IRONMAN 70.3® Weymouth

Heather reported feeling consistently energised throughout the race, which speaks to her smart pacing and consistent use of familiar fuel sources like PF 30 Chews, PF 30 Gels, and a few sweets. However, when we look closer at her actual carbohydrate intake, ~50g/h is below the recommended range. This means she performed well despite under-fueling, which suggests she may have had even more to give with a higher intake and greater energy availability. Over nearly five hours of racing, this energy deficit would have added up as the energy demand at this intensity would have been greater than the ~240g of carbs she consumed. It’s a real positive to see Heather increase her intake by nearly double since her previous race, and in future, gradually increasing this further through some structured gut training in her key sessions, especially ahead of the 2025 IRONMAN 70.3® World Champs in Marbella, would be worthwhile and hopefully help combat the stitch she experienced during the run portion of the race. Aiming to increase her intake towards 90g/h could help her maintain a stronger bike power and carry more consistent energy into the run, without risking gut discomfort or feeling the need to walk.

Hydration was a particular challenge during Heather’s race. Despite not drinking much before the race, she felt well hydrated. Still, preloading with a strong electrolyte drink, such as PH 1500 ahead of the race start would help her retain the fluid she drinks on race morning and could reduce the urgency to pee. The sensation of fullness and bloating she then experienced made it difficult to drink as much as planned during the race, leaving her with a total intake of only ~600ml. This is well below typical requirements for those conditions, especially given the high humidity, and while her fluids contained some sodium, this was still a much lower quantity than what she was losing in her sweat. This imbalance of not enough total fluid and low total sodium likely contributed to the stomach bloating and stitch that appeared early on the run, affecting her body’s ability to digest and absorb the carb she was consuming. Next time, a more consistent drinking pattern on the bike could help her hydration status without feeling “too full”.

Heather chose not to use caffeine during this race as she hasn't practised with it enough before. This was a sensible decision, but in future training she may want to experiment with some PF 30 Caffeine Gels to see if she's one of the many athletes who reap the ergogenic benefits of the stimulant during endurance exercise.