Emma Pallant-Browne
IRONMAN 70.3® World Championship
St George, Utah5th, FPROEmma's headline numbers
Emma'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 didn’t have my best swim, and then I felt great on the bike, but I completely ran out of energy on the run."
Using her normal ‘menu’ of drink mix and some chews, Emma consumed a solid ~74g of carbohydrates per hour on the tricky bike course, just below the recommendations for an endurance race of this duration and intensity. However, her intake dropped even further to ~22g/h during the run, where she relied solely on the on-course energy drink mix. This averaged out to an intake across the race that’s *significantly* below the recommended levels, and likely contributed to her feeling 'flat' later in the run. To optimize her energy availability, we’d recommend increasing her carbohydrate intake throughout the race, especially getting closer to 90g/h on the bike where it’s easier to fuel logistically. On the run, minimizing the drop off in carb intake will give her more available energy to fuel her hard effort and maintain better performance.
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 moreDrinking a strong electrolyte drink before the race could have helped Emma start optimally hydrated
"I felt I didn’t over or under-drink during the race. Other than an early pee during the swim I didn’t pee all race."
Emma likely replenished a good portion of the electrolytes she lost given her moderate sweat sodium concentration and high sweat rate. This is an improvement to her sodium intake at recent races where she consumed much less than her losses. She reported some cramping during the uphill sections of the run, likely due to fatigue and muscle overload rather than a sodium deficit though. Her total fluid intake should have been adequate given the cooler than expected conditions, but this level is still lower than we have previously seen her consume and therefore may have contributed to her discomfort on the run and post-race recovery challenges.
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
Emma was slightly below the recommended range for caffeine intake, so increasing the dosage to reach the 3-6mg/kg range could help support her performance through masking fatigue and reducing her perception of effort. Practically, she could achieve this by using one more PF 30 Caffeine Gel during the latter part of the bike to sustain energy levels right up until crossing the finish line.
How Emma hit her numbers
Here's everything that Emma ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“I just felt so flat and I'm not too sure why. Training has been amazing and I felt great going into it, but I think this has been one of my poorest races of the season. I didn't have my best swim but felt in control and easy on the bike. Then on the run I just had nothing.”
Emma“Overall, things didn’t quite go as Emma would have hoped at this World Champs race. While the numbers she hit are not totally out of character and similar to some of her [previous races](), there is still room for improvement, especially in terms of fueling to try to optimize her performance and avoid the dreaded crash she experienced on the run.”
PF&HEmma'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 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.