IRONMAN® New Zealand

With her first big race back post surgery, Jocelyn used her go-to mix of PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix, PF 30 Gels, PF 30 Caffeine Gel and on-course gels to keep her energy levels up and allow her to fight for a podium spot in the later stages of the run. Compared to her previous races, Jocelyn opted to save weight by carrying slightly less Carb & Electrolyte Drink on the bike which meant she took on less carbs than she had before during this discipline (~73g/h). However, she upped her intake on the run, hitting a consistent ~91g/h. This flips the usual trend we see in our Athlete Case Study Database of athletes ‘front-loading’ carbs on the bike before dropping their consumption on the run. Whilst Jocelyn should continue taking advantage of her tolerance for high amounts of fuel on the run, we would recommend that she also replaces the carbs she didn’t drink on the bike with an extra gel or two. This way, she would still be able to hit the top end of the recommendations on the bike.

After experiencing hydration related-issues in the past, including swelling in her extremities during full distances races, Jocelyn worked with the PF&H team to refine her fluid and sodium intake ahead of racing in New Zealand in 2024 to great success. With similar temperatures expected this year, she recreated the strategy to meet her individual needs. The difference was carrying fewer bottles of PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix - two compared to 3-4 previously - and instead picking up three on-course PH 1000 bottles to replace her fluid and sodium losses on the bike. As a result, she consumed slightly less fluid on the bike this year, though her average intake remained just below ~700ml per hour through consistently drinking cups of PH 1000 at every run aid station and water at every other station. Alongside her moderate relative sodium concentration, this approach helped maintain her electrolyte and fluid balance, as evidenced by her subjective feedback and by the fact she urinated once on the bike and a couple times during the run.

Jocelyn spread her caffeine intake across the race evenly to keep the levels in her system up throughout, avoiding any dips that could impact her perceived energy. Two PF 30 Caffeine Gels on both the bike and run meant she surpassed the general dosing recommendations, but given the length of this race is double the ~4-5 hour half life of caffeine, this will have helped maintain the concentration in her body to benefit from the stimulant’s ergogenic effects.