• Toby Robinson, a GB Open Water Swimmer, is one to watch in years to come. Competing at the Tokyo 2021 Olympic 10km Qualifiers, he narrowly missed out on going to the Games. Toby swam an extremely quick 10km race in a time of 2 hours and 2 minutes at an average pace of 12:13 min/km
• The race was held in Setubal, Portugal, in relatively hot ambient conditions (20℃/68°F) with sea temperatures of ~18℃/64°F. This can prove challenging in terms of thermoregulation when swimming, but Toby coped extremely well to finish 3rd overall

Hydration

• Pre-race, Toby drank 500ml/16oz of water mixed with electrolyte tablets that contained 339mg of sodium. We would recommend that Toby preloads before the 10km by drinking a stronger electrolyte solution pre-race, for example PH 1500. Preloading with a high-sodium electrolyte drink before the race will have made sure he was starting optimally hydrated with maximal blood volume. Especially with the demands of open water swimming, hydrating can be difficult, so prioritising good hydration pre-race is crucial
• Over the entire race, Toby drank a total of ~570ml (20oz) of fluid which equates to an average of ~280ml/hr (~9oz/hr) per hour. Without data on Toby’s sweat rate, it’s hard to determine whether this adequately replaced his sweat losses in the hot conditions (20℃/68°F). It’s likely given the warm conditions, Toby’s high work rate, and the limited opportunities to drink that his sweat rate outstripped his fluid intake by quite some margin
• To some degree this is just the nature of open water swimming and it’s fair to say that Toby did a good job at drinking given the circumstances
• One area that Toby could improve on is his electrolyte intake during the race (specifically sodium). Sodium is the electrolyte lost in the biggest proportions of our sweat and it plays a fundamental role in fluid balance in the body. In total, he only consumed ~9mg of sodium. This is because he drank solely an energy drink mix which was almost devoid of sodium
• In hot conditions and racing at a high intensity, we would recommend that Toby ingests a larger amount of sodium, such as our PF 30 Drink Mix to increase the relative sodium concentration of his intake and replace a greater amount of his sweat sodium losses whilst still meeting his carbohydrate needs
• Toby does believe there is definitely room for improvement when it comes to his hydration, rating his hydration plan a 6 out of 10

Fueling

Conclusions

• Toby raced extremely well in the qualifiers for the Tokyo Olympics, making the most of every opportunity to drink and ultimately having a great carbohydrate intake which fueled a great performance
• In future, Toby could benefit from increasing his sodium intake during the race to be more in line with his sweat sodium losses and to help the body maintain better fluid balance. Being more proactive with his hydration may also help aid better recovery following tough races
• Toby will continue training hard and competing, having his heart set on qualifying for the 10km at the Paris Olympics in 2024