IRONMAN® World Championships

Cortney’s carb intake surpassed the 90g/h recommendations for a race of this duration and intensity, which included him consuming ten PF 30 Gels when on the bike. In recent years there has been an upward trend in the amount of carbs being consumed by professional endurance athletes, far exceeding 90 grams per hour, and the scientific evidence in support of it has identified possible benefits to endurance performance and recovery. Cortney also chose to have some exogenous ketones throughout the race, though there is still some debate on whether this is actually beneficial to performance, with mixed results so far and more research required.

The relative sodium concentration of Cortney’s drinks during this race was significantly higher than his personal sweat sodium concentration. It’s likely he would have been replacing most, if not all, of his sweat sodium losses, as the warm conditions exacerbated his sweat rate. It’s well established that consuming a greater quantity of sodium can help with fluid retention and increase the thirst response. In hot weather, this can help athletes stay on top of their hydration strategy and consume enough fluid to offset the negative effects of dehydration. We would, however, recommend reducing the number of Electrolyte Capsules he takes in future races, particularly in cooler conditions where more closely matching his sweat sodium concentration would be appropriate.

Cortney may be able to use caffeine more tactfully during his next IRONMAN®, as a minimum effective dose is well established in the literature in order to boost endurance performance. Adding a pre-race Caffeine Gel would get the stimulant flowing in his bloodstream, then 2-3 ‘top ups’ during the race would put him within the 3-6 milligrams per kg of bodyweight recommendations. The known benefits of caffeine could significantly improve his perception of fatigue that he felt coming into T2.