Justin Metzler
IRONMAN 70.3® Eagleman
Justin's headline numbers
Justin's strategy
Fueling
Carbohydrate is the main fuel you burn when racing. Failing to fuel properly is a leading cause of underperformance in longer races.
On the bike, Justin carried three bottles, two of which contained a unique mix of PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix and PH 1000, and one solely containing PH 1000. To increase his carb intake during the race, he alternated between PF 30 Gels and PF 30 Caffeine Gels, topping up his energy levels at consistent intervals. Although Justin’s overall consumption exceeded the general scientific recommendations for a race of this duration and intensity, we have consistently seen some athletes consume more than 90g/h. The key is to undergo gut training ahead of time, practising a high carb intake during training sessions to ensure GI comfort on race day. Given Justin’s energy levels and lack of GI distress, this intake likely fueled his efforts and boosted his performance.
Hydration
Taking on board an appropriate amount of fluid and sodium is essential to maintaining blood volume and supporting the cardiovascular effort needed to perform on race day.
Whilst the absolute amount of sodium and fluid consumed per hour is important, it’s critical to consider these in relation to each other. This is known as 'relative sodium concentration' and it’s expressed in milligrams per litre (mg/L). How much sodium you’re taking in per litre of fluid is more important than the absolute amount taken in per hour.
Sweat sodium concentration (mg/L) is largely genetically determined and remains relatively stable. Knowing how salty your sweat is enables you to replace a good proportion of your sweat losses, which can range from 200-2,000mg/L.
Whilst Justin’s losses are on the moderate side, getting his hydration strategy right is still crucial when it’s hot and/or humid as his higher sweat rate in these conditions can result in significant net losses over the duration of a race.
Learn moreIn previous races, Justin has been prone to overdrinking, so one of the adjustments to his plan was to dial back his fluid consumption. He began with three bottles on his bike, utilising PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix and PH 1000 (Drink Mix), and he then supplemented this with some plain water from the on-course aid stations. Although this is still a high fluid intake, especially given the milder conditions, it’s still much less extreme than we’ve seen him drink before. At a couple of stages during the race, Justin suffered from a few twinges of cramp. To prevent it from becoming more severe, he sensibly took an Electrolyte Capsule each time. Justin’s issues with cramping are more likely to have resulted from consuming more fluid than he needed which in turn diluted the sodium concentration, so proactively taking Electrolyte Capsules to account for the plain water he picks up could be a helpful adjustment to make in the future.
Caffeine
Beyond the Three Levers of Performance (carb, sodium and fluid), caffeine is one of only a few substances that is proven to improve performance for most endurance athletes as it can help stave off mental and physical fatigue.
Justin’s caffeine intake came primarily from PF 30 Caffeine Gels, as well as a small amount from the energy drinks he picked up on the run. This put him well within the recommendations, allowing him to reap the maximal benefits that the stimulant provides, including masking fatigue and increased alertness.
How Justin hit his numbers
Here's everything that Justin ate and drank on the day...
Justin's weapons of choice
Final thoughts
Justin
PF&HJustin's full stats
Data Confidence?
There is an adequate level of accuracy in the data collected and the numbers reported. The athlete manages to recall what they ate and drank including most specifics (brands flavours quantities plausible estimations of volumes). However there are estimations made within the data which affect the overall confidence level in the data reported.