• Host of the Löw Tide Böyz podcast, Chris, competed at the pinnacle of Swimrun races with his co-host Chipper Nicodemus as they made their debut at the ÖTILLÖ World Championship race in Sweden
• As a long-time swimrun enthusiast, Chris knew all about the challenges of fueling and hydrating for a swimrun, and this 10+ hour race certainly tested his knowledge and experience

Hydration

• Chris preloaded his blood sodium levels with a 500ml (16oz) bottle of PH 1500 the night before the race, and sipped on plain water the morning before the start. To improve this strategy even more, we’d recommend sipping on another bottle of PH 1500 the morning of the race to prevent diluting his electrolyte concentration with plain water
• During the race, he carried a Soft Flask which he planned to regularly fill with water from the on course aid stations, and he used Electrolyte Capsules to stay properly hydrated
• Due to the fairly mild temperatures (~12℃/54℉), Chris didn’t perceive his sweat rate to be that high, and adapted his hydration strategy accordingly, drinking ~307ml (~10oz) per hour
• At his last race in Lake James Chris relied upon the aid stations to get his electrolytes. He soon discovered that it was a carb-based drink with minimal sodium content, and so went the entire race without taking any, hence why he planned to carry his own electrolytes this time to prevent a recurrence
• Unfortunately, the packaging of Chris’s electrolytes was pierced accidentally and dissolved before he had the chance to take them, which meant he only had three across the entire race. This dramatically reduced his pre-planned sodium intake to just ~765mg, meaning the relative sodium concentration of his fluid was ~241mg/L (mg/32oz). Chris tried some of the on-course electrolyte drink but couldn’t stand the taste and so avoided this for the remainder of the race
• We know that Chris loses 1,719mg of sodium per litre (32oz) of sweat, as measured by the PF&H Sweat Test. However, his total losses were likely mitigated by the mild temperatures, which will have in turn dramatically reduced his total sweat loss
• He did mention some minor leg cramps towards the end of the race, which was probably in-part due to excessive muscle breakdown, but could also be attributed to his low sodium intake

Fueling

Conclusions

• Overall, Chris was “stoked” with his performance at the home of swimrun, and couldn’t wait to get stuck into some more training so he could qualify for the 2023 Championship race
• His fueling plan was good and ensured he had adequate energy throughout the race, but his sodium intake could perhaps be increased to more closely match his sweat sodium concentration and help prevent the onset of muscle cramps later in the race