IM 70.3 Mossel Bay

Emma has suffered from stomach pains in some of her previous races, as a result, she tends to consume less carb than we’d recommend to an athlete of her ability and this seems to be a strategy that works for her. The pain Emma experiences happens more frequently in hot conditions, so this new strategy was a great confidence boost for her in the heat of Mossel Bay. She has, however, been practising increasing her fuel consumption, and this race shows her progress so far. Despite dropping a bottle of fuel early on the bike, which would have bumped her overall average up to ~75g/h, her actual intake was still double what she took in St George in 2022, showcasing the solid improvements she’s been making. If Emma is comfortable that her stomach pains are a thing of the past, then consuming a couple of PF 30 Gels would nudge her carb intake up and maintain higher energy levels in the closing stages of her race.

Despite dropping 50% of her planned fluid and electrolytes on the bike, Emma did well to pick up plenty of water from the aid stations to average a sodium intake close to her sweat concentration. With the hot and humid conditions of South Africa in mind, Emma prepared well with a training camp in the area to acclimatise, measuring her sweat rate frequently to predict her sweat losses during the race. Peeing twice throughout the race suggests she crushed this and was hydrating optimally.