IRONMAN 70.3® Nice

Gro’s total carb intake averaged ~72g/h, broken down into ~66g/h during the bike leg and ~99g/h on the run. This is actually the inverse of what we typically see, where athletes consume more on the bike and less during the run. However, Gro dropped her intake when she began feeling full toward the end of the bike, wanting to be mindful of her history with GI issues. She used a combination of PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix and PF 30 Gels to fuel her performance but fell short of the recommended 90g/h for a race of this duration and intensity due to her decrease on the bike. Adding an extra PF 30 Gel per hour would help her reach this target, though it’s crucial for her to practise this in training to train her gut to tolerate the increased intake.

The night before the race, Gro consumed 1L of water with a PH 1500 Tablet. but for optimal preloading, she should have mixed it in 500ml of water to maintain a relative sodium concentration of 1500mg/L, which would maximise fluid retention and increase blood plasma volume. On race day, Gro managed her fluid intake wisely, increasing consumption during the run as temperatures soared to ~28°C. The relative sodium concentration of her drinks was also higher than her sweat sodium concentration, indicating that she was certainly replacing her sodium losses through sweat and using the water retaining properties of sodium to her advantage.

Gro consumed all of her caffeine during the run, and since caffeine takes around 45 minutes to peak in the bloodstream, she would have only experienced its ergogenic benefits toward the latter part of the race. By moving her caffeine intake earlier next time, she could reap the effects of the stimulant throughout more of the race.