< Back to case studies
20th

Jack Davis' scorecard

IRONMAN World Championships

Saturday 7th May, 2022

Within recommended ranges

Just outside recommended ranges

Significantly outside recommended ranges

  • 61g

    Carb per hour
  • 631mg

    Sodium per hour
  • 689ml

    Fluid per hour
  • 916mg/L

    Relative sodium concentration
  • 0mg

    Total caffeine
  • How Jack hit those numbers

    finish
    star
    bottle
     
    500ml x PH 1500 (Tablet)
    1 x Bowl of oats and honey
     
     
    100ml x Plain water
    1 x Energy gel (25g carb)
     
     
    *** Try to avoid drinking too much at this point in the race!
     
     
    10 x PH Electrolyte Capsule
    2.25L x Plain water
    1.5L x Energy drink mix (79g carb)
    1.875L x Energy drink (22g carb)
    4 x Fig Roll (20g carb)
     
     
    5 x PH Electrolyte Capsule
    1.8L x Plain water
    3 x Energy gel (25g carb)
    1L x Energy drink (22g carb)
    2.5 x Banana
    3 x Fig Roll (20g carb)
     

    How Jack's hydration and fueling went...

      • Jack raced his first IRONMAN World Championships in St George, Utah, after the global pandemic postponed his debut by 7 months
      • Temperatures on race day soared to ~35℃/94℉, and Jack did well to increase his water and sodium intake to offset his losses, caused by an increased sweat rate
      • Overall, Jack was pleased with how he planned and executed his hydration and fueling strategy, which helped him finish this brutal race in one piece (for context, the race saw ~30% DNF rate!)

    Hydration

      • Jack preloaded his sodium levels the night before the race by drinking ~500ml/16oz water with 1 x PH 1500 tablet, and he sipped on ~500ml/16oz of PH 1500 before the race start
      • Jack drank an average of ~689ml/23oz per hour throughout the 10 hour 55 minutes. With conditions being extremely hot (temperatures hit ~35℃/94℉ at some points), Jack’s sweat rate would have been significantly higher than he would have experienced during his training sessions in the UK, so he did a solid job of fluid replacement
      • Furthermore, Jack consumed a total of ~7,215mg of sodium, averaging ~661mg/hr. Considering Jack’s Advanced Sweat Test score of 983mg/L, this is a decent effort to replace his losses over nearly 11 hours, especially considering he couldn’t drink anything for the first hour whilst he was swimming
      • Jack hit these numbers on the bike by drinking 2.5 x bottles of electrolyte drink, 3 x bottles of plain water and 10 x PH Electrolyte Capsules
      • During the run, Jack used a mixture of on-course electrolyte drinks, cups of plain water and 5 x PH Electrolyte Capsules to hit his sodium numbers. We would typically recommend he bump these numbers up slightly, especially considering the high temperatures he experienced during the run
      • Jack also picked up ice from every aid station, saying he took a “ridiculous amount” of ice throughout the run. This will have helped stabilise/lower his core temperature, and will have placed less stress on his sweat system to cool him down
      • Overall, Jack rated his fueling and hydration plan 8/10, saying that he “wanted to consume more fluid during the run, but was worried about sloshing” in his stomach. This is a common problem experienced by athletes during long-course racing, but he may have been able to increase his fluid intake without the feeling of ‘sloshing’ by training his gut to tolerate more fluid

    Fueling

    Quick Carb Calculator Recommendation

    30g

    carb 30 mins before

    60-90g

    carb per hour during
      • Jack had a solid carb-rich breakfast on the morning of the race which contained oats, milk and honey and this will have helped top up his glycogen stores
      • As Jack stood on the start line for the swim, he took a final carb hit by having an energy gel. This will have gone into his bloodstream very quickly, allowing his stored glycogen to be spared for when he really needed it later in the race
      • Jack took a total of ~689g of carbohydrates, which is ~61g per hour and just within the 60-90g/hr recommended range from our Quick Carb Calculator, although slightly below Jack’s planned intake of ~70g/hr
      • During the ride, his fueling comprised of 3 x energy drink sachets, 3 x bottles of electrolyte and carbs drinks and a further 3 x fig rolls
      • Jack used fig rolls as a form of real food which can feel very satisfying and help avoid ‘flavour fatigue’ during long endurance events
      • On the run, Jack utilised the aid stations on course and picked up 3 energy gels. He planned to have more than this, but said he felt like eating solid foods, and as his pace had dropped slightly Jack felt he could digest this more easily. As such, he picked up 5 x banana halves and 3 x fig rolls throughout the run, and rated his energy levels as 6/10
      • Jack did a good job of adapting his fueling plan on the go as he felt his body craving different fuel sources. This is an important skill to learn and will benefit him greatly in future races

    Conclusions

      • In general, Jack described the race as “brutal - physically and psychologically”. He said it was “the toughest course on the circuit, especially in those conditions”
      • Jack’s sodium and carb intakes were decent, but he should aim to increase his sodium intake in order to replace a greater proportion of what he loses in his sweat
      • Jack rated his overall race satisfaction as 8/10, saying his only goal was to enjoy the experience. He met this goal, but said “as my times were slower than I wanted, I can’t ignore this”

    Key info

    Jack Davis

    Male
    Sweat sodium concentration
    983mg/L
    Sweat sodium classification
    Moderate
    * determined by a PH Advanced Sweat Test

    Result

    Position
    20th
    Overall Time
    10:55:25
    Swim Time
    0:59:47
    Bike Time
    5:37:40
    Run Time
    4:06:49

    Event information

    Sport
    Triathlon
    Discipline
    Full distance
    Event
    IRONMAN World Championships
    Location
    Utah, USA
    Date
    7th May, 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
    2,248m / 7,375ft
    Run Elevation
    431m / 1,414ft
    Total Elevation
    2,679m / 8,789ft

    Race conditions

    Weather Conditions
    Very Hot
    Precipitation
    No Rain
    Min Temp
    21°C / 70°F
    Max Temp
    35°C / 95°F
    Avg Temp
    29°C / 84°F
    Humidity
    12%

    Athlete feedback

    Race Satisfaction
    8/10
    Hydration rating
    8/10
    I wanted to consume more fluid during the run, but was worried about sloshing
    Energy levels
    6/10
    Mixed bag but expected this with 10 hours of racing in the heat
    Toilet stops
    Yes
    Once on the swim, once on the bike, once on the run
    GI comfort
    7/10
    During run didn’t feel like consuming gels but didn’t feel too bad
    Cramping
    No cramping

    Jack's Thoughts

     I'm proud of my performance, and can't wait to race again!

    Jack's full stats

     Carbohydrate (g)Sodium (mg)Fluid (ml)Caffeine (mg)Relative sodium concentration (mg/L)
    Overall
    Total intake6666,8927,5250916
    Per hour616316890
    Bike and Run
    Total intake6416,8727,4250926
    Per hour667077640
    Bike
    Total intake4004,7004,62501,016
    Per hour718378230
    Run
    Total intake2402,1732,8000776
    Per hour595306830

    Data Confidence

    marker-icon

    1

    2

    3

    4

    5

    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.

    Jack's recent case studies

    see all

    Related case studies

    Nail your next event with a FREE Fuel & Hydration Plan
    Get started