Ironman: World champion Lucy Charles-Barclay on coeliac and why pasta was poisoning her before races

Charles-Barclay said it took about a year for his small intestine to heal after he made the necessary changes to his diet.

He now eats completely gluten-free options.

“Three days after the race, I’ll start carb-loading with multiple bowls of rice, chicken, and boiled eggs a day,” she said.

“I use gluten-free gels during the race. I aim to consume up to 120 grams of carbohydrates per hour during Ironman.

“I add additional electrolytes from salt tablets to my water bottles and get extra energy from Red Bull during race and training.”

He is fighting to win the T100 Triathlon World Championship in the last race of the season to be held in Qatar on Friday, December 12.

Participating in this race, Charles-Barclay, Canadian Julie Derron and her British friend Katie Waugh are nine points away from each other on the leaderboard. Charles-Barclay sits third in the standings and is aiming for a grand final performance.

“It’s going to be hot, it’s going to be tough, but it’s going to be a really exciting race,” he said.

But at least he now knows how to fuel himself, even if he has to take a mind-over-matter approach in some aspects.

“Going into the race, I have to eat rice a few times a day for three or four days,” he said.

“When I get there, I don’t want to see any more rice for a while!”