Fenella Langridge
Challenge Roth
Roth2nd, FPROFenella's headline numbers
Fenella'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 had no major dips in energy and felt like I could keep pushing hard right until the end."
Fenella averaged an impressive carb intake across the race, hitting her goal of over ~100g/h on both the bike and run. Her main source of carb was PF 90 Gels, as well as some PF 30 Chews and a couple of PF 30 Caffeine Gels. In comparison to Fenella’s last attempt racing Challenge Roth in 2021, she consumed a higher carb intake this time, particularly on the run to prevent the fast-diminishing energy levels she had previously experienced. It’s worth noting that Fenella has spent considerable time training her gut to tolerate more carbs, allowing her to sustain high energy levels whilst minimising the risk of GI discomfort.
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.
Fenella1331mg/L
Fenella 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.
Given Fenella's losses are High (1,331mg/L), nailing her hydration strategy becomes especially crucial when it's hot and/or humid.
Learn moreT - 60mins: Drank ~500ml of strong electrolyte drink
"I didn’t take all of the electrolyte capsules during the run that I planned to as I couldn’t swallow them without water, but my intake on the bike leg was sufficient enough that my sodium levels didn’t drop too much."
Fenella ensured she started the race optimally hydrated by preloading with PH 1500 (Tablets) and PH 1500 (Drink Mix) the morning of the race. In the first 5km of the bike, Fenella unfortunately dropped one of her two bottles containing some carbs and PH 1000 (Drink Mix). Thankfully, Fenella’s partner and coach (Billy) was able to recreate a similar drink and hand this to her mid race with the unique support rules of Challenge Roth. This ensured she could stick to her hydration strategy to replace her sweat losses as much as possible and prevent the risk of dehydration. Given the warm conditions experienced on race day, Fenella’s drive to drink was amplified and as a result, she consumed more fluid than she previously had in races of similar intensity and duration. By sensibly adapting her strategy to ensure she stayed hydrated, and using the water cups and aid stations on course to throw fluid over herself as a cooling strategy, she avoided overheating.
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
Fenella regularly uses caffeine to help boost her performance throughout races. This included a pre-race PF 30 Caffeine Gel and several more during both the bike and run. Whilst this equated to slightly above the recommended range, we’ve seen her hit similar numbers in her past races with no ill effects so it seems to be a solid strategy for her to maintain a high level of performance.
How Fenella hit her numbers
Here's everything that Fenella ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“The race was amazing, it’s such a cool experience and I loved the support from the crowd.”
“Fenella raced hard for the duration of the race and ultimately executed her most successful full-distance triathlon to date, one-upping her 3rd place from last year’s Challenge Roth. Notably, this is the highest carb intake we’ve seen from her, and she even rated her GI comfort ten out of ten, thanks to her extensive gut training. Racing well in the heat is something Fenella has focused on with the team at PF&H, and this race was another great example of how she’s nailing all parts of her fuel and hydration strategy. ”
PF&HFenella'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.