ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Championship

Andy got up at 3:40am on race morning to allow plenty of time for his pre-race meal and a stress-free arrival ahead of the 6am start. After a sizable carb-rich breakfast, he felt quite full and opted to skip the pre-race PF 30 Gel we typically recommend around 15 minutes before the gun. While swimrun does include aid stations, it still presents unique logistical challenges. It’s hard to carry much fuel when you’re just in a wetsuit, so planning becomes even more important. Despite this, Andy managed to take on an impressive ~692g of carbohydrate across the 24 run sections (totalling ~60km) and 23 swim sections (~9.1km). That works out to an average intake of ~78g of carb per hour - an increase of ~23g/h compared to his last outing at the swimrun World Championships. To achieve this, he carried four PF 90 Gels, one PF 30 Gel, three PF 30 Caffeine Gels, one PF 30 Chew, and also picked up additional gels plus a few pieces of chocolate at the on-course aid stations, successfully fueling his efforts and mitigating flavour fatigue.

Andy’s high sweat sodium concentration (~1,800mg/L) and sweat rate both make him prone to cramping and hydration issues. To manage this, he carried two PH 500ml Soft Flasks, each with a PH 1500 (Drink Mix) sachet, topping them up with water at an early aid station. He supplemented with nine Electrolyte Capsules, taking in a total of ~3L of fluid at a relative sodium concentration of ~1,315mg/L. However, his hydration strategy was limited by the availability of aid stations and the inability to drink while swimming. Even though his total fluid and sodium intake was decent, it was still lower than during his 2019 race, and by the end, he began to experience cramping in his hamstrings and lower legs, worsening as he continued on. This may have been due to a fluid and electrolyte imbalance, but also likely reflects a lack of race-specific conditioning given his late entry. A sodium preload and a more proactive hydration strategy with greater reliance on Electrolyte Capsules could help align his intake with his losses next time.

Andy is a frequent caffeine user, and called upon the performance boosting capabilities of the stimulant during this race. In total, he took ~500mg of caffeine, averaging ~6.9mg per kilogram of bodyweight, which is slightly higher than the 3-6mg/kg the scientific literature would recommend. With his high tolerance, he didn’t have any negative side effects and was therefore likely within his individual tolerances and an appropriate strategy.