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Pro
6th

Ellie Salthouse's scorecard

PTO US Open

Saturday 5th August, 2023

Within recommended ranges

Just outside recommended ranges

Significantly outside recommended ranges

  • 87g

    Carb per hour
  • 322mg

    Sodium per hour
  • 465ml

    Fluid per hour
  • 693mg/L

    Relative sodium concentration
  • 7.02mg/kg

    Caffeine per bodyweight
  • How Ellie hit those numbers

    finish
    star
    bottle
     
    500ml x PH 500 (Tablet)
    300ml x PF 60 Drink Mix (1/2 Serving)
    1 x Bagel with Butter
    2 x Slices of White Bread with Almond Butter and Banana
    2 x Slices of White Bread with Nutella and Banana
    2 x White Coffee
     
     
    1 x PF 30 Caffeine Gel
     
     
    *** Review technique if drinking much at this point!
     
     
    500ml x PF 60 Energy Drink Mix (Double Serving)
    3 x PF 30 Energy Gel
    2 x PF 30 Caffeine Gel
    500ml x Plain water
     
     
    1 x PF 30 Energy Gel
    1 x PF 30 Caffeine Gel
    420ml x Plain water
    210ml x Energy drink (22g carb)
    75ml x Coca Cola Original
     

    How Ellie's hydration and fueling went...

      • Professional triathlete, Ellie Salthouse took on the world's top ranked middle and long distance triathletes over the 100km distance at the PTO US Open
      • She had a breakthrough performance and fought her way to a 6th place finish, with just 30 seconds separating 4th from 7th
      • Ellie has been dialling in her fuel and hydration strategy with the Sports Science team at PF&H, and executed this tried-and-tested plan with precision

    Hydration

      • With weather forecasts predicting scorching temperatures, before the race Ellie attempted to preload with a PH 500 Tablet in 500ml (16oz) water, and by sipping on ½ a serving of PF 60 Drink Mix up until the race start
      • To dial in this process, and prepare her body optimally for long periods of sweating, Ellie should consider swapping out this PH 500 for a stronger PH 1500, which will stimulate an increase in her blood plasma volume, and reduce the strain on her cardiovascular system in the early parts of the race
      • During the race itself, Ellie added two servings of PF 60 Drink Mix to her 500ml (16oz) aero bottle, and sipped on another 500ml (16oz) bottle of plain water to dilute the concentration
      • This simple, yet effective strategy saw her fly round the 80km (50 mile) bike course, and set off onto the run feeling well hydrated and full of running
      • During the run, Ellie’s hydration strategy relied on grabbing cups of water and sports drink from the on course aid stations, and she made sure to hit every station, picking up ~420ml (15oz) of water and ~210ml (7oz) of sports drink throughout the ~70 minute run
      • Towards the end of the run, Ellie also picked up three cups of Coca Cola (which is commonly referred to as the red ambulance in triathlon) to help boost her energy levels, which brought her average fluid intake to ~465ml (15oz) per hour across the entire race. As Ellie has a moderate sweat rate, and temperatures were milder than expected (22℃ / 72℉), this fluid intake will have helped her maintain adequate hydration to sustain her performance
      • Ellie is a “low salt” sweater, losing just 655mg of sodium in each litre (32oz) of her sweat, as measured by our Sweat Test. And she did well to average a relative sodium concentration of ~693mg/L (mg/32oz) across the entire race, predominantly from the concentrated PF 60 Drink Mix she consumed, which will have replaced a high proportion of her sweat electrolyte losses

    Fueling

    Quick Carb Calculator Recommendation

    30g

    carb 30 mins before

    60-90g

    carb per hour during
      • Similarly to other athletes racing the PTO US Open, Ellie was less familiar with the afternoon start time (4:15pm) when it came to pre-race fueling. She chose to stick to her routine, and eat carb-rich foods she knew she liked and didn’t upset her stomach
      • This carb-loading strategy began with her usual bagel and almond butter, followed a couple of hours later by some white bread with almond butter and banana, and her final meal pre-race was another two slices of white bread with nutella and banana
      • Finally, to top off her blood glucose levels, Ellie took a PF 30 Caffeine Gel ahead of the swim, which will have initiated some glycogen sparing, thus saving some of her stored energy for later in the race
      • Once on the bike, Ellie’s carb intake primarily came from a super-concentrated 500ml (16oz) fuel bottle, containing four scoops of PF 60 Drink Mix, a PF 30 Gel and a PF 30 Caffeine Gel. She drank the mix throughout the race, diluting as she went with a bottle of plain water
      • Ellie also carried two additional PF 30 Gels and one more Caffeine Gel in her bento box, bringing her total carb intake to ~210g for an average of ~108g per hour
      • This high intake set her up well for the run, which she knew was going to be a very high intensity, and her capacity to fuel would be reduced. Ellie still did well to take two more gels, one Caffeine and one Original, which in addition to the small amount of carb in the sports drink and Coca Cola, meant she averaged ~69g per hour on the run, and ~87g/h across the entire race
      • This is almost spot on the 90g/h recommendations from our Fuel Planner, and Ellie reported high energy levels throughout, with no GI discomfort, suggesting she’s trained her gut well to tolerate this high quantity of carb
      • Ellie also utilises the benefits of caffeine by steadily taking some before and during races. She had two coffees throughout the morning, ensuring she had some circulating caffeine in her blood before the race began. This was then topped up with the PF 30 Caffeine Gel ahead of the race, and throughout she had a further 300 milligrams
      • Overall, Ellie averaged ~7mg of caffeine per kg (2.2lb) of her bodyweight, which is slightly higher than the 3-6mg/kg general scientific guidelines, but as someone who drinks coffee regularly, her tolerance is high and she didn’t experience any negative side effects

    Conclusions

      • In all, Ellie executed not only a superb fuel and hydration strategy, but also delivered what she felt to be “one of her best races she’s ever done”, beating some serious opposition on her way to 6th place
      • Ellie’s next race will be two weeks after Milwaukee, when she tackles the PTO Asian Open in Singapore, where she’ll be looking to adapt her hydration strategy in particular to account for the typically high temperatures and humidity

    Key info

    Ellie Salthouse

    Female
    58kg
    Sweat sodium concentration
    655mg/L
    Sweat sodium classification
    Low
    * determined by a PH Advanced Sweat Test

    Result

    Position
    6th
    Overall Time
    3:40:13
    Swim Time
    0:28:16
    Bike Time
    1:57:58
    Run Time
    1:10:51

    Event information

    Sport
    Triathlon
    Discipline
    Middle distance
    Event
    PTO US Open
    Location
    Milwaukee, USA
    Date
    5th August, 2023
    Website
    Swim Distance
    2.0km / 1.2mi
    Bike Distance
    80.0km / 49.7mi
    Run Distance
    18.0km / 11.2mi
    Total Distance
    100.0km / 62.1mi

    Race conditions

    Weather Conditions
    Hot and Humid
    Precipitation
    No Rain
    Min Temp
    21°C / 70°F
    Max Temp
    25°C / 77°F
    Avg Temp
    24°C / 75°F
    Humidity
    70%

    Athlete feedback

    Race Satisfaction
    9/10
    Hydration rating
    9/10
    I skipped a 500ml bottle on my bike because I didn't feel like I "needed" it
    Energy levels
    9/10
    GI comfort
    10/10
    No issues during the race, but had some stomach pains post-race
    Cramping
    Twinges but not full-on cramps

    Ellie's full stats

     Carbohydrate (g)Sodium (mg)Fluid (ml)Caffeine (mg)Relative sodium concentration (mg/L)
    Overall
    Total intake3211,1811,705407693
    Per hour87322465111
    Bike and Run
    Total intake2911,1811,705307693
    Per hour9337954799
    Bike
    Total intake2101,0001,0002001,000
    Per hour108513513103
    Run
    Total intake81181705107257
    Per hour6915560492

    Data Confidence

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    1

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    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).

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