It's become tradition for the Precision Fuel & Hydration team to each identify a 'Big Hairy Audacious Goal' to take on after completing some epic challenges in 2021 and 2022.

We've nailed down our goals for 2023 and I've picked out some key reading from our Knowledge Hub that will help you smash your goals during the year ahead...

Andy Blow (Co-Founder and Sports Scientist)

"I’ve set myself the target of winning the over 40's category at the Charnwood Hills Race as an early BHAG in 2023.

"As a youngster, I grew up watching my dad take on this race. It starts and finishes at the high school that I attended many years ago, so there’s a big nostalgic draw to it.

"I'm toying with the idea of trying to get my 5km time back down under 17 minutes too as that’s not something I’ve done for about a decade now, so it’s time to see if I can still whistle up a few of those fast twitch fibres if they still exist!

"I wanted to focus more on BHAGs that are more about performance and less about getting round something really long distance early in the season, although I'll probably set another more endurance-based target for later in the year too."

Recommended read: I've written a piece a little while back about how getting older affects your performance and what you can do about it. I'll be relying on this as I bid to recapture my glory days. Although I do have the benefit of more knowledge about the importance of running shoe tech nowadays...

Chris 'Minty' Harris (Sports Scientist)

"Challenge Roth has been a bucket-list race for me since I first got into triathlon. It looks epic, the crowds are phenomenal and I’ve never heard anyone do it and say they didn’t love every second!

"If I don’t get an entry to this, then running a marathon is next on the list as I’ve always been curious to see which brings more DOMS - an IRONMAN or a standalone marathon?!"

Recommended read: If you're interested in understanding more about delayed onset muscle soreness, check out this blog: why do my legs hurt so much after some workouts?!

Rachael Brand (Community Manager)

"Having relocated to Girona and fallen in love with the endless trails in this beautiful country, it seems rude not to sign up for an epic adventure right on my doorstep!

"After years of road running and having done a couple of road marathons, the appeal of delving into the off-road running scene is far too tempting. One positive benefit of taking part in the Girona Transgavarres 50km is I can take a sneaky short cut and limp home if it all goes horribly wrong!"

Recommended read: If, like Rach, you're making the step up to ultra-distance racing this year, we spoke to renowned ultrarunning coach Jason Koop to get his advice about how not to fail when racing your first ultra.

Ant Gritton (Marketing and email guru)

"IRONMAN Hawaii has been a lifelong BHAG of mine. Unfortunately, I was shopping for a pair of speedos for the underpants run when IM dropped the bombshell that the location of the men's race would be changing for 2023. With Hawaii now a 2024 BHAG, I'm in for the 2023 Manchester Marathon where I’m ambitiously hoping to run sub-2:30.

Recommended read: Ant's taken the relocation of the IRONMAN Worlds in his stride by deferring his entry for 12 months, but it's worth keeping this next blog in your back pocket if circumstances out of your control mean you're struggling to make your 'A' race for the year: How to decide whether to DNS or push through and start your big race.

Dave Colley (Marketing Director)

"I remember my dad aiming to do London Marathon before he was 40 as a kid and achieving that at 37. I’m 36 and thought it’d be cool to do the same, so I entered the ballot. I’ve never actually run more than nine miles before though, so it’s definitely an audacious goal!"

Recommended read: Dave has been reading how to train your gut repeatedly as he starts to increase his carb intake during his training sessions.

James Phillips (Head of Athlete Support)

"My partner Laura signed up for the Paris Marathon. I was starting to develop 'race envy' and I realised I’m yet to run a road marathon, so the allure of putting a time on the board in France got the better of me!"

Recommended read: Pacing is going to be key for JP as I know he likes to go out hard early on... I'll be subtly sharing this one with him: How to pace your perfect marathon.

Jack Davis (Pro Sports Team Account Manager)

"I’ve run three marathons but they all came off the back of an IRONMAN. Now is the chance to put down a solid time in the French Capital. Vive la France. (see you there JP!)."

Recommended read: Signing up for marathons seems to be a common theme amongst the team this year. If you're building towards your own marathon, it will be worth reading 5 ways to avoid ruining your marathon the week before a race and our 4 tips for mastering aid stations.

Chris Knight (Marketing Manager)

"The Original Mountain Marathon’s website uses phrases like “guaranteed bad weather,” “soul destroying” and “getting lost” to describe the two-day race in the Lake District. Needless to say, the OMM will be pushing me out of my comfort zone.

"The website goes on to state, “To compete, you’ll need a teammate, mountain experience & dogged resilience.” I’ve got one of those three thanks to my teammate Ben, who navigated us through several six-hour adventure races in 2022 while I focused on moving my ailing body forwards.

"More of the same in October 2023 please, Ben..."

Recommended read: Like a few of the team, Chris is juggling training with work and a young family, so we asked Matt Dixon for his best advice to help athletes integrate training with life.

Plus, this will be Chris's first race that lasts beyond a day, so he'll need to learn how to prepare kit for a multi-day ultra.

Brad Williams (Team Captain)

"Sean’O convinced me to sign up for the Unbound 100 Gravel Race ballot in 2022 but he didn’t get in, so I ended up doing my own 100-mile Gravel Ride instead. Fingers crossed Sean gets in this year and we can do Unbound together!"

Recommended read: John Borstelmann's case study from his win at the Gravel World Championships and this beginner's guide to gravel racing.

Piper Livingston (US Logistics)

"Why the Hood To Coast as a BHAG? I’m asking myself this same question… I'm a relative novice runner and this is going to be hard for me, but my best friend is organising a team of 8-12 people to run this relay from Mount Hood to the coast of Oregon, which is about 196 miles. This is the most iconic relay race in the PNW!"

Recommended read: Endurance sport can be a lonesome pursuit, but there are lessons that athletes can learn from team sports and it can be worth building your own support team.

Jonny Tye (Director)

"Okay, so I haven’t landed on a specific challenge for 2023 yet but I’m trying to nail down a BHAG for my Dad and I to complete together. We both have big birthdays next year so thought it would be a good plan to team up and take on something gnarly! Watch this space…"

Recommended read: If you're considering taking on a new sport or challenge this year, JT identified the 5 things to consider when training for something new.

Like Jonny, a few other members of our team are still hunting for a suitably Big, Hairy and Audacious Goal for 2023. If you're still trying to identify your goal for the year, it might help to read Sports Psychologist Evie Serventi's article which explains why setting goals can drive your performance.

I'll check back in to update this blog once the rest of our squad have nailed down their race targets.

Keep an eye on our Athlete Case Studies to see how the team execute their fueling strategies on their respective race days in 2023.