• Harry had another consistent race at IM 70.3 Swansea, finishing 6th amongst a high calibre field including two time Olympic triathlon champion Alistair Brownlee
• In a day where he forgot his bike computer and so was essentially “racing blind”, Harry managed his efforts well, sticking to a familiar fueling and hydration strategy and enjoying the raw racing that it brought

Hydration

• Having worked with the team here at PF&H for a while now, Harry knows how important starting each race hydrated is, and so he preloaded the night before with one PH 1500 (Tablet) in ~1L/32oz water. This is a weaker relative sodium concentration than we recommend for preloading, and so in future he should consider reducing the total volume of water (~500ml/16oz), so to avoid diluting the sodium too much and achieve a more optimal concentration
• Furthermore, the morning of the race he drank ~750ml/24oz water with a PH 1500 (Tablet) in, which perhaps wouldn’t have achieved the optimal hydration status heading into the race
• During the bike, Harry had a 1L/32oz bottle with two PH 1500 (Drink Mix) packets in, two 500ml/16oz bottles with gels in that he topped up with plain water (~630ml/22oz water between the two bottles). He also grabbed a 750ml/24oz bottle of plain water from the on-course aid station, which he drank half of and poured the rest over his head to keep himself cool
• In total, Harry drank just over 2L/64oz of fluid, with a relative sodium concentration of ~741mg per litre. Given his sweat sodium concentration of 921mg/L, measured by our Sweat Test, he should consider increasing his sodium intake on the bike to more closely match his sweat losses
• Harry stepped off the bike having ridden hard, and so was pleased to discover his run legs hadn’t totally deserted him as a consequence. He managed to pick up a cup of water and a cup of Coca Cola from six aid stations, giving him a total fluid intake on the run of ~480ml/16oz, which averaged into ~384ml/12oz per hour
• Across the whole race, Harry drank ~609ml/20oz per hour which is a higher intake than we’ve seen Harry drink previously. Despite this, he should still aim to have some sodium on the run, either by taking a couple of Electrolyte Capsules with him or by picking up some of the on-course nutrition, particularly during warmer races

Fueling

Conclusions

• Harry finished the race feeling frustrated about forgetting his bike computer and subsequently not being able to quantify his cycling efforts. However, upon reflection he accepted that this is part of racing, and that learning to race on how he feels, rather than just listening to the data, is a valuable skill to have
• In terms of his intake, hitting the highest carb and fluid numbers we’ve seen without upsetting his stomach is a big step forward, and he is starting to reap the benefits of his persistent gut training
• Harry’s now switching his focus towards the full-distance, aiming to tackle the infamous IM Wales in September - best of luck Harry!