Andrew Harley
IRONMAN® Waco
TexasTop 50, M30-34Andrew's headline numbers
Andrew'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 felt really solid throughout and never felt held back by energy levels. "
During the race, Andrew predominantly used an energy drink mix alongside several PF 30 Gels to meet *some of* his fueling needs. Although he averaged significantly below the recommended carb intake for a race of this duration, this was Andrew’s first full-distance IRONMAN® so ~53g/h is a respectable effort. His well-perceived energy levels show the positive correlation between fueling and performance, and based on the current literature we would strongly advise him to continue increasing this carbohydrate dose to ensure he sees the further performance gains.
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
"I never felt faint, dizzy or weak, which I know can occur in the early stages of dehydration. "
Andrew exhibits both a high sweat rate and a very high sweat sodium concentration. Despite this and the high temperatures on the day, the relative sodium concentration of his fluids across the race were higher than we would suggest. In future, Andrew will want to reduce his sodium intake slightly to be more in line with his estimated sweat sodium concentration. Practically, he could do this by either increasing his fluid intake, largely with plain water, or by reducing the concentration of sodium in his drinks throughout the race. This will help decrease the risk of suffering from the consequences of sodium overconsumption).
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
Andrew consumed next to no caffeine during this race. He could look to start implementing it into his strategy, in order to benefit from the stimulant’s performance benefits.
How Andrew hit his numbers
Here's everything that Andrew ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“I was determined not to let myself get behind on drinking fluids and to manage my body temperature. I’m pleased knowing the bulk of my nutrition and hydration products did their job well and got me to the finish line. ”
“Andrew used a well planned hydration and fueling strategy in his first full-distance IRONMAN® and in very hot conditions. Looking back on the race, he said he would choose to back off the energy drinks early on the run with the aim to avoid the GI issues he experienced. A good idea could be to replace this intake with more plain water to increase his fluid intake and dilute the relative sodium concentration he was hitting with his sodium consumption. ”
PF&HAndrew'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.