll]

I know.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

So in one way, you just want to tackle the challenge again and just do whatever we can to perform there and sort of get revenge next year. But now we have nice, completely different course, very hilly and a course that's probably a significant drier as well. And it's requiring a different skill set, especially on the bike with the technical aspect of it. So, yeah, we will have to wait another two years before we can get that revenge from that island. And yeah, trying to figure out what went wrong. But like, also, like, I have the. Both me and Gustav, we have the great experience from two years ago. So it's not like we feel like we have no clue of what needs to be done.

[Rich Roll]

Right, right, right.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

So it's more like finding back to what we did back then and comparing it to what has been done this year. And of course, the level is increasing as well. But I think, yeah.

[Rich Roll]

What was interesting about 2022 was that many people told you and Gustav going into that race, like, hey, your first time in Kona, you know, you gotta temper your expectations. Everybody's first time doesn't go well. And both of you had extraordinary races and you're like, I don't know what everyone's talking about. Like, that's just some kind of myth. Right. But both of you, you know, a heavy dose of that this time. You just got it on the second time around, not the first.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

Yeah, that's true. So, but like, Gustav had a very different lead up to me. Like, he's been struggling for two years. So I think just the fact that he was fit enough, even though.

[Rich Roll]

Yeah.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

Be on the start line, even though he had a very tough day, still shows that he's on the right path in order to come back when he's like, he hasn't been able to run a marathon in basically in two years. So now is finally there. We can do it in training at least. And then he's done. We can then build on from that and hopefully get ready for 25 while. I just maybe went a little too hard on the bike. I should have played a different. Play my car differently a little bit like potluck. I should have stayed a little bit more in the group and trusted my run instead of feeling that the guys up front and like following their race strategy.

[Rich Roll]

Right. Getting too caught up in what everyone else is doing. Yeah during the holiday season, I often pause in gratitude to appreciate life's essentials, one of which is good health and health span. Something I'm always working to extend as I age up. Which now that I just turned 58 includes taking much better care of my skin. Which is, I admit, something I've overlooked for far too long. But now I'm deeply invested in and why my gratitude today extends to today's sponsor, One Skin. I do my homework, as you know and the Oneskin routine and Lyme of products stands out because it doesn't just mask aging, it works at the cellular level courtesy of its active ingredient and evidence based peptide called OSO1 that clinical studies have scientifically proven to reduce senescent cells by up to 50%. To celebrate the holidays, Oneskin has introduced their limited edition holiday bundle featuring Travel sizes of OS01 face, OS01 eye and OS01 body all in this chic leatherette bag. It's the perfect gift, but you may want to keep this one for yourself. Oneskin is the world's first skin longevity company. Oneskin addresses skin health at the molecular level, targeting the root causes of aging so skin behaves, feels and appears younger. It's time to get started with your new face, eye and body routine at a discount rate today. Get 15% off with the code RICHROLL at OneSkin co. That's 15% off at OneSkin Co with the code Richroll. After you purchase, they'll ask you about where you heard about them. Please support our show and tell them we sent you. We only have one body, one skin and only you can choose to make it better. Age Healthy with one Skin As a longtime vegan, I've learned to pay close attention to not only the amount of my protein intake, but the quality. And in my experience, many plant based protein supplements out there are just over processed. They're full of additives which is why I favor Momentous. Unlike other plant based proteins, proteins, momentous formula is third party tested for heavy metals and made from a 70:30 ratio of pea to rice protein to provide a complete amino acid profile with excellent mixability and taste. No fillers, no additives. What you see on the label is just exactly what you get. And what you get is exactly what's used by over 90% of NFL teams. Tour de France champs and Olympians. The pros and elites favor momentous for the same reasons I do, and because momentous is third party, tested for purity and formulated in collaboration with the pros and other leading experts. So if you're like me and you want to take supplements that are made by and used by the best in the world, go to livemomentous.com richroll to save up to 36% off your first subscription order of protein or creatine. And if you don't want to subscribe, you can still get 20% off all my favorite products. That's livemomentous.com richroll well, for people that don't follow triathlon closely, just so you're aware, Christian is the Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medalist in triathlon who then quickly transitioned to half Ironman and Ironman distances. You won the Ironman world championship in St. George. You won the half Ironman World Championship. I think you still have like the fastest ever half half Ironman time recorded similarly for Ironman I think. Is that true?

[Christian Blumenfeld]

Depends.

[Rich Roll]

I mean you've won so many races, I can't.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

Depends on the courses and how you count them.

[Rich Roll]

Right. The point is like you made this transition from short from Olympic distance to Ironman distance, basically won everything there is to win, you and your and Gustav, your training partner and friend. And as a result of this, much was made of this relationship that you have with your coach Olaf who has been on the podcast as have you and Gustav and the Norwegian method. Right. Which to sort of make a long story short is a very science based, evidence based approach to training in which all kind of variables are evaluated scientifically to extract optimal performance on a day to day training basis. And then of course in the context of racing and as a result of your and Gustav's success, everyone's studying this, everyone's talking about it and for a period of time the proof was in the pudding. You were winning everything. Right. And then you make this audacious attempt to go back down to Olympic distance racing and defend your gold medal at the Paris 2024 Games. That didn't exactly go to plan. So why don't we talk a little bit about Paris?

[Christian Blumenfeld]

Yeah. So I think straight after Kona two years ago, we went for a half army World Championship in St. George again, which I won. And from there on we went directly into the project going back again to the Olympics in Paris. So as it is, at was two years qualification period we were already like then almost five or ten months late for the qualification but we started Chasing the points. So we turned up at the World Series race in Bermuda already by the end of 2022 and I think I finished like sixth or something there. So surprisingly high up there compared to the training I've done or they did in the past year and a half. And from that point I think we were all quite like optimistic and confident that the journey back to Olympic distance would be not easy but like definitely doable. And from there I would say it went, didn't went as smoothly forward as expected. So did another race WWE the grand final in by the end of 2022 I think I was still there there about like I was four, no fifth or sixth or seventh or maybe around seventh. And I felt like I was just missing that little gear. And with like a year and a half of training I definitely be able to close that gap. But then with all the races I did in 2023, I was more or less than I was like for 50, 60 seconds basically too slow on the run in order to be competitive to race. And I was maybe getting a little bit worse in the water compared to what I was coming into Tokyo. So we knew that I had to do like a big improvement on the run coming back again for the Olympic season and also had to lift my swimming capabilities and maybe even sacrifice a little bit of my bike skills because in 2023 I was producing like all time good bike splits but or bike power. But run and swim was maybe not where it needed to be. And yeah started the 2024 season and that was basically the same sort of distance to the best guys a minute off the pace and on the run. On the run, yeah. And that's also where I ended up in Paris. So.

[Rich Roll]

So going into Paris your expectations were tempered based upon kind of knowing that right. Like maybe you lacked that running speed that you were going to need to be on the podium.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

We tried to do something with it. So when I did the first races of 2024 and I saw that the, the gap was still 50, 60 seconds too slow. Then we changed the run volume and basically increased the intensity and the case with 50% on the run to get like a big boost on the legs for last five or six weeks going into the games and felt I was responding pretty well on the running. I did up in Fontomer and thought that if I'm coming down to sea level now before the games and feeling that boost of oxygen again coming down from altitude and if my running is on point then I'm still having a chance. But coming to Thursday for the sea level camp and doing my first couple of brick session. I think deep inside I knew that this pace isn't good enough. Like compared to what I've done in the past. I was expecting to run faster and. But again like you always try to trick yourself and tell yourself that you have a chance, but maybe I thought that it's the chance is getting smaller and smaller with the pace I'm running at.

[Rich Roll]

Yeah, well, it's a lot easier to go from Olympic distance to Ironman than it is to go from Ironman back down. And while as you age you can continue to kind of increase your endurance capacity, speed is much harder to continue to develop and fades more easily, especially with age. And once you kind of let go of that speed work and then you're in the long distance world to come back and recapture it. I mean, I think that's why a lot of people were like, wow, that's. It's a lot harder than I think most people who don't intimately understand that world would imagine it to be.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

But I think also my feeling from Paris is that we maybe did some mistakes on the training the last year going into the games. So it's maybe too much focused on building that capacity and stretching out sessions too much instead of simplifying it more and working more around like the 30, 40 minutes of workload.

[Rich Roll]

Well, the fact that you went in one Frankfurt two weeks after Parrish, you know, it's like clearly you were doing, you know, a lot of, you know, more kind of endurance based work than maybe you need it because you wouldn't have been able to perform that well.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

Yeah, right. That was for me more like a blinking sign of. Yeah, we did a mistake.

[Rich Roll]

There's some, there's some kind of miscalculation there. So you think you can still you, you have that speed. It was more like training error, I think.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

So I, I think I can, I'm not that old that I can't get back to the speed that it was required to win Paris. It was more mistakes we did and the build up and like the what we were prioritizing.

[Rich Roll]

Right.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

And it didn't help.

[Rich Roll]

Not that this applied, you know, this applied to everyone who, who was racing, not just you, but you know, the whole kind of sen. Paris, you know, sort of situation was a bit of a disaster.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

Yeah, that was a strange one as well. Like coming to a games and it feels like the course is not even ready. Like in that sense, like not only.

[Rich Roll]

That you don't know when you're Going to race.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

Yeah.

[Rich Roll]

So every day it was sort of. They wouldn't even let you. They kept change. They kept, they kept changing. When you could even get into kind of, you know, practice in, you know, on the course. Right. It was all dependent on measuring the toxins in the water or whatever. And that would change every day. And then you think you would get it and that would rain and then they'd say no. And then the day you were supposed to race, you show up like really early. Right. And they call, they call it off.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

You're getting an email like 4:00 in the morning or something and, or middle of the night. And then when you wake up for the race quite early, then you see the email that race is postponed another day.

[Rich Roll]

So that plays serious mind games.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

So, but, but like in, in that situation, you just try to think that it's the same for everyone. It's not fair.

[Rich Roll]

But the next day, the day that you raced, that morning, it was raining. I woke up that morning and I thought, there's no way these guys are racing today. There's no way they're going to let em race. And that was the day that they let you race. But they pushed it back too. You ended up like going in like later, like 10:45 or something, I think. Yeah.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

So that was because it was the women's day of racing. So they raced under the rain. And I think because of the rain then, then normally the water gets dirty like two days after or like a day or two days after because then it comes like down from the, from the city. So the water itself should have been clean on that day, but it's more like to race later on on the day as well. Like then it's more. It's warmer, especially on the run. And maybe Hayden Wild would have taken it if it was earlier in the morning, like he was getting cooked out there. So. Yeah, you know, you never know how it would have.

[Rich Roll]

Yeah.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

Ended up up front. But I do think the podium would have been the same. Same guys. Like, how did you.

[Rich Roll]

How did your throat do it with, with the sand water? Did you throw up in that race?

[Christian Blumenfeld]

Actually not. I was actually okay.

[Rich Roll]

Really. So did anyone get sick?

[Christian Blumenfeld]

I think there was a few athletes who got sick, but it like you don't know if it's the food they've been eating or like if they've gone out or. But I haven't seen the. I haven't looked at the numbers since the water, like if it was clean or not. But the strange thing, I think it takes 24 hours to get the measurements from the water. So the numbers we're using in terms of getting green light for racing, it's the numbers from the day before.

[Rich Roll]

Oh, I didn't know that.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

That is, like, estimation of how it's going to be the next day.

[Rich Roll]

Oh, that's. That's not good. I mean, it was ambitious and. And sort of a cool idea four years ago when they decided, like, hey, this is what we want to do, but they just couldn't really pull it off. And, you know, you guys were the ones who had to pay the price for that, unfortunately.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

It was an epic course. It was a great location, but again, maybe not a course that was secured and ready for an Olympic games, but.

[Rich Roll]

From What I understand, L.A. 2028 is in your sights. Like, you want to go back. Is this true?

[Christian Blumenfeld]

I haven't decided yet.

[Rich Roll]

This is what all the articles are saying.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

I haven't decided yet. But with that feeling coming off Paris and thinking that I'm not too old, but it was more mistakes done. And, of course, I want to showcase that it's possible to come down again from arm and distance, because now the. With the 12th place from Paris, I would say, like, the. The coming down from army distance, Olympic distance project have sort of been a failure. And I do want to, of course, come back again to ensure that it is possible.

[Rich Roll]

Thirteen days after Paris, you're in Frankfurt, and you toe the line at, you know, this legendary Ironman race. But you have no expectations. You're not even. You're just there, kind of like you're there to race. But I don't think that you, from what I understand, like, were putting a lot of pressure on yourself to uncork some kind of amazing performance, and yet you have this unbelievable performance that I think sort of allowed everybody to kind of put your Paris performance in the rearview mirror and say, oh, whatever you might have thought about Christian not being at his best, think again. Like, this guy's for real. Look what he just did when all he's been doing is training for Olympic distance, which. Which leads me to believe that you're somebody who performs well in the wake of disappointment. But this year, for the first time ever, you've had two kind of very large disappointments. So how do you, like, from just sort of a sports psychologist, mental health perspective, like, manage the disappointment and all the expectations that. That, you know, went into your, you know, most recent big two last two performances?

[Christian Blumenfeld]

I think it's important to.

[Rich Roll]

Yeah.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

Like to have that conversation with yourself and like being honest with yourself and not coming up with too many excuses and just think about everything that's been done. And what I do is often, like, I write it down on the phone and just like looking through what I think was the reason, what I think I could have done differently and using it for motivation for the future. Like, of course it hurts to lose the Olympic title to someone else and to. To look at the pictures now from Corn now of everyone on the podium. And I was. I was still on Queen K when they finished the race. But I think it's important to talk and have like, honest the reflections with the team and with Gustav and with Olav and yeah, living nothing. Yeah, we will talk about everything when we get back home with Gustav and Olav and do those reflections and making a plan for how we can come back. Because, yeah, all of, all of us are both agree and hungry that we are not supposed to be that far down on the result list.

[Rich Roll]

What. What did Olav say to you after Kona?

[Christian Blumenfeld]

He was wondering mostly what I was thinking, like, what was happening on the bike with the puking and what I thought was the reasons for. Yeah, getting cooked on the run. But we haven't spent too much time talking about it yet. We will have like a more longer talk when we get back to Bergen.

[Rich Roll]

Yeah. It's not a. It's not a easy puzzle, is it? Like, the way that you and Gustav train with Olav is so measured, you know, everything that you guys do is a function of science on some level. Right. And so for you to say, well, we made a miscalculation here, or we don't quite know why this didn't work here is curious and interesting. Right. Because. Because of all people, I would feel like, well, you guys know exactly what happened, or you and Gustav are the last people to kind of make an unforced error.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

But also how we often do these reflections is that we often first sit down and do over phone or we have in different parts and then we have maybe a week break or we're all thinking about the point, the order we're coming with and then coming back again and doing another evaluation of the process and what we think could have changed. Like if you have changed any opinions of what have been happening.

[Rich Roll]

Yeah.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

So we have had like the first round now on the phone while we were in Kona, and then we will have a deeper one when we get back to Bergen.

[Rich Roll]

Of all the unique methods that you guys deploy in your training, what do you think has had the most impact? Is it the constant lactate testing? Is it altitude training? Is it heat acclimation? Is it some of the technology that you guys are always experimenting with? Is it your relationship with volume and intensity? Is it metabolic efficiency? Can you point to any one thing that you think has moved the needle the most?

[Christian Blumenfeld]

I think it's high. Like being able to tolerate very high training load. And then to be able to do that, you obviously need to have control over the training. Like intensity control. That has maybe been the key. And being able to absorb it. Like the training.

[Rich Roll]

Absorb the training.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

Absorb the training.

[Rich Roll]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think I read that you have the highest recorded VO2 max of all time. That's like not per, not, not by weight, right?

[Christian Blumenfeld]

Like total in aggregate, like per per milliliter.

[Rich Roll]

It's like seven.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

But that's also where I think we went wrong coming into Paris. Like when I had that high enough numbers in December, January, I should have been able to perform better in Paris eight months later. So then again, if I can get David Max up to those numbers coming back from long distance, then I also think I should have performed better in the 2024 season. So then I think also how we've been utilizing that engine maybe been wrong in the training because I was running well in December, January, but maybe the periodization, I've maybe been a bit off.

[Rich Roll]

To what do you account your ability to put. To kind of put in such a huge training load and also absorb it? Like, how do you, how do you measure that so that you're not over training and you're always able to kind of absorb the training that you're putting in?

[Christian Blumenfeld]

The easiest way I think is every week just being aware of how the training is feeling. Like it's about feeling if you're absorbing the training or not. Like, if you're getting more hammered on your Thursday track session than you were the week four, then maybe you have had a tough week and you can still push through. Then if it goes like two or three weeks in a row and you feel like the number is not going in the right direction and you're just slowly digging yourself in a hole, then I think it's time to slow back a little bit. Like either cut down some of the track sessions or like some of the intensity sessions by maybe 80% and also doing it pace wise a little bit more carefully to get that energy back.

[Rich Roll]

Do you ever have total rest rest days where you don't do anything or. Those are the podcasting days.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

That's the podcasting days and the sponsorship days. So then suddenly it's, it's not an easy day still. But no, if I feel very fatigued then maybe I will just go out for a walk and then come back again for the next day.

[Rich Roll]

Is it harder now to maintain your focus? Because people always want you to. Like you're, you have media obligations and you have sponsor obligations and your life is a lot, you know, kind of in a good way, like busier than it was when you embarked upon this journey and balancing all of that has to have, you know, a certain place in order for you to kind of maintain your focus on why you're even here in the first place.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

I think yes and no. Like of course it takes energy and when, but when you're like feeling like everything just is happening in a tailwind, like everything just goes smoothly, then it's easy to do photoshoot for sponsors and like interviews and being committed around extra training around the races. But of course when you're getting more fatigued and you feel the training is getting a little bit worse, then it's also easier to be a little bit lower. Like blaming it on that as well. But I feel having, I'm having quite sponsors who's really understanding the situation and they also understand that the main thing is to perform match races so they try to balance it out. So it's, I think it's important that we as an athlete also understand that the brands that you're signing up with, they also need a value from you.

[Rich Roll]

Sure.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

So it's a give and take. So when I feel I'm having energy to do trips, like extra trip for a sponsor like visiting their HQ or something like that, then I try to put it in because I also know that that's giving me goodwill. When I'm tired again, when I'm feeling to say no for any obligations and just want to focus on the training and the race. So both going into Paris and going into Kona, we were minimizing like the noise from that.

[Rich Roll]

We're brought to you today by on being a gearhead. I'm all about testing the latest sports tech. But you know what often gets overlooked? Apparel. Apparel is crucial to performance. And that's why I was blown away by the folks at on Swiss Labs. Their cutting edge approach from sustainability to precision testing for performance enhancement is next level. It is truly Swiss innovation at its best. Visit on.comrichroll that's on.com richroll this podcast is brought to you by Squarespace, the all you need all in one platform that helps entrepreneurs and creators stand out and succeed online. It's a digital world, everybody. And having a strong presence online is not just important, it's absolutely crucial. Which is why I'm really excited about Squarespace's new design Intelligence feature. It's kind of like having a personal design expert combining decades of design know how with cutting edge AI to help you create a website that truly reflects your vision. What I find easier equally impressive is Squarespace Payments. This function has revolutionized how to handle transactions online. You can start accepting payments quickly and easily with options like Apple Pay and Afterpay that are built right in. And it's just perfect for those of us who want flexibility without the hassle. Also, let us not forget about getting found online. That is important and Squarespace has addressed this with powerful SEO tools that automatically optimize your site with meta descriptions and site maps. It's all about helping you reach the right audience, especially if you're not a tech wizard. Curious? Head on over to squarespace.com for a free trial and when you're ready to launch, visit squarespace.com richroll to save 10% on your first purchase. I know you haven't had like a full sit down with Olav yet to kind of deconstruct, you know, what went right and what went wrong this year, but do you have a sense in the back of your mind like here's what I'm going to change or here's the main thing that I think didn't work right, that we need to adjust.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

I think we should have done more higher intensity going into Paris as an example. Like it was done too much threshold and maybe too much extensive work of threshold that's maybe costing too much of the total energy for the week. So sort of the time that's required to rest after the session is too long and I'm sort of just feeling like I'm getting very efficient just around threshold, but maybe it being stretched out too much so I can almost stay there for quite a long time. But then suddenly the threshold numbers get lower and lower and lower instead of being able to lift it up from by making easier sessions like simplifying it and working around that 30 to 40 minutes intensity instead of stretching it up to 60 to 80 or even two hours.

[Rich Roll]

But going into 2025 you're not looking to continue in the Olympic triathlon world.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

Yeah, but I think I still think I need to improve the power around David Max and then engineer and then coming back again to working on the capacity. So I think also the two weeks have been looking A little bit too much similar. Instead of having like a little bit more prioritization between having a volume phase and then a building up phase and then more like intensity.

[Rich Roll]

Yeah.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

So I think having cleaner structures there and maybe also spend a bit too much time in altitude because then you artificially also brings down the intensity a bit. Well, we could have taken advantage of maybe skipping the January camp in altitude and maybe doing it at sea level instead. And then having more. Yeah. Artificial. Higher pace on the sessions.

[Rich Roll]

Yeah. And maybe showing up in Kona a week earlier than you did this year.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

Yeah.

[Rich Roll]

Yeah. And because although Lionel was there for like forever, it felt like before him.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

But it didn't help.

[Rich Roll]

He didn't have the best day either. Yeah. So.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

So we were in Flagstaff for a month before we went to Kona and it was good temperature. It was getting quite warm there. Had some days. But it's very dry warm. So it's not. It doesn't.

[Rich Roll]

It's humidity. Yeah. You need that. That. But if you're. If you're there too early, it starts to wear you down. It can make you tired.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

So maybe I didn't have a hard like a tough enough session in the heat going into the race. Like I never felt like I was really hitting the. The basement heat wise before the race.

[Rich Roll]

Yeah.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

And maybe it would have been good too.

[Rich Roll]

Do you think that they'll. Ironman will go back to having the men's and the women's race in Kona?

[Christian Blumenfeld]

Yeah.

[Rich Roll]

Same weekend rather than. I mean this was all a product of COVID Right. The fact that they separated it initially. And there's something great about it because the women deserve to have the attention on them when they're racing. And sometimes that doesn't always happen when you know the race is the. In the same place at the same weekend. But Kona is its own thing. Right. It's. It is the home of the Ironman world championships and I do feel like it should return there for everybody.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

Yeah, it's definitely. That was definitely the vibes from the arm and crew and the people there that they want to get it back to. To only be in Kona for the future. But as an athlete I do think it's great to have both letting the women having their own day and because it's something to be racing first on course versus being the first female on course. I think that's great. When they have the 70.3s on two different days, then it's also at like the same location but at two different days because then the women's race doesn't get affected by. By the guys either up front or like the age groupers coming and catching them or the pros being dropped.

[Rich Roll]

Yeah.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

So. But it was definitely the vibe that people wants to only have it in Kona, even though. So some pros like myself, I think it's great to go to Nice. Like it's a beautiful place and that's incredible.

[Rich Roll]

Yeah. But it's just not the right place for that race.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

Yeah.

[Rich Roll]

You know, but for the foreseeable future, your focus is purely on Ironman racing and half Ironman racing. Yeah.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

I think for now it's nice. Next year, which might be the last time it's in these and then it's Kona in 2026 and then we will see what's after that.

[Rich Roll]

You're no comment on after that? Well, I bring this up because I don't know if you know, but there's been a lot of rumors about you perhaps dipping your toe into professional cycling. When this rumor first surfaced, there was like a lot of discourse around it. But it was validated, at least in the press, when Olaf said, yes, this is our plan. This was back in July. Christian is going to enter the world of professional cycling with a very ambitious goal, which was to contend initially at the Tour de France and by. I don't know, I think he said like 2027 be in the mix for a jersey now. This is an even bolder claim than going from winning an Olympic gold medal to winning Ironman and back. And a lot of hands have been wrung over this. Right in July, he said this is going to happen with 90% certainty. I know this is no longer the case. You've shifted gears. But I kind of want to talk about this a little bit. I'm curious because I don't know if you or Olav have ever shared much about the impetus of this idea. How did this idea even kind of occur to you guys, let alone become this thing that you were entertaining? Seriously.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

It was more like we were looking at opportunities to see how like. Yeah. What's the opportunities?

[Rich Roll]

Being very guarded right now. It's okay, man.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

So. But then, like, it didn't help with the performances in Paris and I also wanted to leave triathlon on. Yeah. With a good performance and not just.

[Rich Roll]

Had you won the gold medal in Paris. Would you be now officially a professional bike racer?

[Christian Blumenfeld]

I think so.

[Rich Roll]

Yeah.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

Yes.

[Rich Roll]

Yeah. It's kind of cool, actually.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

But I thought, like, it is as you're only living once, you also want to take the chances you can, like, and not be afraid of taking new challenges and. But then also. But I also want to finish off well in triathlon.

[Rich Roll]

Yeah.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

And so is this.

[Rich Roll]

Is this a possibility for a later year that you're kind of just, you know, sort of keeping dormant for now that you might revisit?

[Christian Blumenfeld]

I think it was either now, now or never, because, like, if I do it after LA, it will be 34, and that's quite.

[Rich Roll]

That's pretty late.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

That's like four years even later. And it was. Yeah, with. I thought it was a great idea to.

[Rich Roll]

I kind of wish you were doing this because I just would like to see it, you know, I would like to watch how this would unfold. I think it would be fascinating. You know, physically, you don't present like a professional cyclist. These guys, you know, weigh like 125 pounds or whatever. They just look different. Right. And you. You present differently. You're. You're a stockier athlete, but you also come packaged with this insane void to max. Like, you have the ability to put in giant volume, absorb the training. So the. The physiological capacity is there. The question then becomes, you know, can he learn how to, you know, handle his bike properly under pressure? Can he descend? You know, it's dangerous. How do you ride in a peloton? There's a lot of other things that. That these guys learn over many years through experience. Right. That you would have to then learn quickly, and that presents its own challenges.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

It's a complete different ride in a group with triathletes to. To the World Tour. But I think real cyclists don't like.

[Rich Roll]

Riding with triathletes, like, in the group ride.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

But, like, yeah, I think, like, the engine is like my strength and being able to tolerate, like, a high volume over not just days, but weeks, I think also would have been my strength. But theater.

[Rich Roll]

A lot of people have a lot of opinions about this, but I did read, I think it was Victor Campenaerts, who, you guys know, professional cyclist, who was singing your praises and saying, like, I think you should do this. I love it. I think Netflix should make a documentary about this. It's fascinating. It would be so cool to see what would happen if you really went for that completely. Obviously, that's a parallel universe. You're doing something differently. But I think the fact that you even not only just entertained this as kind of a switch in your career, but actually we're making plans to move in that direction. It speaks to mindset, like a sort of growth mindset, like a malleable mindset. Like, what is possible? Like, yes, I do this well, but why don't I. Yes, I won the Olympic gold, but what would happen if we went over here? What would happen if we would go back and you. You're. You're the man in the arena, and. And it's easy to, like, criticize that person when things don't go right. But you're the one who's out there trying to do something that no one's ever done. And I think that gets missed in, you know, the discussion around, kind of your career arc. Yeah.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

I think it's important to. To not be afraid of taking the challenge and, like, like, jumping into new stuff. Like, and often. Often people, like, even when I was standing on the start line in the race, I've been preparing for, like, the biggest reason why they may be being nervous for the race is because they are nervous to fail. And I think that's been or strength in this whole project. Like, we jumped into triathlon and said, like, 10 years before that, yeah, we will win the race in Tokyo in 2020. And that's been, like, the whole target or the whole thing we've been working towards, even though back then it was quite an ambition goal to set. And the same is now. You want to keep that youthful in you. You want to be able to have a goal that is almost unreachable.

[Rich Roll]

Mm. You don't strike me as somebody who. Who allows these setbacks to, you know, kind of negatively impact, like, how you see the future, but rather as. As sort of fuel. Like, hey, what went wrong? How can we fix this? Let's move forward. Yeah. Is that true?

[Christian Blumenfeld]

It's like my slogan on my bike. It's. It hurts more to lose. And that's a little bit like, when I've won a race, it's often more like, yeah, it's great, but then I want to win another one. But if I lose a race, like now in Kona, then it stays on my mind for so much more. Like, it's so much worse than the joy I would have had after winning that race. So it's definitely. I think I'm able to utilize disappointments to come back stronger.

[Rich Roll]

Do you take a break now? What's. What's the plan for the next couple months?

[Christian Blumenfeld]

So out on Queen K, I basically said that this is. This is it. So now it's two or three or four weeks of off, maybe a little bit of, like, soft training and then building towards nice. So then being in Bergen, out for rest of the Year and then maybe visiting Nice in end of January for like a month and just getting familiar with the course and spending time there. And we might even put in one more camp before Nice in September, I think it is. So, yeah, not going too aggressively out with the motivation because that's also a bit risky when you've been having. When both of us have had disappointment experience now in Kona, but, like, using it, like gradually building up towards.

[Rich Roll]

Yeah, yeah. Being smart about it, because if you, if you start to apply that too soon, you're not going to be able.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

To sustain it and then you will probably run into an injury in March or something, like burned out or something. So it's important to spread out the motivation or energy throughout.

[Rich Roll]

How is Gustav doing?

[Christian Blumenfeld]

He is on the way back, I would say, but of course it is. He was struggling on the swim, he was struggling on the bike, and he started walking in the first aid station in Kona. And that's obviously a complete different situation than what it was two years ago, but I think injury wise and mental wise, he sort of finished with the worst. And now it was just that he wasn't trained for racing in Armand. Like, you can easily fake it through a 70.3, but not there, even if you're in the best shape. Like, 7.42k on the run is a very long day.

[Rich Roll]

Yeah. Do you think that he's on his way to the rebuilding that he needs?

[Christian Blumenfeld]

Yeah, I think so.

[Rich Roll]

To get back to his top form? Yeah.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

I think the core, the fact that he knows how to ride a bike in a course like this is also giving him, like, mentally that extra boost he needs to think that needs will be his comeback race.

[Rich Roll]

Yeah. When you and Gustav were on the podcast, when was that? Like, two years ago? I can't remember. Yeah, yeah, it was right after 20. It was like two years ago. Exactly. Almost. I asked you guys if you had any advice for the, the amateur triathletes out there or, you know, what are some of the, you know, habits that, you know, you work the most? And, and, and it was great because it was just the basic stuff. It's like sleep, you know, like all the stuff that you kind of see on Instagram, all these kind of like, hyper recovery tools and all of that. Like, you guys were just like, no, it's the basic stuff. Right. So now, having come from another Kona race, was there anything that you observed among the amateurs competing there where you thought, like, these guys need to chill or, like, here, like, if I could, you know, like, if you're like, hey, maybe not do that, do this. Or you think like some of the amateurs out there kind of lead themselves astray unnecessarily with their training in the racing.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

It's hard to say. Like, it seems like if you look at the top age groupers, like they are basically looking like they are professionals. Like they're having all.

[Rich Roll]

The guy who, who broke the swim course record is like, he was. He's an age grouper, I think not for very much longer. But yeah, to. I mean, to be a Kona, you're kind of a professional.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

Yeah. So they are all pretty fit. And it seems like most of the triathletes who is getting to Kona, they are well educated. Like, they know how important it is now with taking enough liquid in, they know how important it is to take in all the cobs. So it seems like they do try to learn as much as they can from all the pros.

[Rich Roll]

So what about the other races, though? Because you go to other races, there is more mixed.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

There is obviously more mixed for. Yeah, like the simple things on race day, if you start shorten down on your cops, like then in the race, then you are basically in a big issue.

[Rich Roll]

Yeah.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

But also, like in the build up for an arm and like if you do try to get in too much volume and you're sacrificing the sleep again, like penetration. And then it's. Yeah.

[Rich Roll]

I recently had this guy on my podcast called David Roche, who's an ultra runner and a running coach. He's been a coach for a long time and distinguished himself for many years at shorter distances. And he recently ran his first hundred miler. He ran his first 100 miler at Leadville. He picked this insane race, high altitude, very difficult course, and he destroyed everybody in his first 100 miler. He won. And what he said, which was super interesting, is that his approach was very counterintuitive. Like he has this massive endurance base because he's been running forever. Right. And he focused on threshold efforts, like learning how to train fast. That was his big thing. And then secondarily, he studied the habits of competitive eaters because his theory was that if I can train my body to absorb more carbohydrates than anybody else without gastric distress, then I'll be able to maintain that higher pace for. For a longer period of time. And he was successful in doing that. He just won the javelina 100, like in Arizona. So a high heat race recently. And so suddenly he's like the guy in ultra running, but I just thought it was so interesting, his approach to carbohydrate. Carbohydrate intake like he trained his body. I can't remember what the figures were, but he can absorb just an astonishing amount of grams of carbohydrate per hour. And I have to believe that this is something that Olav, yourself and Gustav have tested and are playing with.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

Yeah, we have blocks where we try to go very high and maybe a little bit more than what's comfortable with in terms of cubs carbohydrate intake under intensity. Uh, and then there is blocks where you maybe try to go like back again, pulling it to a lower number. So I think you can do paradization in same way as you do with the training. And especially in a build up to an important race where like the carbohydrate intake is crucial, then you also want to have a block of higher carburetor intake. Mm.

[Rich Roll]

But your ability to do that in a race context, to be able to maintain like a higher threshold for a longer period of time seems like.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

Yeah, you need, you need to do it under higher intensity. Like, so typically we do it use the more arm specific days to do those high intake. So if we do four or five hours on the bike, then we try to also stay around or maybe 5 or 10% above what we normally will take in the race. We will do that constantly on the, on the bike and the same on the run, like pushing that upper limit and because then in a race iteration you normally will ease off a little bit more towards and it's not like you will finish off the race with tons of energy.

[Rich Roll]

Yeah, well, you got to figure out your throat thing. You got to stop throwing up, dude. Yep. You got to figure that out. I was dming with Patrick Longa earlier today and I was like, Christian's coming in. What should I ask him? And he's like, ask him if he's throwing up on purpose. Like, what's the deal with him throwing.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

Up on purpose just before Harvey, just before the climb to get the lighter.

[Rich Roll]

Yeah, just drop weight.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

And I was doing it to get his like slippery surface behind me because I knew the train was coming.

[Rich Roll]

The other thing this guy David Roche talked about was, was bicarbonate. Do you guys test this? Do you play around with this as like a way of buffering lactate? I guess. Is that what it does?

[Christian Blumenfeld]

Yeah. So we've used. I used the Morton bicarbonate quite a lot going into Paris, and I used it both on the longer, longer days where I was Having like my like 60 minutes of threshold on the bike and then straight into 20k or 18k threshold on the run and with the idea of being able to have a longer time before exhaustion on the. On the run. So.

[Rich Roll]

And you found that effective?

[Christian Blumenfeld]

I don't feel the straight benefits, but when we do like measurements on like the blood in the lab, they see that I'm sort of utilizing the, the bicarb. But the, the bicarb is not something I feel as powerful directly on my body as I do with caffeine. But the testing that I've done that they have done is showing that you are increasing your capacity by using it and for like a race. Now I didn't use it in corner, but I think maybe in the future it's something I can even take like today before or two days before the race because often when you take the bike up, you also gain like 2 kilos, 3 kilos two days after or the day after. So maybe can. Because you basically it's so much salt in it that you're also carrying more liquid and maybe even increasing the blood volume. So then you being able to utilize it like the following day or two days later. But that was something I didn't do in corner this time around.

[Rich Roll]

So maybe add that to the list. Yeah.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

For 2026.

[Rich Roll]

Well, we're in New York City. We're here. It's marathon weekend. We're both going to be doing stuff with on who you know, shout out to On Great partner. I know for myself and also for you. Are you going to be able to have fun here in the city? What do you got? What do you got planned?

[Christian Blumenfeld]

Yep, I am doing some touristic stuff tomorrow. Heading into the. The Statue of Liberty.

[Rich Roll]

Liberty?

[Christian Blumenfeld]

Yeah, yeah.

[Rich Roll]

Have you been here before?

[Christian Blumenfeld]

I've only been like a few hours. Layover.

[Rich Roll]

Oh, wow.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

And then I will go into the friend's house or like the, you know, the TV show Friends and then like. Or like to see that or they will show me that street and yeah. See Times Square.

[Rich Roll]

Yeah.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

And then see the on lab, which we also saw in Paris. So they have this machine that's like creating the shoe in three minutes.

[Rich Roll]

Yeah, the machine making the light spray shoes in real time for everybody. Which is pretty exciting. I think we're gonna, we're doing a Q and A also at. On labs at some point.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

Yeah. On Friday anyway.

[Rich Roll]

Yeah. Well, thanks, man. This was great. I, I really enjoyed it and I can't wait to see what the next season has. Has in store for you and want to commend you for kind of like the, the way that you comport yourself through. You know, I'm sure you would love to be here. Having just won and having won a second gold medal, life had a different plan for you. But I feel like you're somebody who, who is in a really good place with all of it. And I think you're only going to build on this. I think Mark Allen said that Christian is somebody who, who, who knows what to do with disappointment. And I think, I think, I agree with that.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

Thank you. Yeah, hopefully we can come back in two years time with the, the Kona trophy.

[Rich Roll]

Yeah, well, we'll do well. So we'll just set that. We'll set it now. Every two years we do a podcast, buddy. Okay, thank you. All right, cool. Cheers. Peace. Foreign we're brought to you today by Momentos. If you're like me and you want to take supplements that are made by and used by the best in the world, go to livemomentous.com rich roll to save up to 36% off your first subscription order of protein or creatine. And if you don't want to subscribe, you can still get 20% off of all my favorite products. That's livemomentous.com richroll we're brought to you today by Eight Sleep. If you're ready to revolutionize your sleep, head to eightsleep.com richroll and use code richroll to get up to $600 off your Pod 4 Ultra purchase when bundled. This offer will only be valid until December 14th, so hurry up and use the code RICHROLL at checkout. That's it for today. Thank you for listening. I truly hope you enjoyed the conversation. To learn more about today's guest, including links and resources related to everything discussed today, visit the episode [e-mail] where you can find the entire podcast archive, my books, Finding Ultra Voicing Change and the Plant Power Way, as well as the Plant Power meal [e-mail] if you'd like to support the podcast, the easiest and most impactful thing you can do is to subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify and on YouTube and leave a review and or comment. This show just wouldn't be possible without the help of our amazing sponsors who keep this podcast running wild and free. To check out all their amazing offers, head to richroll.com sponsors and sharing the show or your favorite episode with friends or on social media is of course, awesome and very helpful. And finally, for podcast updates, special offers on books, the meal planner and other subjects. Please subscribe to our newsletter, which you can find on the footer of any page [e-mail] Today's show was produced and engineered by Jason Cameolo. The video edition of the podcast was created by Blake Curtis with assistance by our Creative Director, Dan Drake, portraits by Davey Greenberg, graphic and social media assets courtesy of Daniel Solis. And thank you Georgia Whaley for copywriting and website management. And of course, our theme music was created by Tyler Pyatt, Trapper Pyatt and Harry Mathis. Appreciate the love. Love the support. See you back here soon. Peace Plants.

[Christian Blumenfeld]

Namaste. It.