• In a tough line up of experienced athletes, professional triathlete, Danielle Lewis, executed a stellar sub 4-hour performance to take the win at IM 70.3 Oregon
• After experiencing fueling and hydration issues back at IRONMAN Texas in April, Danielle reached out to the team and booked a video call with Sean to talk about her experiences and receive some advice ahead of more races this season
• Putting these practices into place, Danielle said “this was the first race where I felt I got what I needed” and rated her overall race satisfaction as 10 out of 10

Hydration

• Having experienced cramping issues at IM Texas, Danielle knew she needed to go into the race optimally hydrated. She did this by preloading the morning of the race with ~500ml/16oz of PH 1500 (Tablet) (on top of drinking an additional 500ml/16oz of PH 1000) to top up her sodium levels because of past issues with cramping in races
• Going into the bike leg, Danielle believes that she's a salty sweater and therefore supplemented with PH 1500 throughout. She did this by making a highly concentrated sodium drink of two PH 1500 (Tablets) in 500ml/16oz, doubling the relative sodium concentration to ~3,000mg/L. Danielle did mention that this mix was “extremely strong” and picked up a total of ~1.1L/38oz of plain water to dilute it. But, she felt that she didn’t get enough plain water
• In addition to her concentrated sodium bottle, she added a further two PH 1500 (Tablets) to her pre-made energy drink mix (500ml/16oz)
• All in all, Danielle hit a high relative sodium concentration of ~1,905mg/L on the bike. This is likely to have been more than enough to replace her losses and she could look to add just one PH 1500 (Tablet) into her bottles rather than two
• By ‘frontloading’ her race with a stronger relative sodium concentration on the bike, Danielle dial back her sodium intake on the run and the relative sodium concentration of what she consumed was much lower as a result (~349mg/L). She took four electrolyte capsules, containing 50mg of sodium each, while choosing to pick up fluids from the aid stations
• Although we don’t know Danielle’s exact sweat rate and sodium losses, averaging an electrolyte concentration of ~1,533mg/L over the entire race is a sensible level considering the mild temperatures and past issues she has experienced, but she could work on achieving a more consistent sodium intake across the bike and run leg

Fueling

Conclusions

• By following the advice of the PF&H Team, Danielle was able to put together a solid plan to secure the gold at IM 70.3 Oregon
• Whilst taking on board a great amount of carb which can facilitate enhanced performance, Danielle could look to slightly dial down her sodium intake on the bike
• This was the first race that Danielle “felt I got what I needed on board” and she should be very proud of how well her strategy is coming along. As she continues to refine her strategy, we look forward to seeing how much more she can achieve!