Ashleigh Gentle
CLASH Miami
Florida1st, FPROAshleigh's headline numbers
Ashleigh's strategy
Fueling
T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)
T - 15mins: Took in a final dose of carb
"My energy was pretty good as I paced the race well."
With the Clash Miami course being shorter than an IRONMAN 70.3® race, Ashleigh’s lower than ideal carb intake still gave her enough energy to perform well throughout the race. During longer races, we would recommend she tries to get closer to 90g/h, as evidence shows a positive trend between carbohydrate intake and performance. To enhance carbohydrate oxidation, absorption, and glucose availability during high-intensity exercise, without causing GI distress, Ashleigh should incorporate some gut training to help improve her ability to tolerate higher fuel intakes on race day without the risk of stomach 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.
Drinking a strong electrolyte drink before the race could have helped Ashleigh start optimally hydrated
"My strategy went as well as it could have without electrolytes."
Before future races, Ashleigh should preload using the higher strength electrolyte drink, PH 1500, as the sodium will help her retain more fluid and increase blood plasma volume, thus enhancing performance. Unfortunately, due to logistical issues, she didn’t have her usual products for the race and subsequently didn’t have any electrolytes in the fluid she consumed. Thankfully, even though this race was warm, it was short enough that she was able to avoid any dehydration-related issues, including cramping. However, for future races, she should include sodium in her drinks to replace her sweat sodium losses and ensure she doesn’t experience an electrolyte imbalance that could be detrimental to her performance, such as when blood sodium levels get too low in hyponatremia.
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
Ashleigh didn’t have any caffeine during the event, but she did have a black coffee with her breakfast before the race. With caffeine’s half life being around 4-6 hours, the stimulant was very likely still in her system, increasing alertness and reducing her perception of effort.
How Ashleigh hit her numbers
Here's everything that Ashleigh ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“It wasn’t the perfect race, but I’m happy with the result.”
“Ashleigh had a fantastic race in the challenging conditions of Florida to win Clash Miami. Despite having to change her hydration strategy at the last minute, she adjusted well to work with what she had and managed to still consume solid fluid and carb numbers. Ashleigh is looking to race more middle-distance triathlons, so she may want to consider increasing her carb intake and being more proactive with her sodium intake before and during races. ”
PF&HAshleigh'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.