The TriDoc Podcast, triathlon and health in one place · Dr. Jeff Sankoff

Ep. 168: Lactate Sensors: The Science of Sweat or Just a Fancy Gadget? And, Older, Wiser, and Vaulting Higher: The Age-Defying Story of David Bonham

·1 hr 5 min·4 clips

Jeff explains lactate threshold as the point where the body can no longer keep up with lactate production.

Jeff Sankoff introduces the April 4, 2025 edition from Denver and sets up a conversation that begins with a guest who has a real story to tell. David Bonham is not a triathlete, but he is a master's pole vaulter with a past in the sport and a return to it after many years away. He describes clearing his opening vault and, for a brief moment, feeling like an athlete again. Then comes the second attempt and the injury that followed: a severe left leg injury involving an ACL tear, meniscus tears, tendon sprains, and small fractures. Sankoff uses that story to move into the physiology segment. The discussion turns to lactate threshold measurements and the basic question underneath it all: are these numbers worth trusting, or are they just another expensive gadget with a lab coat on it? He walks through how measurement variability can make threshold figures less stable than they look on paper. A number can look precise and still be fuzzier than it seems once the error is folded in. The episode does not dismiss lactate threshold outright. It asks what the number is actually good for and where it still helps athletes organize training. Sankoff notes that the younger the athlete, the better lactate threshold seems to fit training. He also leaves room for the practical reality that older athletes can still get value from it, even if the fit is not perfect. The conversation ties lactate threshold back to how athletes build zones and decide where intensity lives. It points to the logic behind threshold based training, including the idea of spending time near threshold in order to lift the threshold itself. That makes the segment useful for lab minded listeners, but also for anyone trying to decide how much structure their training really needs. He also keeps coming back to one basic point: the usefulness of these measurements depends on more than the number alone. Reliability matters. So does how the number gets used. The episode keeps pressing on whether the measurement actually improves on familiar field testing or just replaces one imperfect estimate with another. Bonham's story keeps the episode grounded while the science gets dense. His return to vaulting gives the show an athlete's view of risk, loss, and the stubborn persistence that gets people back on the track after setbacks. The injury details are not treated as spectacle. They are part of the larger picture of what it means to keep competing later in life. The tone stays measured and skeptical rather than flashy. Sankoff does not sell the gadget. He asks whether it earns its place. That fits the show's habit of taking endurance claims seriously without abandoning common sense. It also lets the episode move comfortably between medical evidence and personal narrative. What comes through is a conversation that is part science check, part sports story, and part reminder that older bodies still chase hard things. The lactate segment gives listeners something to think about before they spend money or reorganize training. Bonham's account gives the episode its emotional center. Together, they make a clean case for why endurance athletes keep listening when the topic shifts from numbers to the people behind them. The episode closes in the show's familiar lane of practical, athlete centered usefulness. It has opinions. It has evidence. It does not confuse either with certainty.

As heard by us

A skeptical look at lactate tech, grounded by a comeback worth hearing.

Jeff Sankoff balances a skeptical look at lactate sensors with a comeback story about David Bonham, a former pole vaulter who returned to the sport as a master's athlete and kept competing after a severe injury.

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Why you'd press play

Want a blunt read on lactate threshold, training zones, and a comeback story with some bruises on it?

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