IRONMAN 70.3® World Championships

Ellie executed a well-structured fueling plan, closely aligning with the recommended 90g of carbs per hour for an event of this duration and intensity, and only slightly below her intake at the Melbourne IRONMAN 70.3® a few weeks earlier where she took the victory. Over years of racing, she has refined her strategy and now consistently follows a similar approach, consuming ~100g/h on the bike and ~70g/h during the run. This ‘front-loading’ strategy is common among triathletes, as it’s generally easier to take on higher carb doses while cycling compared to running. Ellie’s plan paid off, seeing her race her way to the finish line as the top 10 fastest women across the 70.3® distance in the world.

Ellie has previously found it challenging to consume large volumes of fluid, but here she managed to accomplish her goal effectively. She consumed ~300ml more per hour than in the Melbourne IRONMAN 70.3®, showing marked improvement in her gut’s tolerance to more fluid. While her sodium intake was slightly below her sweat sodium concentration, the lack of dehydration-related symptoms suggests this intake was well-suited to the race day conditions, however Ellie should look to increase her sodium intake to better support her hydration status and recovery in future events.

Ellie stuck to the same caffeine intake as in her previous races, once again capitalising on the ergogenic benefits of the stimulant. Although her dosage slightly exceeded the recommended amount for her body weight, she has consistently demonstrated that she can tolerate this level of caffeine without any negative symptoms.