/

Ant Gritton

IRONMAN® Cascais

15th October, 2022
Portugal
Cascais
5th, M30-34
strava
Triathlon, Full distance - 226.2km
21°C
, Hot
9hrs 1min
more race details

Ant's headline numbers

?
?
?
~71
g
Carb per hour
Recommended 90g/h+
~535
ml
Fluid per hour
Recommended 250-750ml/h
~1,792
mg
Sodium per litre
Recommended 1200-1600mg/L
~4.3
mg
Caffeine per kg
Recommended 3-6mg/kg

Ant's strategy

Fueling

Carbohydrate is the main fuel you burn when racing. Failing to fuel properly is a leading cause of underperformance in longer races.

Carb-rich meal
?
T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)
pre-fueled
?
T - 15mins: Took in a final dose of carb
Carb per hour
Recommended 90g/h+
~71
g
Ant's Energy Rating
9
/10
"It was a struggle to get anything down deep into the race."
Our thoughts

Ant described the bike after his first lap as a “solo time trial” due to the gaps between competitors on course. This made it challenging mentally, but also gave him a good chance to focus on nailing his fueling. He stuck to primarily PF 90 Gels, which were both in his pockets and aero bottle, but didn’t quite reach the recommendations for a race of this duration. In future, introducing some gut training into his race-specific training sessions will help Ant reach those higher carb numbers whilst avoiding the risk of any GI discomfort.

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.

Ant1351mg/L
Ant 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.

Given Ant’s losses are High (1,351mg/L), nailing his hydration strategy becomes especially crucial when it’s hot and/or humid.

Learn more
Pre-loaded electrolytes
?
T - 60mins: Drank ~500ml of strong electrolyte drink
Fluid per hour
Recommended 250-750ml/h
~535
ml
Sodium per litre
Recommended 1200-1600mg/L
~1,792
mg
Ant's Hydration Rating
8
/10
"I felt well hydrated throughout. "
Our thoughts

Ant effectively ‘front-loaded’ his fluid intake during the race by drinking an average of ~722ml of fluid per hour on the bike compared to ~421ml/h on the run, which is a sensible move. Anecdotally, many athletes find that it’s easier to tolerate more fluid when cycling compared to running, and it carries the added benefit of avoiding building too big of a deficit on the bike before the marathon. Ant’s Sweat Test revealed that he is a very salty sweater, so he was mindful of staying on top of his high sweat sodium losses by relying on PH 1500 during the bike and run legs. Although his intake was higher than his losses, he knew the temperatures could soar in Portugal so wanted to prepare for an increased sweat rate.

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.

Pre-caffeinated
?
T - 0-4hrs: Had a final hit of caffeine
Caffeine per kg
Recommended 3-6mg/kg
~4.3
mg
Our thoughts

Although Ant hit the recommendations for caffeine intake to enhance performance, he could consider incorporating some sort of caffeine, e.g., a PF 30 Caffeine Gel, in the final 30 minutes before the race start, so that the stimulant would peak in his bloodstream during the swim.

How Ant hit his numbers

Here's everything that Ant ate and drank on the day...

Ant's weapons of choice

Final thoughts

Ant's Satisfaction Rating
9
/10
I wish I had turned the screws a bit earlier to get that time under 9 hours.
Ant
Ultimately, Ant was incredibly pleased to run down the famous IRONMAN® red carpet in 9:01:48 to grab his slot for the World Championships. Ahead of his next race, Ant will no doubt look to undertake some more gut training in order to push his energy availability even further, and it’ll be worth him checking out the other case studies to discover how his strategy might change in the heat of Kona, Hawaii, for the World Champs.
PF&H

Ant's full stats

?
?
?
Overall
642g total carb
71g per hour
4,820ml total fluid
535ml per hour
8,637mg total sodium
958mg per hour
1,792mg
Sodium per litre
312mg total caffeine
4.3mg per kg
Bike and Run
Bike
Run

Data Confidence
?

We rate each of our case studies from 1-5 based on the level of accuracy, and our confidence in the data.
1
2
3
4
5

There is good confidence in the accuracy of the data reported. An athlete feels that the numbers closely reflect what they consumed despite a couple of estimations which may carry some degree of error. The majority of what was consumed is recorded to a high level of specificity (most volumes are known through the use of bottles brands quantities flavours). The numbers are very plausible and align with previous data recordings (if an athlete has collected data previously).

Ant's recent case studies

see all
Nail your next event with a FREE Fuel & Hydration Plan
Get started