3rd
Sabina Rapelli's scorecard
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Utö
Saturday 21st May, 2022
Within recommended ranges
Just outside recommended ranges
Significantly outside recommended ranges
30g
Carb per hour
0mg
Sodium per hour
0ml
Fluid per hour
0mg/L
Relative sodium concentration
0mg
Total caffeine
How Sabina hit those numbers
2 x Silces of bread with jam
1 x Energy bar
1 x Glass of oat milk
1 x Glass of water
1 x PF 30 Gel
3 x PF 30 Gel
How Sabina's hydration and fueling went...
- Alongside her Team Envol swimrun partner Alexis Charrier, Sabina Rapelli enjoyed a good race at ÖTILLÖ Utö to finish 3rd in the mixed pair category in what were very tricky conditions
- With brutally cold sea temperatures around ~7°C/44°F and ambient air temperatures of ~9°C/48°F, Sabina and Alexis did well to finish the combined 5.3km of swimming and 27.4km of running. The conditions contributed to a high DNF’d (Did Not Finish) rate as 28 of the 72 teams didn’t complete the race
- Fueling and hydrating well was extremely tricky in these conditions, but Sabina had prepared for this ahead of the race by decanting gels into a soft flask, which made them easier to consume (even with very cold hands!)
Hydration
- Sabina preloaded the night before the race with PH 1500 in 500ml/16oz of water. We would recommend she also preloads on the morning of the race to increase her blood plasma volume; this would allow her to get away with drinking less in a relative short high intensity event such as this, where the opportunities to consume high volumes are limited
- Due to the harsh conditions on race day, the fast pace set by the front teams and the challenging terrain, Sabina didn’t stop to pick up any on-course fluid or electrolytes. This meant she took on negligible amounts of sodium and fluid during the race
- In the cold conditions (~9°C/48°F), Sabina’s sweat losses would have been low over the course of the race; subjectively she felt that she wasn’t sweating and therefore, she “didn’t feel the necessity to take water”
- Whilst taking on very little was suitable because her net losses were low, but we would recommend she preloads effectively in the morning of the race to start optimally hydrated, particularly before races like this one where conditions dictate that she’s unlikely to pick up much flood or electrolytes to replace some of her losses during the race. If the weather was any warmer, Sabina is aware the strategy would have needed adjusting and likely have involved stopping at aid stations throughout
Fueling
Quick Carb Calculator Recommendation
30g
carb 30 mins before
60-90g
carb per hour during
- Sabina mentioned that she is usually cautious with her pre-race breakfast, saying “I’m scared of eating too much in the morning because I don’t want any stomach issues”. As a result, Sabina made sure to carb-load in the days leading up to the event and ate her breakfast 5 hours before the 11am race start, which gave her stomach time to absorb the food and settle
- She also had an additional PF 30 Energy Gel in the last 15 minutes before the gun went off to spike her blood glucose levels and spare stored glycogen for later on in the race
- During the race, Sabina consumed three PF 30 Gels which were mixed into a soft flask. This meant she was able to squeeze the bottle to get gel out and didn’t have to worry about struggling to open the tops of gels with cold fingers on the move, which was a problem that many athletes experienced on the day
- Sabina spaced these gels out over the race, consuming one per hour, to reach an average of ~30g of carbohydrate per hour (including her final 30g dose). For a race of this length and intensity, this is below the Quick Carb Calculator’s recommendations of between 60-90g/hr. The cold temperatures and complexities of consuming during swimrun races made eating large volumes difficult, but we would recommend Sabina aims for a higher carb intake if possible as this has been shown to have a positive impact on performance
- In order for Sabina to increase her carb intake going forward, she will need to frequently practice training her gut by building up her carb intake in race intensity training sessions to ensure she can tolerate this higher carb consumption
- Despite her low carb intake, Sabina said her energy levels were “very good” and that she was happy to be able to “keep the high pace throughout”. Considering the technical nature of the course and the cold conditions, Sabina mentioned that she was very happy with her fueling strategy
- Sabina chooses to avoid caffeine on race day as she is sensitive to its effects and was keen to avoid any potential negative impact (e.g. jitters, headaches) on her performance. It should be noted that caffeine can enhance athletic performance in many athletes but it’s not a necessity for everyone as tolerance, sensitivity and rate of metabolism varies between individuals
Conclusions
- Sabina and her swimrun partner, Alexis, battled through the tough conditions at ÖTILLÖ Utö to place a very impressive 3rd. As a result, Sabina rated her race satisfaction as 10 (out of 10), saying “I’m very satisfied with my performance as it was a very difficult race and I was able to run faster than I have in races previously”
- In future races, we recommend Sabina preloads with PH 1500 in the morning, and looks to drink fluid at aid stations and take some sodium on board to replace some of her sweat losses, particularly during warmer, longer races
- She could also look to increase her carb intake to reach the recommended 60g/hr ahead of the World Champs later this year, because evidence suggests this greater carb intake can enhance performance
Key info
Sabina Rapelli
Female
Result
Position
3rd
Overall Time
3:57:51
Event information
Sport
Other
Discipline
Swimrun
Event
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun Utö
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
Total Elevation
131m / 430ft
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
Event Satisfaction
10/10
Hydration rating
10/10
If the weather was different, I may have needed to stop at aid stations
Energy levels
8/10
My energy levels were very good throughout
Toilet stops
No
GI comfort
10/10
Cramping
No cramping
Sabina's Thoughts
I am very happy with how it went, as it was very technical race and in very cold conditions!
Sabina's full stats
| Carbohydrate (g) | Sodium (mg) | Fluid (ml) | Caffeine (mg) | Relative sodium concentration (mg/L) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | |||||
| Total intake | 120 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NaN |
| Per hour | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
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).