In episode 386 of The Physical Performance Show, host Tim Studley sits down with fellow Pogo Physio physiotherapist Lewis Craig to explore the world of surf life saving and Ironman racing — a sport many listeners may be unfamiliar with, but one that shares a huge amount in common with traditional triathlon and endurance sport.
Tim and Lewis unpack what a typical training week looks like for a semi-professional surf ironman/ironwoman athlete, the most common injuries seen across swimming, ski paddling, board paddling and soft sand running, the disproportionate impact running-based injuries can have on an athlete’s ability to race, and why energy availability, sleep and recovery are just as critical in this sport as they are in any other high-volume endurance discipline.
SHOW SPONSORS:
💯 Today’s episode is brought to you by Pillar Performance and Pogo Physio’s telehealth consultations. If you are an endurance runner battling with bone, tendon, joint related concerns, our online Telehealth consultations are an ideal platform to help get you back to your physical best – book online at https://pogophysio.com.au.
💯 PILLAR Performance is leading a new frontier in sports nutrition through micronutrition innovation. Their new Collagen Repair formula, developed in collaboration with Gelita Laboratories, is designed to support tendon and ligament health while promoting collagen synthesis to help athletes stay healthy and perform at their best.
For 15% off your first order, visit https://pillarperformance.shop (or https://thefeed.com for North American listeners) and use the discount code PHYSICALPERFORMANCE (one word, capitals) at checkout.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
An introduction to surf life saving and Ironman racing: swimming, ski paddling, board paddling and soft sand running combined into one demanding sport
The semi-professional nature of the sport, and how prize money from series like the Shaw and Partners Ironman Series and World Ocean Series has helped athletes
A snapshot of a typical training day and week: double training sessions, four swim sessions, two to three ski paddling and board sessions, two gym sessions, two standalone runs, and Irons sessions combining all disciplines
Typical weekly training hours for competitive athletes — estimated in the range of 15 to 20+ hours per week
Similarities to other endurance sports: shared challenges around shoulder health, running-related injuries, and managing training load, intensity and recovery
Whether discipline-dominant athletes (runners, swimmers, paddlers) experience different injury patterns, and the possible link between strong runners and higher bone stress injury risk via REDs
What first drew Lewis to working with surf life saving and Ironman athletes, including his early experience working alongside elite athletes at Pogo Physio
Common injuries in the sport: shoulder tendinopathies (supraspinatus, subscapularis), low back pain, Achilles tendinopathy, calf strains, ankle sprains, toe injuries, knee pain, bone stress injuries, and trauma-related injuries from craft or contact
Why shoulder health is a season-long priority, while injuries that prevent running (calf strains, ankle sprains, bone stress injuries) carry the biggest time cost due to their impact on race ability
Estimated prevalence of athletes competing while managing a shoulder or low back niggle, and how this may fluctuate across the competitive calendar
An overview of the surf life saving racing calendar: trials, the Coolangatta Gold, and a condensed back-to-back race season with minimal true off-season
Why the Coolangatta Gold’s extra soft sand running volume increases physical demand and potential injury risk
Common misconceptions about the physical demands of the sport, including underestimation of the aerobic and neuromuscular demands of soft sand running
The energy cost and muscle activation differences of soft sand running compared to running on grass or road (roughly 1.4–1.6x energy cost, near-double EMG activity in key running muscles)
Why maintaining some running — and ideally some soft sand running — year-round may help reduce injury risk when returning to high-intensity training
Physical qualities to develop for soft sand running: calf capacity, forefoot strength, neuromuscular control, balance and proprioception, and specific gym-based calf training strategies
Why strong road runners can’t assume they have the capacity needed for soft sand running
Common training and recovery mistakes: under-fuelling relative to high training demands, and the potential role of low energy availability and REDs in this population
Warning signs of under-fuelling to watch for, including low iron, frequent illness, low libido in males, and menstrual cycle changes in females
The key pillars of recovery for these athletes: sleep, nutrition, well-structured and individualised training programming, and secondary recovery tools like massage, compression and cryotherapy
Quotes / takeaways:
“These athletes are really, really impressive… it really is akin to the traditional triathlete.”
“It’s a real juggling act, but also then makes it really meaningful to try and help these athletes.”
“If we can’t sand run, then often that’s no racing.”
“Go for a run on the sand and see how hard it is.”
“I have a hypothesis that if these athletes all did more running, we’d see a heap of bone stress injuries.”
“It gets tricky to do it well and do it right consistently.”
Time Stamps:
00:00 – Episode introduction: surf life saving and Ironman racing with Lewis Craig
00:31 – What is surf life saving and Ironman racing?
01:30 – Semi-professional status and recent growth in prize money
02:27 – A typical training day and week for a competitive athlete
04:23 – Typical weekly training hours
05:23 – Comparisons to other endurance sports like triathlon
06:23 – Do discipline-dominant athletes get different injury types?
08:05 – What sparked Lewis’s interest in the sport
11:28 – Most common injuries: shoulder, low back, running-related
13:26 – Which injuries carry the biggest performance and time cost
14:21 – Prevalence of athletes competing through shoulder or back niggles
16:34 – The surf life saving racing calendar and trials
18:24 – Biggest misconceptions about the physical demands of the sport
18:54 – The energy cost and muscle demands of soft sand running
20:24 – Bone stress injury risk around high-intensity competition periods
20:52 – Underestimating the aerobic demands of soft sand running
23:17 – Why maintaining year-round running and sand running may help
24:16 – Physical capacities to develop for soft sand running: calf, foot strength, balance
26:14 – Why road running fitness doesn’t guarantee sand running capacity
26:43 – Common training mistakes: under-fuelling and REDs risk
29:35 – Warning signs of low energy availability to watch for
30:05 – Recovery pillars: sleep, nutrition, training structure
31:34 – Individualised recovery tools: massage, compression, cryotherapy
32:32 – Recap of key recovery pillars and closing thoughts
THE TEAM:
Join the The Physical Performance Show LEARNINGS membership through weekly podcasts here: https://www.patreon.com/TPPShow
Our goal is to get you back to your Physical Best. Find out more about Telehealth Consultations and book online.
Your Hosts:
🏃♂️➡️ Timothy Studley – Physiotherapist at Pogo Physio: Instagram @timothy_physio
💪 Lewis Craig – Physiotherapist and Clinical Lead, Pogo Physio: Instagram @_lewiscraig_
The Physical Performance Show can be found at: Facebook: facebook.com/thephysicalperformanceshowpodcast X: @tppshow1 Instagram: @physicalperformanceshow
Please direct any questions, comments, and feedback to the above social media handles.
COLLAGEN REPAIR
Now, you've all heard me talk about Pillar Performance. They have truly led a new frontier in the sports nutrition industry through their micronutrition innovation — and as someone who has spent their career working with endurance athletes managing injury, this one really caught my attention.
You may have also recently seen Pillar launch some new product lines under the banner of Performance Health. Like all Pillar products, this expansion is designed to maximize those crucial hours outside of training and racing, helping you return to the start line in peak condition.
One of their newest releases is Collagen Repair. This has been specifically developed to address some of the most common tendon and ligament overuse injuries among endurance athletes — conditions like hamstring tendinopathy, Achilles tendinitis, shin splints, and patellofemoral pain. As a physio, these are honestly the injuries I see walk through the door most often.
This product was brought to market in collaboration with Gelita Laboratories from Germany, and features a clinically trialled collagen peptide called Tendoforte, designed to strengthen and promote collagen synthesis.
Did you know that after the age of 30, you lose 1% of your body's collagen every year? That's significant — especially if you're pounding out kilometres week after week.
All you need is one scoop — it's flavorless and pairs perfectly with your morning coffee.
So check it out. Visit PillarPerformance.shop, or for North American listeners, head to TheFeed.com and use the code PHYSICALPERFORMANCE for 15% off your first purchase.
TRIPLE MAGNESIUM
On The Physical Performance Show, we talk a lot about training load, but sleep and recovery are where the real adaptation happens — and that's something I've become genuinely obsessed with optimising.
Pillar's Triple Magnesium has become a non-negotiable part of my evening routine. Informed by leading Heart Rate Variability researcher Dr Dan Plews, I take it 30 minutes before bed every night to help my body spend as much time as possible in REM and deep sleep.
Pillar uses a high dose of Glycinate Magnesium, which activates the parasympathetic nervous system — essentially telling your body it's time to switch off, recover, and rebuild. My WHOOP data each morning tells the story: higher HRV, longer deep sleep cycles, and I genuinely wake up feeling more restored.
For anyone listening who is serious about performance — whether you're training for your first marathon or your tenth Ironman — sleep quality is the multiplier on everything else you do. This is the product that's moved the needle most for me personally.
Head to PillarPerformance.shop and use code PHYSICALPERFORMANCE for 15% off your first purchase.
