IRONMAN® World Championships

Mathilde fell short of the recommended carb intake for a race of this duration and intensity, likely due to the GI issues she suffered during the race, which she thinks was due to eating too soon pre-swim. She rated her overall stomach comfort throughout the event 4 out of 10, mostly affecting her for the first 2 hours of the bike leg and then when she transitioned onto the run course. That being said, Mathilde still consumed a solid 77g/h whilst on the bike. However, this decreased by almost 40% during the run, as GI issues prevented her from having her other flask of Flow Gel with another 100 grams of carbohydrate.

Mathilde should consider using a more effective preloading protocol before races by using PH 1500 instead of PH 1000, as this higher concentration of sodium has been shown to maximise blood volume and hydration status. She didn’t suffer from any cramping at all during the race, suggesting she likely replenished enough of her sodium and fluid losses. Going forward, it would be worth Mathilde getting a Sweat Test and start collecting more sweat rate data to help dial in her hydration strategy, which becomes increasingly important when racing in hotter conditions.

Mathilde’s only source of caffeine during the race came from the cola she drank whilst on the run course. For future races, she could consider incorporating slightly more of the stimulant into her strategy to benefit from the many ergogenic benefits that it provides. Trialling this in training ahead of time will be important to make sure she doesn’t have any adverse symptoms to using higher amounts of caffeine.