30th
James Phillips' scorecard
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Championship
Monday 5th September, 2022
Within recommended ranges
Just outside recommended ranges
Significantly outside recommended ranges
60g
Carb per hour
385mg
Sodium per hour
272ml
Fluid per hour
1,416mg/L
Relative sodium concentration
2.86mg/kg
Caffeine per bodyweight
How James hit those numbers
How James' hydration and fueling went...
- PF&H’s Head of Athlete Support, James AKA “JP”, competed in the ÖtillÖ Swimrun World Championship for the second time, alongside his teammate Ant who was competing for the first time
- The pair took on the 70km course, entailing ~61km of running and ~9km of swimming, and finished 30th in 9 hours and 11 minutes. Constantly transitioning from water to land and vice versa provides several challenges when it comes to optimally fueling and hydrating
- Being an experienced swimrunner now, JP navigated this well to adequately meet his fuel needs with a range of energy gels. He did however possibly under-do his fluid consumption for the duration of this race as the cold conditions impacted his thirst
Hydration
- In such an event, athletes can be quite limited in terms of their hydration, having to rely heavily on the fluid available at aid stations
- Knowing that he’s prone to cramping, possesses a high sweat rate when working intensely, and is a salty sweater (with a sweat sodium concentration of 1,850mg/L), JP was mindful to replace his sodium losses in the event. He ran with two 500ml/16oz soft flasks which he emptied one and two PH 1500 Drink Mix sachets into respectively, which he topped up with water during the earlier stages of the race when needed
- Once he’d filled and depleted this provision of strong electrolyte mix, James refilled his soft flask three times with plain water, drinking ~2.5L/80oz of fluid in total and averaging ~272ml/9oz per hour across the race
- JP’s drinking rate was greatly influenced by where the aid stations were placed, so he didn’t drink as much as he would have liked, saying “I probably underdrank considering the duration of the race”. Fortunately, conditions were relatively cold (average temperature ~12℃/54℉) and JP said, “I never got too warm”
- When drinking just plain water in the later stages of the race, JP took five Electrolyte Capsules spread pretty evenly alongside the fluid to ensure he was staying on top of his sodium losses
- Ahead of the race, James preloaded with 500ml/16oz of PH 1500 both the night before and on the morning of the race with his breakfast at the hotel. This strategy ensures that he was at least starting in a well-hydrated state, with sodium and fluid levels adequately topped up for the long day ahead
Fueling
Quick Carb Calculator Recommendation
30g
carb 30 mins before
30-60g
carb per hour during
- James began race day by eating a carb-rich breakfast of porridge alongside a black coffee around two hours before the 6am start
- In the final 15 minutes, he also took a PF 30 Caffeine Gel to spike his blood glucose levels and increase his perceived energy levels and focus
- To meet his fueling needs, JP carried a large proportion of his own energy supplies. This is recommended for such a long event where on-course provisions can be limited. For James, this included five PF 90 Energy Gels (four of which he took) and two PF 30 Caffeine Gels
- His rough plan was to take one PF 90 Gel every ~90 minutes and a Caffeine Gel before each ‘long’ section (e.g. the Pig Swim section, which is a hefty 1.4km swim!)
- He also ate two further energy gels (25g carb each) from the aid stations, as well as a couple of squares of chocolate and a small wafer bar
- In total, he consumed ~553g of carb across the nine-and-a-bit hours of racing, averaging ~60g of carb per hour, which is an impressive feat considering the time spent in the water (i.e. when eating isn’t an option!)
- To put this into perspective, when he first took on the World Champs in 2019, JP averaged ~46g/h and distinctly remembers ‘bonking’, which didn’t happen this time, so he felt happy with his fueling strategy
- His intake this year fell within the general recommendations for a race of this intensity and duration (60-90g per hour). Consuming closer to 75g/h would have been optimal as per the guidelines of the PF&H Fueling Planner, but considering the constraints of a race like this which make fueling more difficult, JP did a great job
- Post-race, he said “I wouldn’t change my carb intake, except for perhaps a third caffeine gel for the final two hours”
Conclusions
- Compared to 2019, whilst he didn’t beat the time he logged, JP made great improvements to his fueling strategy, increasing his carb intake by ~30%
- James was content with the race saying that “it could have gone worse, that’s for sure”. He felt the first seven hours were OK but then it started to decline as knee soreness started to kick in following a slip on some rocks
- He didn’t suffer any dips in energy levels and in hindsight wouldn’t have changed his strategy a great deal, except for perhaps drinking some more fluid
Key info
James Phillips
Male
70kg
Sweat sodium concentration
1850mg/L
Sweat sodium classification
Very High
* determined by a PH Advanced Sweat Test
Result
Position
30th
Overall Time
9:11:32
Event information
Sport
Other
Discipline
Swimrun
Event
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Championship
Location
Sandhamn, Sweden
Date
5th September, 2022
Website
Swim Distance
9.0km / 5.6mi
Run Distance
61.0km / 37.9mi
Total Distance
70.0km / 43.5mi
Event conditions
Weather Conditions
Mild
Precipitation
No Rain
Min Temp
9°C / 48°F
Max Temp
15°C / 59°F
Avg Temp
12°C / 54°F
Humidity
60%
Athlete feedback
Event Satisfaction
7/10
Hydration rating
7/10
Hard to judge sweat rate on the day, I never really felt too warm but did feel cold so probably under drank considering the duration
Energy levels
8/10
Good mood all day and wouldn’t change carb intake I don’t think, maybe one more caffeine gel for the last two hours
Toilet stops
Yes
es, probably 6-7 times
GI comfort
8/10
Pretty good all day
Cramping
No cramping
James' Thoughts
Could have gone worse for sure. A decent 7 hours then it started to suck
James' full stats
Carbohydrate (g) | Sodium (mg) | Fluid (ml) | Caffeine (mg) | Relative sodium concentration (mg/L) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | |||||
Total intake | 553 | 3,539 | 2,500 | 200 | 1,416 |
Per hour | 60 | 385 | 272 | 22 |
Data Confidence
1
2
3
4
5
There is good confidence in the accuracy of the data reported. An athlete feels that the numbers closely reflect what they consumed despite a couple of estimations which may carry some degree of error. The majority of what was consumed is recorded to a high level of specificity (most volumes are known through the use of bottles, brands, quantities, flavours). The numbers are very plausible and align with previous data recordings (if an athlete has collected data previously).