Danielle Lewis
Challenge Roth
Roth5th, FPRODanielle's headline numbers
Danielle's 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 a big energy lull on the run, but I chugged coke, took a gel and my energy finally rebounded. I was so thankful to not have any GI distress and have dialled in a strategy that works with my gut."
After a series of GI issues over the past several races, Danielle made a few adjustments to her fueling plan ahead of Challenge Roth. She separated more of her fuel from her hydration, and used a wider variety of fuel sources to keep her from overloading on one item or risking flavour fatigue. She’s been trialling this plan (and retraining her gut) in preparation to tolerate the same amount of fuel she needs to keep her energy levels topped up. Additionally, she focused on increasing her carb intake in the days leading up to the race, consumed a carb-rich breakfast, and had a final boost of carbs immediately prior to the start. Thankfully, the fine-tuning paid off and she had one of her best GI ratings of the 2024 season while simultaneously maintaining high perceived energy for most of the race. While she had planned to pick up a fuel flask around halfway into the run, her energy levels decreased slightly earlier than expected, leaving a brief lull in energy and fuel. But Danielle did well to take in what she could, grabbing cups of cola from the aid station, and came back to finish in fifth.
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.
Danielle1310mg/L
Danielle 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 Danielle's losses are High (1,310mg/L), nailing her hydration strategy remains important, even when it's Mild.
Learn moreT - 60mins: Drank ~500ml of strong electrolyte drink
"I started cramping mildly towards the end of the bike after losing an electrolyte tablet and drinking more plain water, but otherwise everything went well."
As someone with a higher-than-average sweat sodium concentration and a fairly high sweat rate, it’s crucial for Danielle to stay on top of her fluid and electrolyte intake to replace her losses and prevent dehydration-related issues. Even though the race's milder temperatures worked in her favour, she still made a point to match her individual losses as closely as possible, something she’s been working to achieve over the 2024 race season. Danielle ensured she had a ‘hydration-focused bottle’ containing PH 1500 and carried extra tablets to add to this whenever she refilled, helping to keep dehydration at bay. Despite losing one of her planned PH 1500 tablets on course, Danielle managed to regularly consume sodium in the form of capsules to maintain her intake and prevent any significant deviation from her plan.
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
Danielle’s a regular coffee drinker and always incorporates at least *some* caffeine into her strategy. On this occasion, she increased her caffeine intake significantly and was quite a bit above the scientifically recommended range. However, she did space out the doses, placing a PF 30 Caffeine Gel before the swim to kickstart her fueling and another part way through the bike, followed by several additional rounds of caffeine on the run. Since she didn’t have any negative symptoms from the high amount and actually felt better than she has previously, her caffeine tolerance is likely pretty high and enabled her to maximally reap the fatigue-masking benefits of the stimulant over a full-distance race.
How Danielle hit her numbers
Here's everything that Danielle ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“It was a 10 out of 10 day. Absolutely epic. My energy felt solid all day, although towards the later stages of the race when my energy lulled, I was tempted to stop in a German village tent for a beer and hot dog!”
Danielle“Danielle crossed the finish line in fifth, boasting the second fastest full-distance triathlon time by an American *ever*. Her dedication to tweaking her nutrition plan and practising every adjustment in training paid off and left her feeling great. Going forward, we’re excited to help Danielle continue to match her strategy to her body’s needs and racing conditions so she can keep crushing it on course!”
PF&HDanielle'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 some confidence in the quantities and brands of products consumed but the data may lack specifics (e.g. volumes specific flavours). A high number of estimations have been made and the room for error is moderate-high. There may also be the possibility that some intake has been grossly over- or under-estimated.