6th
Fenella Langridge's scorecard
IRONMAN World Championships
Thursday 6th October, 2022
Within recommended ranges
Just outside recommended ranges
Significantly outside recommended ranges
96g
Carb per hour
1,352mg
Sodium per hour
1,145ml
Fluid per hour
1,181mg/L
Relative sodium concentration
8.93mg/kg
Caffeine per bodyweight
How Fenella hit those numbers
How Fenella's hydration and fueling went...
- 2022 was a breakout year for Fenella, who came 2nd at Challenge Roth, with a time of 8:31:41, and she was aiming to replicate a fueling and hydration strategy that had served her well in that race for her first IRONMAN World Championship on ‘The Big Island’
- She swam with the front pack, clocked the fastest time through T1 and bridged the gap to leader, Lucy Charles-Barclay, in the opening miles. She pushed the pace with Lucy on the bike and lead for a significant proportion of the ride, before being caught and passed by Daniela Ryf around 5 miles before T2
- Fenella then backed up a very strong ride with a solid 3:16:30 marathon, finishing in 6th place. An excellent performance for her debut World Champs in Kona with a solid execution of her race nutrition strategy
Hydration
- Fenella sensibly preloaded both the night before and the morning of the race using PH 1500 (Tablets) to ensure that she started optimally hydrated with her blood plasma volume fully topped off
- After the swim, Fenella hopped onto her bike which was fully stocked with three pre-mixed bottles and picked another up at special needs, all of which provided carbohydrate in the form of three dissolved PF 30 Gels and electrolytes from half a serving of PF Energy Drink Mix alongside ~690ml (~24oz) of water
- Fenella knows that she has a high sweat sodium concentration (1,331mg/L) after having a Sweat Test, so she was aware that drink mix alone wouldn’t provide enough for her to see out the race. To solve this issue, she carried and consumed 20 Electrolyte Capsules (taking 2 every half an hour) which provided the majority of her sodium
- This resulted in an intake of ~5.3L (~180oz) fluid (~1,126ml/h / 38oz/h) whilst she was on the bike (~59% more than she drank in Roth), with a relative sodium concentration of 1,130mg/L, which will have certainly replaced a good proportion of her losses
- Fenella ran out of T2 with yet another Electrolyte Capsule that she took in with a 500ml/16oz soft flask which contained PH 1000 (Tablet). She then utilised the professional aid stations well, picking up no less than five 500ml (16oz) bottles which all contained PH 1000 (Tablets) and a total of eight more Electrolyte Capsules
- Alongside this she took 16 cups of water and 16 cups of Energy Drink from the regular on-course aid stations, resulting in her intake being ~1.5L/h (48oz/h) on the run with a relative sodium concentration of ~1,235mg/L (mg/32oz). This undoubtedly replaced a good proportion of her sweat losses in these brutal conditions and likely helped her avoid cramping up on the day
- There is some scientific evidence that the gut struggles to absorb fluid volumes of more than ~1.5L (48oz). And, while Fenella has undergone some rigorous gut training in recent times, this was likely a contributing factor to her feeling a bit nauseous during the last 10km of the marathon
- We’ve noticed that, whilst a lot of triathletes try to ‘frontload’ their fluid intake while they’re on the bike, Fenella has actually consumed more on the run than the bike in some of the races we have analysed. Aiming to get more in on the bike so that she can decrease her consumption on the run might be something Fenella could look at to see if it reduces the nausea she sometimes experiences towards the end of the race
Fueling
Quick Carb Calculator Recommendation
30g
carb 30 mins before
60-90g
carb per hour during
- With her aim to replicate her Challenge Roth performance by hitting around 100g of carb per hour, Fenella had a rigorous strategy planned out for the majority of the race
- She carb loaded with foods including rice and bagels for breakfast, as well as having a PF 30 Gel and PF 30 Caffeine Gel within the last 30 minutes before her start time to ensure both her intramuscular glycogen stores and blood glucose were optimally topped up for maximum energy availability
- On the bike, she had four 750ml (24oz) pre-mixed bottles containing ~105g carb each, utilising our water soluble PF 30 Gel and a half serving of PF Energy Drink Mix. She also took in two PF 30 Caffeine Gels, timing them strategically at the halfway point and with 10km until transition
- On the run, Fenella had another five PF 30 Gels and two PF 30 Caffeine Gels, which she spread evenly across the pro aid stations. When considering the 16 cups of Energy Drink she picked up from regular aid stations, she had a total average carb intake of ~96g/h, which is above the general 60-90g/h recommendation from our Quick Carb Calculator, but is another bit of evidence that some athletes can tolerate more than 90 grams per hour. This is something Fenella has been working on all season in training and the gut training seems to have paid off
- Fenella also utilised the benefits of caffeine well, hitting a total race intake of ~500mg using PF 30 Caffeine Gels. This works out to be ~8.93mg/kg, falling above the general 3-6mg/kg recommendation. For Fenella, who clearly tolerates caffeine well, this intake can be deemed appropriate based on past experience. However, we wouldn’t recommend going any higher than this in future races in order to minimise the risk of the associated symptoms of taking in too much caffeine
Conclusions
- Fenella raced very courageously at her first IRONMAN World Championships in Kona. She executed her fueling and hydration strategy brilliantly, feeling no particular energy dips throughout the race, and had the ability to pee right away after the race for doping control (suggesting minimal dehydration)
- Going forward, Fenella may want to look at the timing of her fluid intake and how much she can tolerate on the run to see whether adjusting this can reduce the nausea she sometimes experiences towards the end of the race
Key info
Fenella Langridge
Female
56kg
Sweat sodium concentration
1,331mg/L
Sweat sodium classification
Very High
* determined by a PH Advanced Sweat Test
Result
Position
6th
Overall Time
8:56:26
Swim Time
0:51:42
Bike Time
4:43:25
Run Time
3:16:30
Event information
Sport
Triathlon
Discipline
Full distance
Event
IRONMAN World Championships
Location
Kona, Hawaii
Date
6th October, 2022
Website
Swim Distance
3.8km / 2.4mi
Bike Distance
180.2km / 112.0mi
Run Distance
42.2km / 26.2mi
Total Distance
226.2km / 140.6mi
Bike Elevation
1,772m / 5,814ft
Run Elevation
307m / 1,007ft
Total Elevation
2,079m / 6,821ft
Race conditions
Weather Conditions
Very Hot and Humid
Precipitation
No Rain
Min Temp
25°C / 77°F
Max Temp
31°C / 88°F
Avg Temp
29°C / 84°F
Humidity
73%
Athlete feedback
Race Satisfaction
8/10
Hydration rating
8/10
After a couple of last minute changes I was a bit apprehensive, but it worked well given it was so hot
Energy levels
8/10
Toilet stops
Yes
Right at the end of the bike leg and a couple on the run
GI comfort
8/10
Really good until the last 10km of the run when I wanted to throw up
Cramping
No cramping
Fenella's full stats
Carbohydrate (g) | Sodium (mg) | Fluid (ml) | Caffeine (mg) | Relative sodium concentration (mg/L) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | |||||
Total intake | 861 | 12,077 | 10,230 | 500 | 1,181 |
Per hour | 96 | 1,352 | 1,145 | 56 | |
Bike and Run | |||||
Total intake | 801 | 12,077 | 10,230 | 400 | 1,181 |
Per hour | 100 | 1,513 | 1,281 | 50 | |
Bike | |||||
Total intake | 489 | 6,000 | 5,310 | 200 | 1,130 |
Per hour | 104 | 1,272 | 1,126 | 42 | |
Run | |||||
Total intake | 312 | 6,077 | 4,920 | 200 | 1,235 |
Per hour | 95 | 1,860 | 1,506 | 61 |
Data Confidence
1
2
3
4
5
There is some confidence in the quantities and brands of products consumed but the data may lack specifics (e.g. volumes, specific flavours). A high number of estimations have been made and the room for error is moderate-high. There may also be the possibility that some intake has been grossly over- or under-estimated.