Hey, Campfire Coaches, What's With the Pancakes?
by Amy VanTassel
You should really bring your own maple syrup.
Ed. Note—race season is upon us! Locally, Campfire athlete John Brenteson took the win at the OSU Beaver Freezer triathlon in truly freezer conditions, and this weekend sees the opening of the North American Ironman circuit with Texas on the calendar. Campfire athletes will be in action near and far, and probably tucking into large plates of…pancakes tomorrow morning? What’s up with that?
“The Grand Slam breakfast already comes with pancakes and toast, sir.”
“I know, I’d like an extra side of pancakes and additional serving of toast. Oh, and do you have real Maple Syrup?
It was Denny’s so they didn’t have real maple syrup (we now travel with our own), but our server was clearly more confounded by our breakfast order, in general, than the syrup request. If you’re a Campfire athlete, then you’ve been prescribed the standard colossal pancake breakfast the day before your race. It’s not necessarily a widespread practice throughout the long-distance triathlon community, though, so what gives? We’re committed to this pre-race nutrition plan, and if you wonder if there’s any proof in the pancake batter, then note these success stories who’ve followed the same ritual: Justin Metzler, Heather Jackson, and Linsey Corbin, among many others.
Why breakfast for the carb load?
Someone got the memo in the end of the 20th Century that you should have a huge pasta dinner the night before, and eat oatmeal the morning of your race. Coach Chris Bagg has studied endurance nutrition for years, and has, with the influence of experts such as Jesse Kropelnicki of QT2 Systems, determined that the latter is problematic because oatmeal can be fibrous and high(er)-glycemic. He’s confident debunking the former, too, because it’s not necessarily the best idea to load up your furnace before bed the night before a race.
“You need to load up on carbohydrates the day before a race to bolster your glycogen stores. It doesn’t matter, however, when the carbs go in during those prior 36 hours, so breakfast makes the most sense for your biggest intake. That way, you get it done before your busy pre-race day, and conquering the feat as early as possible ensures you can process it all (and expunge it all) before the start line the next day.”
Campfire athletes pre-Ironman 70.3 Coeur d’Alene 2018
Why Denny’s?
We’ve done the math: roughly 75% of major half- and full-iron-distance events take place in a city with at least one Denny’s. It’s reliable, convenient, fast, and easy. Moreover, it boasts a kitschy novelty that makes for awesome memories and photo ops. The first time my coach proposed it I was appalled by the joint: it seemed emblematic of American nutrition follies that can lead to health issues. The last time I went there, however, I was giddy and skipping before we opened the front door.
It obviously doesn’t have to be Denny’s, though. My fave memory of a non-Denny’s pancake breakfast was in Kona when Wattie of PLUSH Global fame flipped a gajillion chocolate chip pancakes over the griddle while we were swimming. Can you imagine how stoked we were to come home to that smell and taste? I’m drooling just thinking about them. My fave story of an athlete adapting to a non-Denny’s environment was when CBCG athlete Greg Dufour was in Paris for the marathon and found a crêperie and ordered eight crêpes, to the amazement of his Parisian crêpeier.
Camping? Not a problem at the Wildflower Triathlon Festival 2018
What if I’m gluten free?
You can do it! You might not be able to revel in the glory of Denny’s, but most North American locations should have some local breaky joint with GF options. Better yet, if you’re staying somewhere with a kitchen, then just pack some ridiculously affordable Trader Joe’s® GF pancake mix. They even make pumpkin flavor in the fall. If you don’t have a kitchen, then pack or buy some GF frozen waffles and toast them in your hotel lobby.
How do I fit it into my busy pre-race day?
Great question. I always say if I’m in my room watching the Bourne Trilogy by 4pm, I’ve done it right. It’s so hard, though! Having to “shake-out” all three sports and check in your bike and bags and everything can be involved. Once, at Kona, I left for bike check-in at 10am and got back at 3pm!
But we can’t skip breakfast, so the biggest trick I’ve learned is to either do my run or swim (depending on logistics) as soon as I wake up (even before coffee!), and then report to breakfast by 8am. If you get one quick workout in before breaky, you should only have one or two little shake outs, bike check-in, and bag drop off for the rest of your day. Prepping everything the day before is clutch: your bags, nutrition on your bike, and mixing and filling ALL the bottles you’ll need the next morning. You’ll be maxin’ and watching a movie marathon before you know it.
Matt Evans with an absolutely amazing pancake breakfast
Send us your pics!
Campfire athletes and coaches thrive on community, and the mandatory pre-race gorge sesh is one of our fave ways to get together. In fact, it makes for some forced moments of relaxation before things start goin’ down for reals. By the end of 2022, we hope to amass an individual pic of every single Campfire athlete in front of a plate, er, plates of pancakes. If you’re a current athlete, alumnus, friend, or family member, send us your pics on Instagram over at @campfire_endurance, and happy travels to #CarbTown.
Former Campfire athletes Doris Steere & Marc Nester courted over pancakes, and married in 2019. Mazel tov!