Alexis Kardes' scorecard
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Utö (DNF)
Saturday 21st May, 2022
Within recommended ranges
Just outside recommended ranges
Significantly outside recommended ranges
35g
Carb per hour
0mg
Sodium per hour
59ml
Fluid per hour
6mg/L
Relative sodium concentration
40mg
Total caffeine
How Alexis hit those numbers
500ml x PH 500
1 x Cup of Tea
1 x Bowl of Pasta
1 x Slice of Banana Bread
1 x PF 30 Energy Gel
2 x PF 30 Energy Gel
200ml x Black Tea
1 x Banana
How Alexis' hydration and fueling went...
- Alexis Kardes, a member of Swimrun Team Envol, raced ÖTILLÖ Utö with race partner, Alexandre Dumoulin, and described it as “the hardest race I’ve ever done”
- Unfortunately, as a result of the cold weather conditions (average temperature ~9°C/48°F), and despite battling hard, Alexis and his teammate were one of 28 teams (out of 72) to not finish the race, pulling out after 3 hours and 23 minutes, 5km from the line
Hydration
- In the morning of the race, Alexis preloaded with one PH 500 tablet in 500ml/16oz of water in an attempt to ensure he was heading into the race hydrated. To execute an optimal preloading strategy, Alexis could look to increase the strength of the electrolyte drink to PH 1500 to maximize his blood volume and increase his body’s ability to retain fluid, ensuring he starts the race optimally hydrated
- From the aid stations on course, Alexis drank two cups of tea and also poured some inside his wetsuit to warm him up. In total, this meant that he only drank ~200ml/7oz across the three hours of racing along with small amounts of water he swallowed while swimming
- Alexis believes that he had a very low sweat rate on the day and it’s safe to assume that the cold water and air temperatures in Utö will have meant that his sodium and fluid losses during this race were small. So, a lower fluid and sodium intake is to be expected, however, given Alexis’s consumption averaged ~60ml/h (~2oz/h), aiming for a somewhat greater fluid intake across the duration of the race would still be recommended
- The extreme cold meant Alexis just wanted to get the race done and impacted how much (or little!) he picked up on-course
Fueling
Quick Carb Calculator Recommendation
30g
carb 30 mins before
60-90g
carb per hour during
- With the race starting at 11am, Alexis took on board a substantial carb-rich breakfast, eating a bowl of pasta and a slice of banana bread to strategically maximize his glycogen stores and energy levels ahead of the tough race to come
- In the last 30 minutes before the gun went off, Alexis also consumed a final PF 30 Energy Gel to spike his blood glucose levels for the start
- During the race, Alexis only managed to consume two PF 30 Gels and a banana, to reach an average carb intake of ~35g per hour across the race (including his final pre-race gel). This falls short of the Quick Carb Calculator’s recommendations (60-90g/h) for a race of this intensity and duration
- Alexis’ ‘light’ fueling was a result of the cold conditions, as eating became a challenge when opening packets and bananas with cold hands proved nearly impossible. For future races, this is something Alexis should keep in mind and prepare for if conditions, and water temperatures, are forecast to be cold. As Sabina, another Envol athlete, did by decanting gels into a soft flask so they were more easily accessible
- Looking back on the race, Alexis said “if I was to change anything I would have taken another gel”. This additional gel would have taken his intake closer to the recommendations and helped keep his energy levels up during the latter stages of the race; Alexis mentioned that things got “really tough after hitting the 3-hour mark”
Conclusions
- Alexis faced brutally cold conditions at ÖTILLÖ Uto Swimrun and was pleased to get as far as he did. He tried using various strategies to cope with the cold during the race, including pouring tea down his wetsuit, before the cold and tiredness ultimately got the better of him and his partner
- In order to maximize his performance going forwards, Alexis should be mindful of consuming enough carb, fluid and sodium to keep up with his losses, and the effort he’s exerting
- If Alexis is to face similar tough conditions in future races, he should prepare in advance with fuel options that are more accessible (i.e. don’t require the opening of packets!)
Key info
Alexis Kardes
Male
Result
Overall Time
3:23:07
Event information
Sport
Other
Discipline
Swimrun
Event
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Utö (DNF)
Location
Stockholm, Sweden
Date
21st May, 2022
Website
Swim Distance
5.3km / 3.3mi
Run Distance
27.4km / 17.0mi
Total Distance
32.7km / 20.3mi
Event conditions
Weather Conditions
Cold
Precipitation
No Rain
Min Temp
5°C / 41°F
Max Temp
12°C / 54°F
Avg Temp
9°C / 48°F
Humidity
45%
Athlete feedback
Toilet stops
No
GI comfort
10/10
Cramping
No cramping
Alexis' Thoughts
This was the hardest race i've ever done
Alexis' full stats
| Carbohydrate (g) | Sodium (mg) | Fluid (ml) | Caffeine (mg) | Relative sodium concentration (mg/L) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | |||||
| Total intake | 118 | 1 | 200 | 40 | 6 |
| Per hour | 35 | 0 | 59 | 12 | |
Data Confidence
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.