1st
Ashleigh Gentle's scorecard
IRONMAN 70.3 Andorra
Sunday 3rd July, 2022
Within recommended ranges
Just outside recommended ranges
Significantly outside recommended ranges
64g
Carb per hour
133mg
Sodium per hour
319ml
Fluid per hour
417mg/L
Relative sodium concentration
105mg
Total caffeine
How Ashleigh hit those numbers
How Ashleigh's hydration and fueling went...
- Just a week after finishing on the podium of the IM 70.3 European Championships in Denmark, Ashleigh Gentle stepped up to complete her first ever back-to-back 70.3 weekends by racing IM 70.3 Andorra
- Starting at 1,600m/5250ft altitude, Ash battled through the tricky course and hot conditions (averaging 27°C/80°F) to comfortably secure a win. The Australian finished in 4 hours 53 minutes, over 13 minutes ahead of second place Amy Cymerman
- On race day, she adopted a very similar strategy to the one she used at the European Champs a week prior, only slightly dialing up on her carb intake to pre-empt the longer bike duration
Hydration
- On the morning of the race, Ash preloaded with PH 1000 in 500ml/16oz of water in an attempt to ensure she was heading into the race hydrated. To execute an optimal preloading strategy, Ash could look to increase the strength of the electrolyte drink to PH 1500 to maximise her blood volume and increase her body’s ability to retain fluid, ensuring she starts the race optimally hydrated
- On the bike, Ash decided to not carry her additional bottle of plain water as the course was hilly and she didn’t want the extra weight. She was going to pick up a bottle of water at an aid station when she needed it and keep it with her, but unfortunately the water bottles at the bike aid stations ended up being too big for her bottle cage. Therefore, she had to ‘make it up on the fly’ and grabbed what she could on the move at three of the four aid stations to take on board a total of ~150ml/5oz plain water
- On top of this, she had ~650ml/22oz of PH 1000 (Drink Mix) and ~400ml/14oz mixed into her carb-rich gel bottle. Whilst running, Ash drank a couple of sips of Coca Coca which provided a small energy boost with ~300ml/10oz of plain water to average an hourly fluid intake of ~319ml/11oz overall
- Although an hourly intake of this amount seems on the lower side, Ash has low sweat losses and therefore taking on low volumes of fluid is adequate to hydrate her throughout a middle distance race. For example, Ash drank only ~186ml/h (6oz/h) at IM 70.3 Oceanside and ~419ml/h (14oz/h) in similar hot conditions at the European Champs
- In terms of sodium, Ash consumed ~650mg in total from her PH 1000 (Drink Mix) on the bike; this equated to a relative sodium concentration of ~417mg/L overall which was very similar to what she took to replace some of her moderate sodium losses in Denmark (~419mg/L)
Fueling
Quick Carb Calculator Recommendation
30g
carb 30 mins before
60-90g
carb per hour during
- Ahead of the tough race, Ash consumed her usual breakfast of toast with peanut butter and honey to increase her glycogen stores, as well as a black coffee to boost her perceived energy levels
- In addition to her breakfast, Ash had some caffeine gum an hour before the swim and a PF 30 Gel in the last 15 minutes to increase her blood glucose. To increase her caffeine levels further, she may want to make that final gel a PF 30 Caffeine Gel; taking this pre-race caffeine dose can stimulate many ergogenic benefits, but ultimately comes down to personal preference and individual tolerance
- Ash knew that there was “a very hilly bike course”, with 2100m/6890ft of elevation, and that she would therefore need to “take some extra calories on the bike” to fuel her over this longer duration compared to her other races this season. She did this by adding an additional PF 30 Gel into her carb-rich bottle on the bike, making a 150g carb solution mixed with a small volume of water, a common strategy she adopts to efficiently carry her race fuel
- Alongside her carb-rich bottle, Ash strapped an extra PF 30 Caffeine Gel to her bike which she took to keep both her energy levels high and reduce her feelings of fatigue before heading onto the run
- After finishing her high carb-rich bottle, taking one PF 30 Caffeine Gel and getting a small amount of carb from her PH 1000 (Drink Mix), Ash consumed two more PF 30 Gels on the run. This strategy meant overall she averaged ~64g of carbs per hour, made up of ~66g/h on the bike and ~51g/h on the run, similar levels to what we saw Ash take in at Oceanside and the European Champs this season
- This is still a good increase from Ash’s carb intake at the start of the season as we saw her take 50g/h at Clash Miami, but she could look to continue this progress to push towards ~90g/h due to the positive trend found between carbohydrate consumption and performance. We’re seeing more and more examples of elite triathletes hit and exceed this high level successfully when racing
Conclusions
- Continuing her successful season so far, Ash took the win on this physically and mentally demanding course just a week after finishing second at the European Championships in Denmark
- Ash used a well constructed fueling and hydration plan to proactively replace her low fluid and sodium losses in the heat despite having to adjust ‘on the fly’ during the bike leg, whilst dialling up her carb intake to hit good numbers
Key info
Ashleigh Gentle
Female
Sweat sodium concentration
921mg/L
Sweat sodium classification
Moderate
* determined by a PH Advanced Sweat Test
Result
Position
1st
Overall Time
4:53:42
Swim Time
0:26:03
Bike Time
3:04:33
Run Time
1:18:31
Event information
Sport
Triathlon
Discipline
Middle distance
Event
IRONMAN 70.3 Andorra
Location
Andorra la Vella, Andorra
Date
3rd July, 2022
Website
Swim Distance
1.9km / 1.2mi
Bike Distance
90.1km / 56.0mi
Run Distance
21.1km / 13.1mi
Total Distance
113.1km / 70.3mi
Bike Elevation
2100m / 6,890ft
Race conditions
Weather Conditions
Very Hot
Precipitation
No Rain
Min Temp
20°C / 68°F
Max Temp
30°C / 86°F
Avg Temp
27°C / 81°F
Humidity
69%
Athlete feedback
Toilet stops
Yes
Twice, once on the bike and once on the run
GI comfort
10/10
Cramping
No cramping
Ashleigh's full stats
Carbohydrate (g) | Sodium (mg) | Fluid (ml) | Caffeine (mg) | Relative sodium concentration (mg/L) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | |||||
Total intake | 313 | 650 | 1,560 | 105 | 417 |
Per hour | 64 | 133 | 319 | 21 | |
Bike and Run | |||||
Total intake | 268 | 650 | 1,560 | 105 | 417 |
Per hour | 61 | 149 | 357 | 24 | |
Bike | |||||
Total intake | 202 | 650 | 1,200 | 100 | 542 |
Per hour | 66 | 212 | 391 | 33 | |
Run | |||||
Total intake | 66 | 0 | 360 | 5 | 0 |
Per hour | 51 | 0 | 277 | 4 |
Data Confidence
1
2
3
4
5
There is some confidence in the quantities and brands of products consumed but the data may lack specifics (e.g. volumes, specific flavours). A high number of estimations have been made and the room for error is moderate-high. There may also be the possibility that some intake has been grossly over- or under-estimated.