Ainsley Thorpe
Paris Olympic Games Triathlon
ParisTop 50, FPROAinsley's headline numbers
Ainsley's strategy
Fueling
T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)
T - 15mins: Took in a final dose of carb
"I was running on no carbs from pre-swim which wasn’t ideal. I felt good coming off the bike for the first 2.5km but then had no energy after that."
Ainsley unfortunately crashed during the bike leg and lost the two PF 30 Gels she had planned to take. Thankfully, Ainsley did an excellent job of nailing her pre-race carb load to ensure she started with adequate fuel on board to get her through an Olympic-distance triathlon. She drank a litre of PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix alongside her carb-rich breakfast, and took a PF 30 Caffeine Gel just before the start. As Ainsley had the team relay event a few days after this race, consuming carbs after the race was a priority to ensure she replenished her energy stores sufficiently before heading out again.
Hydration
Taking on board an appropriate amount of fluid and sodium is essential to maintaining blood volume and supporting the cardiovascular effort needed to perform on race day.
Whilst the absolute amount of sodium and fluid consumed per hour is important, it’s critical to consider these in relation to each other. This is known as 'relative sodium concentration' and it’s expressed in milligrams per litre (mg/L). How much sodium you’re taking in per litre of fluid is more important than the absolute amount taken in per hour.
T - 60mins: Drank ~500ml of strong electrolyte drink
"The conditions were very humid, so I took more sodium than normal. I felt hydrated as I didn’t need too much water on the run and managed to run steadily to the finish without cramping."
Given Ainsley was racing for ~2 hours in warm and humid conditions, it was important that she focused on starting hydrated, as well as replenishing her losses throughout the race, particularly as she was racing the relay a few days later. Between preloading with PH 1500 ahead of the race start, and having another bottle of the high-strength electrolyte on the bike, she managed to stave off cramping all the way to the finish. Her strategy likely replenished most of her sweat losses in the two hours she was racing, but for longer races, it’d be beneficial to do some sweat rate testing to make sure she consumes enough to prevent the risk of dehydration.
Caffeine
Beyond the Three Levers of Performance (carb, sodium and fluid), caffeine is one of only a few substances that is proven to improve performance for most endurance athletes as it can help stave off mental and physical fatigue.
T - 0-4hrs: Had a final hit of caffeine
Other than a PF 30 Caffeine Gel in the last 20 minutes before the start, Ainsley didn’t use any additional caffeine. Since the stimulant takes ~45 minutes to peak in the bloodstream and has a half life of 4-5 hours (meaning half of it will still be circulating after several hours), she may not necessarily benefit from adding an additional dose of caffeine during an Olympic-distance race. However, she could look to increase the amount *before* either through an extra caffeine gel or even a coffee to meet the scientific recommendations for dosage of the stimulant and reap the full ergogenic benefits.
How Ainsley hit her numbers
Here's everything that Ainsley ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“Unfortunately I lost my nutrition because of my bike crash. I think if I would’ve taken my gels on the bike, my race would have been a lot easier toward the end.”
“Despite losing her PF 30 Gels on the bike leg, her intentional preparation towards consuming carbohydrates, fluid and electrolytes before the start was key to supporting her energy levels and see her through to the Paris finish line. In future races, she could trial having a larger dose of caffeine before starting her races to see if it sustains her energy levels more consistently, as well as having back-up plans for carbohydrate intake in case of unforeseen circumstances.”
PF&HAinsley's full stats
Data Confidence
We rate each of our case studies from 1-5 based on the level of accuracy, and our confidence in the data.
There is an adequate level of accuracy in the data collected and the numbers reported. The athlete manages to recall what they ate and drank including most specifics (brands flavours quantities plausible estimations of volumes). However there are estimations made within the data which affect the overall confidence level in the data reported.