His name? Jesús Sánchez, we accidentally bumped against his stand at FIBO 2016.Spanish, 42 years old, many times IRONMAN participant, winner and podiums in other tests under duathlon and triathlon, architect, CEO & Founder from 226ERS: sports nutrition brand oriented to resistance. As a good Spanish he talks gladly with us on his stand and after a few fascinated minutes we ask him to grant an interview for us. Once back in the office, we dig a little between blog entries, old interviews and reviews to him and we discovered that his story is much more inspiring than we had imagined. Monday, 11 a.m. a lot of questions laying down on the table and on the other side of the phone a dream hunter. After the usual greetings, we start:

1.    How did you arrive to the sport’s world?

I have been doing sports my whole life. Since I was a child I played every type of sports: volleyball, basketball… Then when I was 13, I started to swim and parallel I used to practice also Wind Surf and Mountain Bike. I used to spend all my free time on this, everything I did was geared to that. Then when I started university around 1994 I began to orientate more towards triathlon. I had to leave to focus on studies but in 1999 I started again strongly.

2.    How could you fit personal life and sport?

I used to choose the lessons with schedules that best suit to me. And when you are student, it doesn´t matter if you study during the night as long as you do it. Sometimes I was going to bed at 5 a.m. because I was drawing…. I was a little bit untidy but it was possible. As a student it is really easy because the body can get fit really fast, also if you don´t rest enough. Things are more complicate now, but the key is to be ordered.  My wife is also a sportswoman and allows me to train if we have time and like this is really easy.

3.    How did you get to the idea of creating 226ERS, the company that you lead?

Since 1999 I started to practice sport really often and hard at this time I decided to prepare a triathlon distance ironman. I say that I prepared it because when I was on the competition, eight hours after starting I failed, I had digestive problems and I had to quit.

I was a year preparing the event and because of these problems I had to withdraw. That year I didn´t pass any of my exams at University because I was training between five and six hours a day and the biggest problem was when I try to study, I was not concentrated. Because I was tired and I didn´t store well. It was a horrible year and I quit.

I came back in 2002. I was engaged in long distance because the older you are, it´s easier. And also because in short distance with the bike you have to ride “in the slipstream “but not on long distance. And I was very powerful ridden bike and wanted to compete alone.

I realized that after eight hours competing I always had stomach problems and I had to quit because if not I could finish the race but on really bad conditions.  

I started researching why this was happening to me having clear that this was a problem related to food.  I knew that feeding was directly related to all this.

I started reading medical and scientific studies about nutrition in the race, how the organism behaves… 

I realized that there are a number of ingredients that companies do not usually use because they are a bit pricey but work better than the other ingredients. I also realized that gluten affects digestion, whether you are allergic or not. Gluten digestions are slower and the more time you have digestion during exercise the more you have problems because your body do not absorb nutrients at optimal speed.

And that´s how everything start.

4.    Do you think this is a problem that athletes have often?

All long distance competitors. Some more and others less, but all are affected. Nutrition during the race is very important.

5.    Do you participate actively in developing your product?

Yes, I'm the head of product development department. Of course I consult with nutritionist and doctors but I raise it because I know what an athlete needs and how they want to receive it.

6.    I heard that you follow a Paleolithic diet, is that true?

It sounds a little bit strange but it is not, it´s only about eating cereals gluten free on some specific moments of the day, no lacteal, no processed foods and sugar zero.

7.    Talking now about Ironman, what is needed in order to participate in a competition like this, but I mean more that all those things that everybody can imagine like effort, training or proof.

This is really interesting; I always explain it like this: my life revolves around three pillars: family, sport and work. Each of these three pillars are governed by the same values, which apply to a part, you can apply it to the other. But all three require effort, sacrifice and passion. You have to like what you do, you have to believe that you can do it, believe in yourself and your possibilities. If you limit yourself, it's an impossible. From self- confidence comes all. If you really like something you try to put all the mechanisms to make it happen.

It doesn´t cost you to get up in the morning or read an article instead of watching television. If you really want to do something is not enough with saying it.

“Willing is an attitude not a way of saying things”.

Look, because of all the stress and lack of sleep for four years, trying to achieve everything on my work, family and sport life, last January and February I had two heart operations and I thought I never could play sports again. But the effort to want to do it took me a month ago that I can re-train.

 If you really like something you go to the limit.

8.    What is the most complicate part of following your dreams? What do you have to give? To lose on the way?

The most complicated of achieving a dream occurs when you have more than one dream at a time. But it's just a matter of sort, order your dreams!

9.    To end, your Company slogan is #feedyourdreams , which kind of advice could you give to all this people who are pursuing  dreams?

I think the sentence #feedyourdreams sums it up. But if I have to say something else, it would be something like: love what you do.  "#Live, Learn & Love”

At the end we are going to present you his most important results

Just to remember, a triathlon means a competition with 3 disciplines - running, biking, swimming - a biathlon means a competition with two of this disciplines and the long distance triathlon, also called IRONMANN is a competition were the runner has to pass 226 kilometers seperated in the 3 disciplines. And the one in Kona, Hawaii is the World Championship.

His results in general

European champion long distance triathlon  M35. Roth 2012

Regional champion in  long distance triathlon

Regional champion in  long distance duathlon

Winner and podium in lower biathlon and triathlon.

His best results:

- 2011 IRONMAN NIZA. 26th from 2.500 participants. In 9hours and 32 minutes . rated for  the  IRONMAN World Championship in KONA;  M35-39

- 2011 IRONMAN KONA, World Championship

- 2012 CHALLENGE ROTH. 26th from  3000 participants, European championship; M35-39 in 8 hours and 51 minutes

- 2013 CHALLENGE ROTH. 29th from 3000 participants in 8 hours and 53 minuets

- 2014 IRONMAN FRANKFURT, rated for  the  IRONMAN World Championship in KONA; M40-45

- 2014 IRONMAN KONA, World Championship