Chris Harris
Swashbuckler 70.3
Beaulieu1stChris' headline numbers
Chris' strategy
Fueling
T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)
T - 15mins: Took in a final dose of carb
"I had no major dips in energy and felt like I could’ve kept running if I needed to."
In terms of carb intake throughout the race, Chris averaged an impressive ~108g/h, including his time in the swim. He hit ~110g/h on the bike and an even greater ~120g/h on the run, which is unique to the usual trend of triathletes who frontload a lot of their carbohydrate intake on the bike leg. Compared to the general 90g/h recommendations, Chris averaged a significantly higher carbohydrate intake, supporting the emerging evidence which suggests athletes *can* absorb and utilise carbohydrates at rates of **over** 90g/h, usually by combining multiple transportable carbohydrates (e.g. glucose *and* fructose). Through doing so, Chris would have increased his carbohydrate availability and likely reaped the benefits within his performance. He managed this without any GI discomfort, largely due to a significant amount of time training his gut to tolerate this quantity of carbs.
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.
Chris1433mg/L
Chris 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.
Given Chris's losses are Very High (1,433mg/L), nailing his hydration strategy becomes especially crucial when it's hot and/or humid.
Learn moreT - 60mins: Drank ~500ml of strong electrolyte drink
"If I had executed my plan perfectly it would have been a ten out of ten, but after dropping one of my bottles on the bike, riding for an hour with nothing to drink was suboptimal. "
Considering Chris has a sweat sodium concentration of 1,433mg/L, the relative sodium concentration of his drinks on the bike may first appear a little high, but he knew there weren’t many aid stations on the run course to pick up additional fluids and sodium. So, he treated the bike as an opportunity to *preload* for the run. In future, Chris could consider reducing his sodium intake on the bike and taking some Electrolyte Capsules with him on the run to keep his sodium intake more stable and mitigate the issue of dropping a bottle. During the run, Chris picked up cups of water from the aid stations to drink, and also poured several over his head to keep himself cool as temperatures rose to a soaring ~29℃ (84°F).
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.
Consuming caffeine in the hours before the start may have increased perceived energy levels
Despite consuming two PF 30 Caffeine Gels on the run, it’s likely that due to his lower than ideal caffeine intake, Chris may have seen a reduction in his perceived effort in the latter stages of the hilly triathlon course. Next time, taking another caffeine hit earlier in the race to fall within the recommended range will help him reap more of the ergogenic benefits that the stimulant provides.
How Chris hit his numbers
Here's everything that Chris ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“My first overall 70.3 win on a hilly course in scorching temperatures, I'm pretty stoked! ”
“Chris raced hard from the gun, leading out of the swim and never looking back as he battled solo for the remaining ~4 hours of racing. He averaged his highest carbohydrate intake yet during a race, and rated his GI comfort a 10 out of 10 whilst doing so. Racing well in the heat is something Chris has consistently worried about as a result of his high sweat sodium concentration and sweat rate, but having an appropriate and calculated hydration and fueling plan has enabled him to reap the rewards of his training, regardless of the weather conditions. ”
PF&HChris' 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 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).