Andy Blow
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Championships
Stockholm13thAndy's headline numbers
Andy's strategy
Fueling
T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)
Andy would benefit from taking in a final dose of carb <30 minutes before
"My energy levels fluctuated throughout the event, and I think I underfuelled in an attempt to travel light."
Andy relied on aid stations during the runs for most of his fuel as he didn’t want to carry too much extra weight. This meant his carb intake primarily came from real foods which may have contributed to the energy lows he experienced; the available foods, such as chocolate bars would have taken longer to be absorbed compared to simple sugars of sports nutrition products. Carrying more energy gels would have given Andy the option to get more quick release energy to support his efforts and hit higher carb numbers.
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.
Andy1800mg/L
Andy has been Sweat Tested to dial in his 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 Andy's losses are Very High (1,800mg/L), nailing his hydration strategy becomes especially crucial when it's hot and/or humid.
Learn moreT - 60mins: Drank ~500ml of strong electrolyte drink
Andy has a very high sweat sodium concentration so he knew he needed to be proactive in his replacement of both fluid and sodium. He used PH 1500 and Electrolyte Capsules to replace a good proportion of his losses and prevent cramping. He finished this event with a ~1.9% body mass change which is within the body’s tolerable level of dehydration supporting the fact that he maintained his fluid and electrolyte balance across the 9 hours of racing.
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.
T - 0-4hrs: Had a final hit of caffeine
Caffeine intake to a level of 3-6mg/kg is recommended for endurance exercise to provide ergogenic benefits such as reduced perception of effort and increased mental alertness. Andy only had one small dose of caffeine during this ~9 hour race which meant he fell below this recommendation. He could have included the stimulant more into his plan perhaps by carrying caffeinated energy gels to increase his blood caffeine levels and reap the performance boosting effects.
How Andy hit his numbers
Here's everything that Andy ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“This was up there with how much I’ve suffered at points when racing due to the mismatch between my training and the length of the race. I didn’t want to let energy depletion, dehydration or cramp derail things for JP and I.”
“After past experiences where his performance has been hindered by dehydration and hyponatremia, Andy implemented a proactive hydration strategy to meet his high fluid and sodium needs. On top of this, he used the aid stations to provide him with energy to fuel this extreme event. However, in future he would benefit from being more self-sufficient with his fueling to better manage his energy levels.”
PF&HAndy's full stats
Data Confidence
We rate each of our case studies from 1-5 based on the level of accuracy, and our confidence in the data.
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.