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Steph Clutterbuck

IRONMAN 70.3® Staffordshire

11th June, 2023
England
Staffordshire
1st, F25-29
strava
Triathlon, Middle distance - 113.1km
25°C
, Hot
4hrs 37mins
more race details

Steph's headline numbers

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?
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~85
g
Carb per hour
Recommended 90g/h+
~704
ml
Fluid per hour
Recommended 500-1,000ml/h
~846
mg
Sodium per litre
Recommended 900-1300mg/L
~1.5
mg
Caffeine per kg
Recommended 3-6mg/kg

Steph'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.

No Carb-rich meal
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A carb rich meal (low in fat & fibre) ~1-4 hours before would help Steph start optimally fueled
pre-fueled
?
T - 15mins: Took in a final dose of carb
Carb per hour
Recommended 90g/h+
~85
g
Steph's Energy Rating
8
/10
"I really started to crash towards the end of the run. I was pretty much a zombie for the last 4km."
Our thoughts

On the bike, Steph relied solely on her highly-concentrated bottles for her carbohydrate intake, averaging ~109g/h, which helped her maintain steady energy levels without suffering from stomach discomfort - evidence that her gut training has been successful. During the run, Steph carried a PF 90 Gel out of transition and finished it after ~50 minutes of running. Unfortunately, she didn’t consume all of her pre-planned carb intake as she finished the race with her additional PF 30 Gel still in her tri-suit pocket. She couldn’t recall why she skipped it but felt it would’ve helped to prevent the “zombie” feeling she experienced in the last ~4km. Her carb intake dropped from ~109g/h on the bike to ~58g/h on the run, a gap she should aim to minimise to sustain her energy through to the finish and prevent feeling this way in future races.

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.

Steph1107mg/L
Steph has been Sweat Tested to dial in her hydration plan

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 Steph’s losses are High (1,107mg/L), nailing her hydration strategy becomes especially crucial when it’s hot and/or humid.

Learn more
Pre-loaded electrolytes
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T - 60mins: Drank ~500ml of strong electrolyte drink
Fluid per hour
Recommended 500-1,000ml/h
~704
ml
Sodium per litre
Recommended 900-1300mg/L
~846
mg
Steph's Hydration Rating
7
/10
"I could have done with some more fluid on the bike."
Our thoughts

With weather forecasts predicting high temperatures on race day, Steph knew her hydration status would play a key role as sweat rates are substantially higher in these conditions. On the bike, it’s likely that Steph replaced a good proportion of her sweat sodium losses, but unfortunately on the run, her sodium intake decreased slightly, lowering the relative sodium concentration of her overall race intake. In future, increasing the relative sodium concentration of her fluids, especially for races in hot conditions, will help Steph retain more of the fluid she takes on, and prevent the risk of dehydration-related issues impacting her performance. Practically, she could achieve this by swapping the PH 1000 she consumed for PH 1500, or by taking some Electrolyte Capsules with her and supplementing this with the plain water she picks up from the aid stations during the run.

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.

Pre-caffeinated
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T - 0-4hrs: Had a final hit of caffeine
Caffeine per kg
Recommended 3-6mg/kg
~1.5
mg
Our thoughts

Other than the PF 30 Caffeine Gel that Steph had within the last 30 minutes of the start, she didn’t consume any further caffeine during the race. In future events, she may want to increase this so that she can benefit from the ergogenic benefits that the stimulant provides and potentially contribute to better perceived energy levels.

How Steph hit her numbers

Here's everything that Steph ate and drank on the day...

Steph's weapons of choice

Final thoughts

Steph's Satisfaction Rating
9
/10
It was an awesome race, and I came away with what I needed.
Steph
Steph had an excellent race in Staffordshire, taking the overall win by just over a minute, and coming away with some positive steps to optimise her strategy for future races. As an already accomplished triathlete, Steph has worked closely with the Sports Science Team at PF&H to improve her fuel and hydration strategy, and this race shows how she is still iterating her plan to suit her needs.
PF&H

Steph's full stats

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Overall
394g total carb
85g per hour
3,250ml total fluid
704ml per hour
2,750mg total sodium
596mg per hour
846mg
Sodium per litre
100mg total caffeine
1.5mg per kg
Bike and Run
Bike
Run

Data Confidence
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We rate each of our case studies from 1-5 based on the level of accuracy, and our confidence in the data.
1
2
3
4
5

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.

Steph's recent case studies

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