Real Health Sports Nutrition

Real Health Sports Nutrition Nutrition coaching for endurance athletes
Run coach with CMF Running

Join Ian Evans, Katie Wright, Kieran Philip and myself at The Gate in Cromwell for a Runners Q&A evening! Spot prizes on...
24/05/2026

Join Ian Evans, Katie Wright, Kieran Philip and myself at The Gate in Cromwell for a Runners Q&A evening! Spot prizes on offer thanks to . See you there!

RUNNER CELEBRATIONSWe’re celebrating the best part of the Carousel — YOU — with a series of posts sharing some of the gr...
21/05/2026

RUNNER CELEBRATIONS
We’re celebrating the best part of the Carousel — YOU — with a series of posts sharing some of the great stories and achievements from out on the trail. Next up, Brion Matthews — the assist, new PB of 55 laps, and officially heading to Hawkes Bay represent NZ at the Satellite Championships later this year.

Brion came into this year’s Carousel Backyard Ultra with two goals: run a new PB and claw his way back onto the NZ Satellite Champs team. Missions accomplished! "The Carousel course looked to be a good spot to run big laps. The course was harder than anticipated, having a front loading of steep terrain, but the loop paid out in terms of enjoyment and views (many times over)." He ran for NZ two years ago in Otematata where he set his previous PB of 48 in a hard-to-watch grind, battling nausea and GI issues, but with the bar being ever lifted he'd been knocked off the bottom of the leaderboard - until now.

Brion said the race played out almost exactly how he’d hoped, and he puts a huge amount of that down to finally taking nutrition seriously. "Without a doubt it was largely down to working hard on nutrition with Real Health Sports Nutrition. We went through things with a fine-tooth comb and I listened for once. It's the first BYU where the body limited me and not the gut."

He also loved the people side of the event. Although usually more of a solitary runner, he said feeding off the energy of other runners out on course became one of the highlights of the weekend. "Also, my kids helped crew with my partner Fliss (and did an awesome job). It was nice to come back each lap to one of them."

"BYU is the perfect format to test limits (whatever those limits are). You're back to safety every hour and the reset helps break the distance down." His advice to anyone considering a BYU is to ask the veterans for advice - "they're usually happy to help - I've received tonnes of advice over the few races I've done."

Massive congratulations Brion. A huge PB, a NZ team spot, and a whopping run from one of the humblest guys in the sport. Maybe splash out for a new running shirt without holes in it!

RUNNER CELEBRATIONSWe’re celebrating the best part of the Carousel — YOU — with a series of posts sharing some of the gr...
17/05/2026

RUNNER CELEBRATIONS
We’re celebrating the best part of the Carousel — YOU — with a series of posts sharing some of the great stories and achievements from out on the trail. Next up, one of our local favourites, Paul Stables, aged 58, from Clyde.

Paul has put together a huge 12 months of running. Earlier this year he won both the 1500m and 3000m at the NZ Masters Games, is breathing down the neck of a sub-18 minute 5km, and at this year’s Carousel ran further than he ever has before - 27 laps/180.9kms.

What makes it even cooler is that coming into the race, Paul genuinely didn’t think he’d get much past 16 laps due to GI issues that had caused problems in previous BYUs. Originally his plan was to help fellow local runners Mike and Cory get through to 24. But about a week before the race, something shifted mentally. He decided to focus on having his own “Big Day Out”, set himself a proper goal, and see what happened.

Turns out what happened was that b*** went and beat Hannah's PB by one lap!

Paul says a big part of the breakthrough came from learning from previous attempts — being more organised, more dialled with nutrition and hydration, and sticking to a run/walk strategy that worked for his natural running speed. Once those pieces were sorted, he could just focus on enjoying the laps and staying steady through the long hours.

And true to Paul form, even while he was deep in his own battle, he was still lifting up the people around him. That’s probably why so many locals turned out to cheer him through his final lap, bringing him home to the sound of Paul Kelly’s “How to Make Gravy” — his favourite song, and honestly one of the great moments from the weekend.

When asked about his favourite thing about the event, Paul’s answer was simple: "Running a Backyard in my backyard! The support from the locals was just the best."

His advice for anyone thinking about giving a BYU a crack? "Get your nutrition sorted, an Army marches on its stomach. And surround yourself with good people, having a great support group is the best way to get through the inevitable Dark Times."

Massive congratulations Paul. Well-earned bragging rights.

The big picture EAT. PERFORM. RECOVER.
16/05/2026

The big picture EAT. PERFORM. RECOVER.

Training’s only half the job!In collaboration with Real Health Sports Nutrition, we’re giving away 4 weeks of nutrition ...
19/04/2026

Training’s only half the job!

In collaboration with Real Health Sports Nutrition, we’re giving away 4 weeks of nutrition coaching 💥 VALUED AT $180 💥 — perfectly timed for race prep. This also includes one free month's subscription to the incredible EAT. PERFORM. RECOVER. app, which is designed exactly to help endurance athletes like us!

HOW TO ENTER 👇
✔ Be entered in Northland100 (any distance)
✔ Follow and
✔ Comment on this post with:
• Your Northland100 distance
• ONE nutrition thing you’re unsure about (race fuelling, gut training, hydration, etc.)

➕ Tag a mate you’re training with and/or share this to your story to help spread the word!

👊 Winner drawn 30 April 2026 and coaching starts May 6th (11 weeks from race day, so you can make the most of your final training block!)
📩 Winner contacted via DM

A hydration plan based on guesswork won't work.If you're:• drinking to thirst or not planning your hydration• using rand...
19/04/2026

A hydration plan based on guesswork won't work.

If you're:
• drinking to thirst or not planning your hydration
• using random electrolyte doses
• copying someone else’s hydration plan
…then you're guessing at your hydration.

But hydration needs are individual and variable. They depend on:
• sweat rate
• sodium loss
• weather conditions
• exercise intensity
• session/event duration

When you know your numbers, everything becomes a lot clearer:
• how much to drink
• how much sodium to take in
• how to adjust for different sessions and races

RHSN now offers sweat testing and hydration planning for endurance athletes.
If you want to stop guessing your hydration and build a plan that actually works in training and racing:
👉 Visit rhsn.co.nz/sweattesting to see testing locations and book your test

Dialling your hydration starts with knowing:• how much you sweat• how much sodium you loseFrom there, you can build a pl...
18/04/2026

Dialling your hydration starts with knowing:
• how much you sweat
• how much sodium you lose

From there, you can build a plan around:
• fluid intake per hour
• sodium intake per hour
• adjustments for heat, intensity, and duration

When this is dialled, things start to feel very different.
•heart rate is lower and more stable
• fuelling becomes easier
• performance can be sustained for longer

Hydration and fuelling work together — not separately.

RHSN now offers sweat testing and hydration planning for endurance athletes.
If you want to stop guessing your hydration and build a plan that actually works in training and racing:
👉 Visit rhsn.co.nz/sweattesting to see testing locations and book your test

A lot of athletes assume fatigue and fuelling issues are a fitness or gut problem.But often, it’s just dehydration.When ...
12/04/2026

A lot of athletes assume fatigue and fuelling issues are a fitness or gut problem.

But often, it’s just dehydration.

When hydration isn’t dialled:
• heart rate drifts up
• pace drops off
• fuelling becomes harder to tolerate
• GI issues and nausea show up

And it’s not just about drinking more water. It’s about replacing both fluid and sodium in the right amounts for you.

Dialling this in can completely change how a session or a race feels.

RHSN now offers sweat testing and hydration planning for endurance athletes.
If you want to stop guessing your hydration and build a plan that actually works in training and racing:
👉 Visit rhsn.co.nz/sweattesting to see testing locations and book your test

Hydration isn’t just drinking water.When you sweat, you lose both fluid and sodium. And if you only replace the water, ...
12/04/2026

Hydration isn’t just drinking water.

When you sweat, you lose both fluid and sodium. And if you only replace the water, your body can’t hold onto it properly — which means you stay dehydrated, even if you’re drinking plenty.

This is where things start to fall apart:
• heart rate drifts up
• effort feels higher than it should
• fuelling becomes harder to tolerate
• performance drops off late

Hydration isn’t just about how much you drink.
It’s about replacing what you’re actually losing — both fluid and sodium — in the right amounts.

Dialling this in makes a huge difference to how you feel and perform across a session or race.

RHSN now offers sweat testing and hydration planning for endurance athletes.
If you want to stop guessing your hydration and build a plan that actually works in training and racing:
👉 Visit rhsn.co.nz/sweattesting to see testing locations and book your test.

Most athletes underestimate how much they actually sweat.Not just a little bit — by a lot.It’s common to see sweat losse...
11/04/2026

Most athletes underestimate how much they actually sweat.

Not just a little bit — by a lot.

It’s common to see sweat losses anywhere from 0.5 to 2 litres per hour, depending on the conditions and intensity. And along with that comes a significant amount of sodium loss.

Dialling your hydration is one of the biggest performance levers you can pull. Get it right and you’ll notice:
• lower perceived effort
• lower, more stable heart rate
• better fuelling tolerance
• stronger performance late in sessions

RHSN now offers sweat testing and hydration planning for endurance athletes. If you want to stop guessing your hydration and build a plan that actually works in training and racing:
👉 Visit rhsn.co.nz to see testing locations and book your test

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