IRONMAN 70.3® Weymouth

Jack went into this race aiming to hit 90 grams of carb per hour using PF 300 Flow Gel, knowing that higher carb intakes and therefore higher energy availability is associated with better performance outcomes. Unfortunately, with sections of poor road surface, Jack’s bottle of Flow Gel was ejected from his bike early into the course, forcing him to rely on the ‘emergency’ PF 30 Gels he had in his bento box, plus two additional energy gels from the on-course aid stations. Given the circumstances, he did well to manage his intake but was still without the additional ~120g he had planned to consume. On the run, the PF 30 Chew and PF 30 Caffeine Gel he consumed helped see him to the finish line in good spirits. However, his overall average intake was significantly below what the current scientific literature would recommend, so increasing this further with an additional gel or chew (perhaps carried as backups, as well!) would be beneficial and support an even stronger performance.

During the race, Jack used a combination of PH 1500 and PH 1000, picking up some additional plain water on course to dilute this slightly to match his known sweat sodium losses. Unfortunately, he forgot to pack some Electrolyte Capsules into his transition bag and as a result, had to rely on the aid stations to increase his sodium intake on the run. Drinking from tiny cups whilst running at a high intensity isn’t always the smoothest or most accurate, so although this would have helped support his sweat losses, Jack’s sodium intake was a bit less than ideal. Fortunately, given the mild temperatures on race day, Jack avoided any debilitating effects of dehydration, including cramping. In future races, double checking his race bags to make sure he has all the nutrition he needs, or just plan to run with a soft flask of electrolytes, would help make sure he can stay well-hydrated from start to finish.

As opposed to many athletes who reach for a cup of coffee on race morning, Jack got his caffeine hit from a few caffeine tablets before the race started. During the race itself, his only dose of caffeine was from a PF 30 Caffeine Gel on the run. Although he would have benefited from some of the performance enhancing effects the stimulant has to offer, increasing his intake closer to the recommendations of 3-6mg/kg by incorporating a couple more caffeine gels earlier on would be useful to support his energy levels and mask fatigue.