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Camille King

IRONMAN® Vitoria-Gasteiz

16th July, 2023
Spain
Vitoria-Gasteiz
1st, F45-49
Triathlon, Full distance - 226.2km
19°C
, Hot
10hrs 27mins
more race details

Camille's headline numbers

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~58
g
Carb per hour
Recommended 90g/h+
~448
ml
Fluid per hour
Recommended 100-500ml/h
~1,549
mg
Sodium per litre
Recommended 1300-1700mg/L
~0.8
mg
Caffeine per kg
Recommended 3-6mg/kg

Camille's strategy

Fueling

Carbohydrate is the main fuel you burn when racing. Failing to fuel properly is a leading cause of underperformance in longer races.

Carb-rich meal
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T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)
pre-fueled
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T - 15mins: Took in a final dose of carb
Carb per hour
Recommended 90g/h+
~58
g
Camille's Energy Rating
8
/10
"I fell short of my carb goals because of stomach troubles. I need to improve on this for my next races."
Our thoughts

Camile’s nutrition strategy on the bike included eight packs of PF 30 Chews, which helped her meet her carb goals. However, she experienced flavour fatigue in the later stages and opted for on-course energy bars instead, which may have contributed to the stomach discomfort and nausea she struggled with after the first 16km. She was unable to take in any more fuel and as a result, only averaged ~46g of carbs per hour during the run, falling short of both her race plan and the recommended intake of 90g/h. To minimise the risk of this happening again, Camile needs to ensure she tests her planned carb intake during training to condition her gut to handle it and have alternative fuel sources she has practised with available to mix up the flavours instead of opting for whatever is on course.

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.

Camille1494mg/L
Camille has been Sweat Tested to dial in her 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.

Given Camille’s losses are Very High (1,494mg/L), nailing her hydration strategy becomes especially crucial when it’s hot and/or humid.

Learn more
Pre-loaded electrolytes
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T - 60mins: Drank ~500ml of strong electrolyte drink
Fluid per hour
Recommended 100-500ml/h
~448
ml
Sodium per litre
Recommended 1300-1700mg/L
~1,549
mg
Camille's Hydration Rating
7
/10
"My hydration plan worked well on the bike and I went into the run feeling good. I probably over consumed water which added to the stomach issues and headaches I was experiencing."
Our thoughts

Camille's Sweat Test confirmed she's a very salty sweater, requiring careful management of her sodium levels. Although she preloaded with PH 1500, drinking two additional large glasses of plain water the night before and another one on race morning likely diluted her sodium concentration. Just before Camille’s stomach began causing her discomfort, she had been drinking 3-4 cups of water at every aid station, which is a large amount in a short time frame, especially if she hadn’t practised with this amount in training. This likely overloaded her stomach adding to the causes of her sickness and headaches. In future, Camille is going to practise running with a Soft Flask to spread out her intake more evenly, as well as complete a battery of sweat rate testing to establish how much fluid she actually needs to replenish her losses.

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.

Pre-caffeinated
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T - 0-4hrs: Had a final hit of caffeine
Caffeine per kg
Recommended 3-6mg/kg
~0.8
mg
Our thoughts

Camile chose not to consume caffeine before the race and only had a small amount (~44mg) during the whole race. This intake is significantly below the scientific recommendations of 3-6mg/kg. She should look to increase this in future to reap the ergogenic rewards of the stimulant, perhaps opting for a PF 30 Caffeine Gel instead of a regular PF 30 Gel every once in a while.

How Camille hit her numbers

Here's everything that Camille ate and drank on the day...

Camille's weapons of choice

Final thoughts

Camille's Satisfaction Rating
5
/10
It was unfortunate to experience such severe stomach issues, I learned a lot and will focus on testing and refining my nutrition and hydration plans ahead of Kona and other races.
Camille
Camille faced significant challenges during the race managing her fluid and fuel intake in the heat with stomach issues. Hopefully with some detailed sweat rate analysis, gut training and more consistent fluid intake, her next IRONMAN® will allow her to show the hard work she’s done in training.
PF&H

Camille's full stats

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Overall
602g total carb
58g per hour
4,680ml total fluid
448ml per hour
7,250mg total sodium
694mg per hour
1,549mg
Sodium per litre
44mg total caffeine
0.8mg per kg
Bike and Run
Bike
Run

Data Confidence
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We rate each of our case studies from 1-5 based on the level of accuracy, and our confidence in the data.
1
2
3
4
5

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.

Camille's recent case studies

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