• Experienced swimrun athletes, Chipper and Chris, completed 13 swim sections and 14 tough runs to finish 4th in the Swimrun Lake James Long Course race
• Chipper had a great race, using what he called his “most consistent fueling strategy yet”, which allowed him to perform well and finish the tricky 30.5km course in 3:38:29
• After years of racing and hosting the Low Tide Boyz podcast, which covers all things swimrun, the guys are always learning in this ever growing sport and are looking to further dial in their hydration and fueling plans as they prepare for the ÖTILLÖ World Championships later this year

Hydration

• Chipper preloaded both the night before and morning of the race with PH 1000. He might want to consider increasing the strength of these drinks to 1,500mg/L, using our PH 1500, in future as the increase in sodium would help him absorb and retain more fluid, thus helping him to start optimally hydrated
• During the race, Chipper initially picked up the on-course energy drink (also containing a very small amount of sodium) to try but after one sip decided he didn’t like the taste and that he would stick to water. He picked up a couple of cups at each aid station (6 aid stations throughout the race), and specifically remembered one aid station were he and Chris stopped to drink more after a long, hot run
• Chipper drank to thirst, drinking a total of ~2.13L/72oz which averaged as ~586ml/20oz per hour over the 3 hour 38 minute race. He found this to be an effective technique, rating his hydration strategy as 7 (out of 10), and peeing once during the race which indicated that he didn’t under hydrate
• As a moderately salty sweater (with a sweat sodium concentration of 1,085mg/L) we would encourage Chipper to replace a proportion of his sodium losses over a warm race such as this one. Chipper opted to stick to drinking plain water rather than the on-course energy drink, which meant that he under-did his sodium intake. In future, carrying some Electrolyte Capsules will help Chipper to be self-sufficient when it comes to his sodium intake three ‘levers’, which is a crucial component of the ‘three levers’ of endurance exercise (i.e. sodium, fluid and carbs)
• Additionally, replacing some of his sweat sodium losses will be vital going into his upcoming longer races as this may help Chipper avoid any issues such as cramping

Fueling

Conclusions

• Chipper used a solid fueling strategy to help him perform well at Swimrun Lake James and is going to continue to refine this with the ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Championships coming up later this year
• By fueling more in simulation training sessions at race intensity, Chipper is aiming to train his gut to tolerate his targeted ~60g/hr over long race durations
• Ahead of the World Champs and other future races, both of the Low Tide Boyz should make sure to check what will be available at aid stations on course to plan accordingly, whilst also carrying Electrolyte Capsules to help replace some of their sodium losses (without having to rely on the aid stations)