In this episode

Anastasia Tsourouktzi began as a 400 m runner, studied dietetics at the Technological Educational Institute in Karditsa and now has a practice in Athens. Her triathlon journey progressed from Navarino 70.3 in 2019 to Ironmans in Italy, Tallinn, Hamburg and Frankfurt.

The discussion moves from stress fractures and osteopenia to middle-distance improvement and 4:27 at TRIMAN, Frankfurt fuelling and her view of balance in meals and supplements.

Quick navigation

  • 00:00 — Introductions, studies and sleep
  • 07:32 — Returning to Athens and fractures
  • 17:55 — From 70.3 to Ironman
  • 33:02 — Goals, slots and middle vs long distance
  • 48:01 — Fuelling in Frankfurt
  • 01:02:47 — TRIMAN national championship
  • 01:08:25 — Nutrition and supplements

Detailed show notes

From the 400 m track to the office

She started athletics at 13–14 as a 400 m runner. She studied dietetics at the Technological Educational Institute in Karditsa and returned to Athens, where she says she works as a nutritionist with athletes and non-athletes. Sleep comes first for her; without it, neither eating nor training works.

Fractures, osteopenia and a first 70.3

After her studies, she describes a period in Athens with symptoms she is unsure amounted to clinical depression: sleeping a lot and not going out. The pool got her out of the house. She won a 10 km race for endometriosis and did her first 70.3 at Navarino in 2019. During preparation that December, she fractured her fibula in training.

More stress fractures followed. She links low body fat to reduced bone density and osteopenia; she had three or four fractures in ten months. She used a hyperbaric oxygen chamber at MediOne in Glyfada. Her first Ironman was Italy in 2022.

Middle distance, TRIMAN and Frankfurt

George reads out an improvement from 5:46 in 2019 to under 4:30 at TRIMAN; she corrects it to 4:27. She won the national middle-distance title last year and this year. This year, Carmen Marcheriotti crashed on the bike and broke her collarbone; Anastasia retained the title without pushing the run, at around 4:20 per kilometre, a month after Frankfurt.

In Frankfurt, she preferred solid food on the bike, around 60 grams of carbohydrate per hour rather than 120. After kilometre 26 of the marathon, “the lights went out”. Nikos was beside her on the run. She received a Kona rolldown twice and declined, being more drawn to Utah or New Zealand. She is now reconsidering.

Balance on the plate

She closes with her view of balance: protein, carbohydrates and vitamins together, without extremes. She considers glutamine and magnesium essential during high-load weeks and mentions Biogenesis Energy Plus. The episode is not a supplement prescription.

Key takeaways

  • Middle distance is where she sees most progress; long distance does not automatically follow the same times.
  • The stress fractures were linked to low body fat and osteopenia, not just hard training.
  • At TRIMAN, she chose to retain the title without emptying herself a month after Frankfurt.
  • Her preferred fuelling is closer to 60 grams per hour in solid form than a 120-gram protocol.