IRONMAN 70.3® Andorra

Ash knew that there was a very hilly bike course in Andorra, with 2100m / 6890ft of elevation, and that she would therefore need to consume some extra carbs on the bike to fuel her over the longer duration she’d be on the bike compared to her previous races. She did this by adding an additional PF 30 Gel into her carb-rich bottle, making a ~150g carb solution mixed with a small volume of water - a common strategy she adopts to efficiently carry her race fuel. Overall, Ash still fell short of the recommendations for a race of this intensity and duration, so increasing her intake through gut training remains a key goal for her.

On the bike, Ash decided not to carry her additional bottle of plain water as the course was hilly and she didn’t want the extra weight. Instead, she was going to pick up a bottle of water at an aid station when she needed it and keep it with her. Unfortunately, the water bottles at the bike aid stations ended up being too big for her bottle cage, so she had to drink what she could and then get rid of the bottles. Despite the seemingly low fluid intake for a middle distance race, Ashleigh has a low sweat rate, meaning she doesn't have to replace as much compared to other athletes. For example, she drank only ~186ml/h at IM 70.3® Oceanside and ~419ml/h in hotter conditions at the European Champs. We would encourage Ash to include at least some sodium in her strategy on the run, as this will help replenish some of her losses and better retain the fluid she’s drinking.

It may be worth Ash adding another PF 30 Caffeine Gel to her strategy, possibly during or when coming out of T2, as this would put her within the recommended dosage range for caffeine consumption during exercise, helping her to maximise the benefits of the stimulant (such as reduced levels of fatigue and increased alertness).