Max Allansen
IRONMAN® World Championships
Max's headline numbers
Max'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.
Max chose to fuel primarily using energy drink mix across the duration of the race. However, halfway through the bike, he unfortunately started expereincing some GI distress and reported feeling 'full' of liquid. He wisely eased off his power output and reduced his intake to let his stomach settle, which worked well as he was able to start the run feeling significantly better. From there, he was able to steadily increase his pace through the marathon achieving a strong negative split. In the future, Max could consider decoupling his fuel and hydration, allowing him to pull each lever independently and have more control over his carb, fluid and sodium intake. Since his average carb consumption was below the recommended 90g/h for a race of this duration and intensity, he could look to increase this in the future, such as by adding a few more PF 30 Gels or incorporating Flow Gel to sip on regularly throughout the race.
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 Max’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 moreDue to a series of unfortunate events, Max wasn’t able to use the electrolytes he planned on taking. In a desperate attempt to stay on track with his hydration strategy, he took the risk of consuming the on-course products, which thankfully worked for him and made sure he avoided cramps and symptoms of dehydration. Impressively, he was able to maintain a relative sodium concentration close to the result of his recent Sweat Test just days before the race! Of course, he did experience the drawback of having to slow down at aid stations to get enough electrolytes, but he did well to compensate for his lost capsules. His high fluid intake on the bike most likely influenced the amount he wanted to drink on the run, as it consequently dropped off by more than 50%. Considering the high temperatures and humidity on race day, Max could have taken on board more fluid to sit within the recommended ranges, but given the lack of dehydration related symptoms he experienced his strategy was likely just right for the day.
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.
Max started with a coffee pre-race and then took a total of six caffeinated gels, putting his intake above the recommended range of 3-6 mg/kg. While this likely maximised the performance benefits caffeine offers, the high intake may have contributed to his stomach issues during the race. Adjusting his caffeine closer to the recommended range could help reduce GI discomfort while still providing the stimulant’s performance-enhancing effects.
How Max hit his numbers
Here's everything that Max ate and drank on the day...
Max's weapons of choice
Final thoughts
PF&HMax'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.