Allan Jakobsen
IRONMAN® World Championships
Kailua-KonaTop 100, M50-54Allan's headline numbers
Allan's strategy
Fueling
T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)
Allan would benefit from taking in a final dose of carb <30 minutes before
"I really tried today but somehow I didn’t feel very fresh after the bike. I don’t think it was fueling-related as I felt like I consumed enough, but perhaps my hydration let me down."
After completing a big year of three IRONMAN® events, Allan knew his work was cut out for him at the World Championships. As an experienced triathlete, he had practised with his “super-nuke” bottle strategy (a highly concentrated bottle filled with loads of carbs and salt), which has served him well in the past due to consistent gut training sessions to handle high carb and fluid volumes. Almost all his carbohydrates on the bike, besides four on-course gels, were packed into the three bottles he started with (~539g carb). To account for the highly concentrated mixture of carbs and electrolytes in his bottles, he picked up water bottles from aid stations to top up and dilute his drinks as he went. This is a strategy we’ve seen more pros doing over middle and long-distance events, with Leon Chevalier having a similar highly concentrated bottle whilst on his way to 4th place). Although Allan’s intake on the run may seem low at ~69g/h, this front-loading strategy is something we commonly see athletes employ. This strategy enables higher intakes of carbs on the bike, and while you may not absorb all of that carbohydrate immediately, it will be available to use during the run when it is harder to fuel due to the risk of mechanically induced discomfort while running.
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.
Allan696mg/L
Allan has been Sweat Tested to dial in his hydration plan
Sweat sodium concentration (mg/L) is largely genetically determined and remains relatively stable. Knowing how salty your sweat is enables you to replace a good proportion of your sweat losses, which can range from 200-2,000mg/L.
Whilst Allan's losses are on the low side, getting his hydration strategy right is still crucial when it's hot and/or humid as his higher sweat rate in these conditions can result in significant net losses over the duration of a race.
Learn moreT - 60mins: Drank ~500ml of strong electrolyte drink
"It wasn’t as warm as expected today, so I was surprised at my thirst. Overall I think I should’ve had enough fluid on the bike, but my thirst tells me I missed the mark. In races where I had less salt, I’ve felt much worse, but including more salt today helped me come through."
After receiving a Sweat Test from our crew at the expo in Kona, Allan aimed to increase his planned sodium intake to a more targeted amount to match his sweat sodium concentration. Coupled with new confidence in how much sodium to replace, Allan drank a significant amount of fluid across this race to ensure he was optimally hydrated. He achieved this by starting with concentrated bottles on the bike with PH 1500 and PH 1000 and avoided issues with over-concentrating these bottles by diluting them with plain water from aid stations along the bike course. Although he managed to consume what would be considered a decent level of fluid intake, he reported feeling dehydrated and flat towards the end of the bike. In future, Allan may benefit from conducting some of his own sweat rate measurements in the lead-up to his next race to ensure he can further dial in his hydration plan.
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.
Consuming caffeine in the hours before the start may have increased perceived energy levels
Allan steered clear of caffeine during his effort at the World Championships. Having never felt super comfortable consuming caffeine, he chose the safe option and avoided it for his biggest race of the year.
How Allan hit his numbers
Here's everything that Allan ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“It’s my third IRONMAN® race this year, so I was a little tired. I would say it was a good race but I did not fulfil my potential.”
“By increasing the amount of sodium Allan consumed, he supported his hydration status better than he had done in previous races. Coupled with his strong carbohydrate intake and tolerance that set him up for a strong finish to the year. Perhaps with fewer races next year to manage the racing load, Allan may feel more energised across the season.”
PF&HAllan'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.