In this episode

Christina Krachtoudi has lived and worked as a civil engineer in London since 2011. She entered triathlon in late 2019 without a background in the three sports, following dance, volleyball and some running.

She describes her first Ironman distance in Austria, this year’s second place in France qualifying her for Kona, flow state and writing, women in sport, and practical race-fuelling and caffeine issues.

Quick navigation

  • 00:00 — Introductions, London and Ironman Greece
  • 10:49 — An age-grouper’s week and a first Ironman distance
  • 16:26 — Flow state, the blog and Kona qualification
  • 27:43 — Coaching, camps and women in sport
  • 40:56 — Race mishaps and a mindset shift
  • 50:09 — Awe at the start and hours on the bike
  • 01:02:07 — Fuelling, caffeine and closing remarks

Detailed show notes

From Greece to London and triathlon

Christina Krachtoudi left Greece in 2011 during the final semester of her master’s degree. She works as a civil engineer in London. She saw colleagues running marathons while she thought running was boring. Around 2016, she started without a watch or suitable shoes.

In Serifos in 2019, her husband teased her for not swimming freestyle. Back home, she took lessons, ordered a bike and joined a club. Her first Ironman-branded race was Costa Navarino in 2021, where she met Jenny Boulmeti. She had already done a local half in England in rain and wind.

Twelve hours, Austria and a Kona slot

Her base is three sessions per sport each week, around 12 hours year-round. An Ironman-distance build reaches 16–17. She works 9–5; home working after 2020 reduced the logistics. Her club has around 60–70 members.

Her first completed Ironman-distance race was in Austria last year. In 2022, she had prepared for Nice but tested positive for Covid five days beforehand; in 2023, a months-long injury kept her out. This year, Jenny and Christina describe a second place in France and a Kona slot without rolldown. That experience ended in second place and direct Kona qualification.

Flow state and writing

She also finds flow in everyday training, first in swimming when her mind used to trigger panic. She has written since childhood and created her website in 2023 while injured. She meditates before a major race.

At the St. George 70.3 World Championship, after a rolldown from Ironman Greece 2021, she says she found another gear and went further than she thought possible. At an Ironman-distance start, she feels awe rather than excitement. On the bike, she spends the first 15–20 minutes riding by feel before looking at numbers.

Women, coaching and Kona

Her coach is based in England and was first a friend at the same club. For Kona, they are not radically changing volume; they are working on heat and humidity through sauna sessions, indoor training in heavy clothing and around ten days in Greece in early September. Camps in Mallorca and Lanzarote are among her favourites.

To a woman starting without experience in the three sports, she recommends courage, guidance and small steps. One reason she wants Kona is the women-only race day. The discussion also touches on stereotypes and unequal pay in other sports.

Fuelling and caffeine

On the bike, she works with 100–110 grams of carbohydrate per hour; on the run, around 60–70, at a body weight of roughly 60 kg, testing these amounts in training. After a difficult sea swim in Greece, she has felt unable to get the carbohydrates down.

She tracks caffeine close to the maximum recommended to her. This year in France, she skipped morning coffee and took only a gel before the swim. She tries to stop coffee around ten days beforehand, without knowing whether abstaining “works”.

Key takeaways

  • Ironman distance followed a race missed through Covid and an injury year; patience was part of the journey, not a gap in it.
  • Twelve hours form the base for an age-grouper working 9–5; volume rises during the build rather than staying at a professional’s 28 hours.
  • She describes earning the Kona slot from a podium rather than rolldown; St. George’s world-championship experience showed her what it means to leave nothing in reserve.
  • Fuelling is something she can control; carbohydrate amounts are practised in training, not first tested on race day.
  • For a woman beginning without experience in the three sports, the message is small steps and guidance, not an immediate exceptional time.