Photos courtesy of Augusta Sports Council
Glen Jackson has been running since 2003. He participated in a running group with the now-defunct Augusta Shriners and has completed four Augusta Ironman competitions, in addition to his first Ironman races in Chattanooga in 2016 and Louisville in 2017.
Today, Jackson mentors other athletes as they prepare for the Ironman and other competitions. He says the most common hurdles may surprise you.
“Time management is the most challenging,” says Jackson. “Training is the easy part. You have to make sure you have your bike ready, the tires are inflated, and you have your nutrition.”
Runners can go for 45 minutes to an hour on an empty stomach, says Jackson, but after that, they need 300 calories an hour — the stomach’s maximum absorption in that time frame — to keep their bodies nourished. Athletes need to determine what their bodies will most easily digest in that hour, so finding the right nutrition is a key element to the training process.
“Most people will mix up their own concoction with a powder or gel packs,” says Jackson. “You have to plan it out.”
It’s also important to alternate those calories with water. While he was running races, Jackson says he’d alternate one cup of water, then one cup of a nutrition drink.
How you condition your body is also a trial-and-error process. “You have to take the time to try things out, to see what works,” he says. Jackson began training for his first Ironman four years ahead of time.
Jackson’s favorite spots for cycling include Clarks Hill Lake, Thomson or Fort Gordon. “It’s a safe place to ride,” he says of Fort Gordon, “but it has a four-letter word bikers hate: hill(s).”
As far as running goes, Jackson says, the Savannah River Region is fortunate to have two great running paths, the Greeneway in North Augusta and the Augusta Canal, both of which have water stations and restrooms, and are well-lit.
Clarks Hill Lake is also a top location for open-water swimming.
“Across the dam at the buoy line is a great place for open-water swimming,” says Jackson. “Augusta is fortunate to have great roads and safe spaces for running, biking and swimming.”
To learn more about Ironman 70.3, which takes place in Augusta on Sept. 27, visit www.ironman.com/races/im703-augusta.
As seen in the May 2026 issue of Augusta magazine.
