Angela Naeth
IRONMAN® Cozumel
Cozumel6th, FPROAngela's headline numbers
Angela's strategy
Fueling
T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)
T - 15mins: Took in a final dose of carb
"The fueling strategy I practiced in training made all the difference on race day. I felt steady and strong from the swim right up until the run."
Compared to her race in Cozumel last year, Angela increased her carb intake by ~14g/h to deliver a constant supply of energy to her working muscles. She started her morning off with a carb-rich breakfast and two PF Gels ahead of the swim to ensure she was well-fueled and could spare her glycogen stores to be saved for later. Once on the bike, she used a combination of PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix, PH 1000 and an impressive 12 PF Gels to meet her energy needs. This totalled ~118g/h on the bike and although her intake dropped slightly on the run, she still averaged ~94g/h; a sufficient intake to support her across the marathon leg of a full-distance IRONMAN® race. Angela’s time spent training her gut to tolerate her fueling strategy came in handy especially considering the warmer conditions of Mexico, as higher temperatures can shunt blood away from the gut and to the skin to cool the body down, thus making GI distress more of a risk. Angela rated her GI comfort a perfect 10 (out of 10) though, demonstrating that practice can make perfect.
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.
Angela1085mg/L
Angela has been Sweat Tested to dial in her 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 Angela's losses are on the moderate side, getting her hydration strategy right is still crucial when it's hot and/or humid as her 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
"My hydration stayed on point despite Cozumel’s heat and I never felt like I hit a wall."
Even though Angela had less fluid per hour in similarly hot conditions compared to last year, she reported no cramping or other dehydration-related symptoms, indicating she replaced an appropriate proportion of her sweat fluid losses. Her relative sodium intake was spot on for her needs, and she was within the recommended fluid intake, as well. Since she wanted to incorporate some carbohydrates into the fluid she drank, she used PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix to ensure there was sodium coming in, too. Topping off the extra plain water she consumed with PH 1000 kept her on track with her ratio of sodium to fluid. On the run, she overconcentrated her bottles from a sodium perspective, knowing that she would pick up additional water from aid stations, thus reducing the amount of items she needed to carry. Additionally, Angela had to pee a couple of times on the bike and *almost* once on the run, which further suggests she was appropriately hydrated. The only recommendation we’d make for Angela’s hydration strategy would be to preload with a stronger electrolyte, such as PH 1500 which has the goal relative sodium concentration we see in the research to benefit performance.
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
Angela is no stranger to using caffeine, having consumed even more in Cozumel last year and not having any negative symptoms when doing so. After a pre-race coffee and a PF 30 Caffeine Gel ahead of the swim, she included a total of 3 additional caffeinated gels during the race. Whilst it put her above the recommended dosage (3-6mg/kg of bodyweight), she felt the ergogenic benefits of caffeine and didn’t experience any drawbacks to consuming this amount. It goes to show that testing out caffeine is important for each athlete as an individual, as the response can vary depending on tolerance, amount and timing.
How Angela hit her numbers
Here's everything that Angela ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“I felt in control the whole way, and while it was a tough race, I’m happy with how it all came together when it mattered most.”
“Angela finished with a well-earned 6th place and demonstrated her professionalism to race impressively after hip surgery earlier in the year, as well as a lung contusion and bruised ribs three weeks prior to Cozumel. Her fuel and hydration plan has been tried and tested this season and powered her through with ample carbs, sodium and fluid to meet her needs as an athlete.”
PF&HAngela'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.