Benji Simpson
IRONMAN® Portugal-Cascais
CascaisCompleted, M30-34Benji's headline numbers
Benji'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 good throughout the race, the only fatigue I experienced was muscular, and it came at the end of the run."
Three months after his IRONMAN 70.3® Swansea triathlon debut, Benji from our Wholesale team took on his first full-distance race in Cascais. His race day started with a carb-rich breakfast, before he ate a PF 60 Chew Bar in the last 30 minutes before the gun went off. This high-carb intake ahead of the race would have ensured he was well-fueled and ready to go.
Benji decided to front-load his nutrition strategy, aiming to get plenty of fuel in on the bike to allow for the inevitable drop-off in intake on the run. This decrease is very common in triathletes because it’s often more challenging to consume carbs and fluid whilst running. He opted to use PF 300 Flow Gel in his bottles, as he had tried and tested this in training and found it was the most convenient way of fueling without having to open lots of packets on the go. Adapting his run strategy from Swansea was where Benji’s real improvement came from. Benji used a combination of PF 90 Gels which he carried out of transition and PF 300 Flow Gel from his personal needs bag to fuel his marathon. As a result, he managed to increase his ~48g/h intake from the run in Swansea to ~81g/h in Cascais, which would have played a key role in his high energy levels. Continuing this trajectory and closing the gap between his fueling rates across both disciplines would further support his performance.
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.
Benji942mg/L
Benji 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.
Whilst Benji's losses are on the moderate side, getting his hydration strategy right is still crucial when it's hot and/or humid as his higher sweat rate in these conditions can result in significant net losses over the duration of a race.
Learn moreT - 60mins: Drank ~500ml of strong electrolyte drink
"I could have done more sweat rate testing ahead of the race to dial my fluid intake in, because I think it might have had an impact on my need to pee so frequently. "
Benji preloaded with 500ml of PH 1500 before his race to start optimally hydrated, then stuck to PH 1000 for the entire race to ensure the relative sodium concentration of his drinks adequately replaced the 991 milligrams of sodium he loses per litre of sweat, which we know from his Sweat Test. Taking in nearly 7.5 litres across the 14 hours of racing meant that Benji’s overall intake sat in his recommended 500-1000ml/h fluid intake for a race of this intensity, and in these conditions - though there was some disparity between his bike and run intake (close to 900ml/h on the bike and less than 300ml/h on the run).
As Benji mentioned, his intake didn’t sit comfortably on the day and he needed to pee a fair amount throughout, a sign he was struggling to hold onto the fluid. Sweat rate testing during training in the build-up to his race would have given him a more accurate picture of his losses and how much he needs to replace. It’s likely that his intake across the bike was higher than his losses, yet on the run he most likely fell shy of his targets.
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
Following our advice from his last race, Benji had been building caffeine into his plan during training sessions to improve his tolerance. He went from none in Swansea to four PF 30 Caffeine Gels tactically timed to gradually raise his circulating levels. His total sat within the 3-6 milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of bodyweight recommended by science, so he likely felt a lift in perceived energy. As Benji rarely has caffeine day-to-day, he may be more sensitive to side effects such as GI discomfort or jitteriness, especially since increasing his dose so it's something for him to continue to monitor.
How Benji hit his numbers
Here's everything that Benji ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“It was a brutal day with wind and hills on top of the already tough distance. I was happy to have finished and the bike went really well. If I had done more sweat rate testing, I could have avoided the bladder troubles and enjoyed it even more.”
“Getting around the challenging course in Cascais with his family watching was a fantastic day out for Benji. He has made significant improvements in his fueling and hydration strategy since his practice race in Swansea, and working on his fluid intake by gathering some sweat rate data would be Benji’s next step for future events.”
PF&HBenji'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.