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Emma Pallant-Browne

Pro

PTO European Open

6th May, 2023
Spain
Ibiza
4th, FPRO
Triathlon, Middle distance - 100km
21°C
, Hot
3hrs 42mins
more race details

Emma's headline numbers

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?
?
~39
g
Carb per hour
Recommended 90g/h+
~462
ml
Fluid per hour
Recommended 500-1,000ml/h
~485
mg
Sodium per litre
Recommended 500-900mg/L
0
mg
Total caffeine

Emma's strategy

Fueling

Carbohydrate is the main fuel you burn when racing. Failing to fuel properly is a leading cause of underperformance in longer races.

Carb-rich meal
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T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)
pre-fueled
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T - 15mins: Took in a final dose of carb
Carb per hour
Recommended 90g/h+
~39
g
Emma's Energy Rating
6
/10
"I felt flat from the start of the bike, but I don't think it was nutrition related."
Our thoughts

Emma had to modify her pre-planned fuel and hydration strategy due to some damage to her internal fluid storage on the bike, and as a result, was carrying less carbohydrates than she previously anticipated. As a result, her average carb intake for the bike leg was significantly below the scientific recommendations for a race of this duration and intensity. Her previous races have illustrated good performances despite ingesting fewer carbs than we would recommend, but for both performance and recovery purposes, we would suggest she works hard to train her gut and consume higher doses. This would also help alleviate the extreme dips in energy she experienced and manage her energy levels better, especially when on her period when she finds her energy is often low, like in this race.

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.

Emma716mg/L
Emma 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.

Whilst Emma’s losses are on the low side, getting her hydration strategy right is still crucial when it’s hot and/or humid as her higher sweat rate in these conditions can result in significant net losses over the duration of a race.

Learn more
Pre-loaded electrolytes
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T - 60mins: Drank ~500ml of strong electrolyte drink
Fluid per hour
Recommended 500-1,000ml/h
~462
ml
Sodium per litre
Recommended 500-900mg/L
~485
mg
Emma's Hydration Rating
7
/10
"It got really hot towards the end, and there just weren't enough aid stations - I would have drank more if I could! "
Our thoughts

As mentioned above, Emma’s damaged hydration system meant she wasn't able to rely on it for additional fluids during the race. Knowing her numbers as well as she does, Emma was able to prepare a back-up plan before the race started. Impressively, despite these difficulties, it’s likely she replaced a good proportion of her sweat losses, as the relative sodium concentration of her drinks during the bike were very close to that of her individual sweat sodium concentration, as determined by a Sweat Test. On the run, temperatures had risen to ~23℃ (73°F), and Emma felt quite thirsty so relied heavily on picking up cups of water from the on-course aid stations, which she passed six times throughout the 18km run. But she still felt very dehydrated at the end, which is supported by her struggling to produce a urine sample for drug testing post-race.

How Emma hit her numbers

Here's everything that Emma ate and drank on the day...

Emma's weapons of choice

Final thoughts

Emma's Satisfaction Rating
8
/10
All things considered, I think I got the best result I could.
Emma
Emma was stoked to finish fourth against some of the fastest triathletes in the world, especially after overcoming both nutritional and physiological adversity throughout the race. Having raced several times whilst on her period, Emma recalled the debilitating energy lows and negative mood, which she managed to push through and still perform exceptionally well. Going forwards, Emma should look to continue increasing her carb intake by training her gut, which will help her maintain stable energy levels and prevent the energy drops she experienced.
PF&H

Emma's full stats

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?
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Overall
145g total carb
39g per hour
1,710ml total fluid
462ml per hour
830mg total sodium
224mg per hour
485mg
Sodium per litre
Bike and Run
Bike
Run

Data Confidence
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We rate each of our case studies from 1-5 based on the level of accuracy, and our confidence in the data.
1
2
3
4
5

There is an adequate level of accuracy in the data collected and the numbers reported. The athlete manages to recall what they ate and drank including most specifics (brands flavours quantities plausible estimations of volumes). However there are estimations made within the data which affect the overall confidence level in the data reported.

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