Harry Palmer
IRONMAN® Leeds
Leeds3rd, MPROHarry's headline numbers
Harry's strategy
Fueling
T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)
T - 15mins: Took in a final dose of carb
"It was a really tough course, particularly on the bike. But I found the ‘spiky’ nature of the course profile good for fueling."
Following his recent IRONMAN® races, where fueling proved to be his biggest challenge, Harry has been training his gut to tolerate higher carb intakes to support the high power and speed outputs required to be competitive in professional triathlon racing. His podium finish in Leeds came with his highest carb intake to date - evidence that GI issues can be overcome with consistent training and an individualised strategy. While the hilly nature of the bike course was challenging, it actually worked in Harry’s favour when it came to fueling. He felt he was able to drip-feed his carbs more effectively than previous, flatter races where constant high intensity riding in the aero position made this trickier. Harry should take real confidence from how he executed his fueling in this race; his focus now will be keeping it up for the IRONMAN® World Championships in Nice.
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.
Harry921mg/L
Harry has been Sweat Tested to dial in his 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.
Whilst Harry's losses are on the moderate side, getting his hydration strategy right is still crucial when it's hot and/or humid as his higher sweat rate in these conditions can result in significant net losses over the duration of a race.
Learn moreT - 60mins: Drank ~500ml of strong electrolyte drink
"I felt good on the whole, although there was one point on the bike where I could feel my quads cramping a bit so I took on more electrolytes, and after that I was absolutely fine. It made me realise I was towing the line with electrolytes a bit."
Harry’s fluid intake replaced a good proportion of his sweat losses, helping him stay within his body’s tolerable level of dehydration. The cramping he experienced on the bike could be attributed to his relative sodium concentration being ~389mg/L lower than his sweat sodium concentration. Harry responded quickly to the cramping by picking up two bottles of on-course PH 1000 (Tablets), enabling him to get back on top of his electrolyte balance, alleviate the symptoms and push hard through the final section of the ride. Harry started the run with a Flow Flask 120 filled with overconcentrated PH 1000 (Drink Mix), but once he finished it, he consumed only plain water for the rest of the marathon. Looking ahead, especially in hotter conditions, Harry would benefit from picking up additional electrolytes on the run to better maintain his fluid and electrolyte balance.
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.
Consuming caffeine in the hours before the start may have increased perceived energy levels
Caffeine is a common part of many endurance athletes’ fueling strategies due to its ergogenic effects; however, Harry struggles to tolerate it and has largely cut it out due to GI discomfort. He did not take on any significant sources of caffeine over this race, only cola from aid stations which provided regular but very small doses through the run. Harry is considering reintroducing PF 30 Caffeine Gels in training to see how he tolerates them, as including caffeine in his race plan may help to smooth out some of the peaks and troughs in energy that he felt during the marathon in Leeds.
How Harry hit his numbers
Here's everything that Harry ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“This is the first IRONMAN® that I feel like I was able to properly race. I wouldn’t say it was perfect, but I am happy with my performance. ”
“Harry executed his best fuel and hydration strategy to date leading to an amazing podium finish in Leeds. Hopefully this result, and the ability to feel like he was truly racing, rather than surviving, will give him confidence for future IRONMAN® events.”
PF&HHarry'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.