IRONMAN® Wales

For his first full-distance IRONMAN®, Sam thought through his fueling plan to ensure he could perform at his best across the extensive duration of the race. There is some literature to suggest a relationship between the frequency of carbohydrate dose during exercise and the maintenance of performance, with more frequent doses being desirable. These research studies generally provide carbohydrates to participants every ~15 minutes. This is beneficial for not only delaying fatigue by maintaining carb oxidation rates and ensuring the exercising muscles can continuously produce energy, but also being more gentle on the gut, compared with larger, less frequent doses that may be more of a challenge to digest whilst working at a hard intensity. Sam set alarms on his bike computer to remind himself to eat, reducing the risk that tiredness and lack of focus impaired his ability to keep track of his fueling. Fortunately, other than one missed PF 30 Gel, Sam nailed his plan, taking eighteen gels on the bike and ten more during the run.

Sam planned his fluid intake prior to the race by measuring his sweat rate in similar conditions to see what he needed for a strong race in Wales. Knowing that PH 1000 was readily available at the aid stations made his strategy very simple; he started the bike leg with two 750ml bottles of PH 1000, and picked up two more on course. For the run, beyond the 500ml bottle Sam carried out of T2, he relied similarly on the aid stations to support his fluid requirements. Retrospectively, Sam was aware that he had some muscle tightness coming off the bike, but given the frequency of urination and cooler conditions, it’s likely this was more a neuromuscular issue than a hydration-related issue. Focusing on some strengthening, flexibility and specific ‘brick’ workouts could help to limit this in future races, as well as familiarising himself with the multiple other potential causes of cramp. He may also benefit from getting a sweat test to see if he needs a higher concentration of sodium in his fluids than he realises, as he took on the average amount we see athletes needing based on the thousands of tests we’ve conducted over the years.

Caffeine is a known ergogenic aid and is beneficial for most athletes to support their performance. Sam’s caffeine intake was slightly above the scientific recommendations but given his subjective feedback during the race, knowledge of its benefits and lack of unwanted side effects, it’s clear this was suitable for him. Despite some disagreements in the literature on individual differences in physiological responses to caffeine and exercise performance, Sam, like most athletes, responds well to the stimulant, and the frequent doses via PF 30 Caffeine Gels helped it remain constant in his bloodstream, preventing any unwanted dips in energy.