How Gregory Barnaby Runs 110 km Weeks and Stays Healthy for IRONMAN Kona

The Work Behind the Work · Kona 2026 Edition, Part 1

"Just being out here racing against the best in the world for me is just so nice."GREGORY BARNABY

This week, Gregory Barnaby is back on the Big Island.

The Italian won the first-ever IRONMAN Pro Series in 2024 and finished sixth at the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona that same year. On Saturday he lines up again: 3.8 km in Kailua Bay, 180 km out along the Queen K, and a marathon through the lava fields.

Getting here took months of high-volume training. And Gregory isn't coming back from an injury. Over the past year he added LEVER to his training to handle that volume better and stay healthy.

1The Start Line

Gregory's first week on the island has been about getting used to the conditions.

"It's been amazing just adapting to the heat obviously because it's pretty hot and humid."

Ask him what he's looking forward to most and the answer is simple: the field. Kona brings together the best long-course triathletes in the world, and Gregory wants to be in the race with them.

"I'm just ready to give it my all."

2Big Mileage on Tired Legs

Ironman training is a stacking problem. Key run sessions, long runs, easy miles, bike volume and swim volume all pull from the same recovery budget.

"I'm running around 80 to 110 km a week, so that's probably running nearly every day."

Your fitness can usually handle more miles before your legs can. The trick is adding volume without every one of those miles hitting your body just as hard. That's the job LEVER does for Gregory.

3Where LEVER Fits

Gregory uses LEVER once or twice a week, mostly during his biggest training blocks.

"When I got the big build season, I introduced it there and I do it once or twice a week."

He doesn't use it to replace his important sessions. He uses it around them.

"I normally put it maybe the day after I do a workout, just for an easy run, and also the day before the workout just to do strides and get my legs turning a bit more."

When he started, he took more weight off. Now he needs less.

"I started like 15-20 kilos and probably the last period like 10 kilos off."

And he's clear about why it's worth it.

"I think it would benefit everyone because... when you're tired it's just a lot less risky, so it's a big injury prevention."

4Gregory's Week in a Big Build

Here's how LEVER sits around his key sessions.

Keep the important sessions important. Manage the load around them.

5The Kona Connection: Running Well When You're Tired

Gregory also uses LEVER to work on how he runs. He calls himself "a pretty low cadence runner," so his LEVER sessions are a place to run tall and pick up his turnover.

"It helps me to just have an upright posture on the treadmill, so I manage to get the cadence up and run a bit better."

That matters most when fatigue sets in.

"So that helps me in big periods where I'm even a bit tired, so that really helps me to get the cadence up."

That's the Kona marathon in a nutshell. By the time athletes start the run they've been racing for hours, the heat is building, and form is usually the first thing to go. More reps of running well at a lower load give Gregory a better shot at holding his form when it counts.

6Gregory's "I'm Fit" Session

LEVER days stay easy so the hard days can be hard. When Gregory wants to know he's ready, this is the one he goes to: 15 km continuous, switching between race pace and a quicker surge.

"I really enjoy those sessions where I just stay on race pace and kick it up and then go back to race pace."

7Gregory's 3 Tips for Racing Kona

8Steal This From Gregory

9Race Day

Gregory races the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona on Saturday, October 10.

Before the race it's rice and chicken, "nothing really Italian, nothing special." Afterward it's a burger and chips. And once he's home?

"The first thing when I get back to Italy is pizza for sure."