1st
Ashleigh Gentle's scorecard
PTO US Open
Saturday 17th September, 2022
Within recommended ranges
Just outside recommended ranges
Significantly outside recommended ranges
85g
Carb per hour
180mg
Sodium per hour
351ml
Fluid per hour
512mg/L
Relative sodium concentration
200mg
Total caffeine
How Ashleigh hit those numbers
500ml x PH 1500 (Drink Mix)
1 x Bowl of oats with yoghurt
1 x English muffin
0.5 x Banana
0.5 x PF 30 Energy Chews
1 x PF 30 Caffeine Gel
*** Try to avoid drinking too much at this point in the race!
650ml x PH 1000 (Drink Mix)
5 x PF 30 Energy Gels with water
1 x PF 30 Caffeine Gel
320ml x Plain water
2 x PF 30 Energy Gel
300ml x Plain water
How Ashleigh's hydration and fueling went...
- Ash took victory in sweltering hot conditions in Dallas to make it three wins from three races on the PTO Tour this year. Once again, she produced the fastest run split and expertly handled the extreme heat on a day where temperatures averaged 34°C/93°F
- With the conditions in mind, she adjusted her fluid and sodium intake suitably, which meant she was able to maintain intensity throughout the race with no signs of “bonking”
Hydration
- With all the talk leading into the race being about battling the heat, Ash ensured she began optimally hydrated by preloading with ~500ml/16oz PH 1500 (Drink Mix) on the morning of the race
- During the race, Ash aimed to execute a very similar hydration strategy to her races at PTO Edmonton and The Collins Cup, increasing her fluid intake slightly to account for her increased sweat rate in the heat
- On the bike, she drank ~970ml/31oz, meaning her average fluid intake was ~526ml/17oz per hour - which is ~10% more than her intake at the Canadian Open (you can check out her numbers from this race HERE), where the average temperature was ~24°C /75°F earlier this year. We would ordinarily have expected her fluid intake to potentially be even slightly higher given the conditions, and Ash said she “wished there was another aid station on the bike with cold water as I was a bit thirsty towards the end”
- She maintained a relative sodium concentration of ~670 milligrams per litre through the use of PH 1000 (Drink Mix). As someone with a sweat sodium concentration of 921mg/L, this will have replaced a reasonable amount of her sweat losses in the Dallas heat
- As we’ve seen Ash do previously, she kept her fluid intake on the run very simple, making use of the 10 aid stations to pick up ~300ml/10oz of plain water in total. We’d normally recommend adding some sodium to this, perhaps using two or three Electrolyte Capsules, particularly in these extreme temperatures
- It’s likely that Ash is an athlete who can tolerate a reasonably high amount of dehydration without negatively impacting her performance, a topic which has received a lot of attention in recent years
Fueling
Quick Carb Calculator Recommendation
30g
carb 30 mins before
60-90g
carb per hour during
- Ash had carbohydrate-rich meals for dinner the night before and for breakfast on the morning of the race as part of her normal ‘carb loading’ routine, with her final meal consisting of oats and yoghurt, an English muffin and half a banana
- She also had a top-up of both caffeine and carb ~25 minutes ahead of the later than usual 11:45am race start using a PF 30 Caffeine Gel and one individual PF 30 Chew (Original Flavour). This will have helped increase her alertness, as well as increasing the circulating glucose in her blood before the race which will likely have spared some of her stored glycogen for later in the race
- On the bike, Ash emptied five PF 30 Gels into a water bottle, added some water to mix them up and then emptied this into her bike’s integrated hydration system. This ~150g carb, along with the 30g of carbs in the PF 30 Caffeine Gel and the small amount of carb in the PH 1000 (Drink Mix) packet meant she averaged ~99g of carb per hour on the bike
- This helped fuel an extremely strong run, where she took two PF 30 Gels from the on-course aid stations. This resulted in an average intake of ~55g carb per hour during the 18km run, which aligns well with her intakes at The Canadian Open and The Collins Cup, where she hit 57g and 48g per hour respectively
- Ash is an athlete who utilises caffeine and the associated ergogenic benefits to maximise her performance. Her pre-race and mid-bike PF 30 Caffeine Gels will have maintained high blood caffeine levels and reduced her perceived degree of fatigue
Conclusions
- In all, Ash had another awesome race at PTO US Open in Dallas. She stayed composed during the swim and bike, nailed her fuel and hydration plan which enabled her to unleash a spectacular run leg and take another commanding win
Key info
Ashleigh Gentle
Female
Result
Position
1st
Overall Time
3:37:18
Swim Time
0:28:11
Bike Time
2:02:21
Run Time
1:04:58
Event information
Sport
Triathlon
Discipline
Middle distance
Event
PTO US Open
Location
Dallas, USA
Date
17th September, 2022
Website
Swim Distance
2.0km / 1.2mi
Bike Distance
80.0km / 49.7mi
Run Distance
18.0km / 11.2mi
Total Distance
100.0km / 62.1mi
Race conditions
Weather Conditions
Very Hot
Precipitation
No Rain
Min Temp
32°C / 90°F
Max Temp
34°C / 93°F
Avg Temp
33°C / 91°F
Feels like temp
38°C / 100°F
Humidity
60%
Athlete feedback
Race Satisfaction
9/10
Hydration rating
8/10
I felt hydrated throughout, but wouldn't have minded another water station on the bike
Energy levels
8/10
I had some highs and lows on the bike, but my energy levels on the run were good
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 | 307 | 650 | 1,270 | 200 | 512 |
| Per hour | 85 | 180 | 351 | 55 | |
| Bike and Run | |||||
| Total intake | 262 | 650 | 1,270 | 100 | 512 |
| Per hour | 85 | 210 | 410 | 32 | |
| Bike | |||||
| Total intake | 202 | 650 | 970 | 100 | 670 |
| Per hour | 99 | 320 | 477 | 49 | |
| Run | |||||
| Total intake | 60 | 0 | 300 | 0 | 0 |
| Per hour | 56 | 0 | 281 | 0 | |
Data Confidence
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).