Neil Eddy
IRONMAN 70.3® Bolton
Neil's headline numbers
Neil'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.
We often see a drop-off in fuel intake from bike-to-run in IRONMAN 70.3® races, and Neil had a higher carb intake on the bike (~83g/h) compared to the run (~75g/h) which was lower than he planned and lower than reccomended for a race of this duration and intensity. Unfortunately, early on the bike, Neil lost a bottle full of PF 30 Gels and a PF 30 Caffeine Gel. Luckily, he had two PF 30 Chews firstly as a backup in his bento box which allowed him to still get close to his target carb numbers and secondly as an option to avoid ‘flavour fatigue’. We know some athletes can handle (and sometimes prefer) the same gels/flavour for hours on end, but having a backup in case of lost nutrition or to avoid flavour fatigue is a good idea.
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.
Given Neil’s losses are Very High (1,492mg/L), nailing his hydration strategy remains important, even when it’s Mild.
Learn moreDespite being a relatively cool race (~13ºC/55ºF), race intensities can lead to high sweat rates and so it’s essential to maintain an appropriate fluid and sodium intake to maintain blood volume and performance on race day. Neil falls in the highest “t-shirt” category we have for relative sweat sodium concentration as his Sweat Test revealed that he’s a very salty sweater, losing 1,492mg of sodium per litre of sweat. Neil executed his hydration on the bike and run as planned as he hit his fluid and sodium numbers using a combination of PH 1500 in his bike’s hydration system and PH 1000 available on course at European IRONMAN® races.
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.
Starting the race with a PF 30 Caffeine Gel helped Neil get off to a great start. However, a lost bottle of caffeinated and original PF 30 Gels meant that his caffeine intake waned throughout the race and ended below the guidelines, 3-6 mg/kg. Neil had one PF 30 Caffeine Gel pre-race and one during his run. He may benefit from an additional PF 30 Caffeine Gel or two during middle-distance events, and he may want to consider getting his caffeine on board earlier in the race to account for its absortion time (~45-60 minutes).
How Neil hit his numbers
Here's everything that Neil ate and drank on the day...
Neil's weapons of choice
Final thoughts
PF&HNeil's full stats
Data Confidence?
There is good confidence in the accuracy of the data reported. An athlete feels that the numbers closely reflect what they consumed despite a couple of estimations which may carry some degree of error. The majority of what was consumed is recorded to a high level of specificity (most volumes are known through the use of bottles brands quantities flavours). The numbers are very plausible and align with previous data recordings (if an athlete has collected data previously).