Jason West
CLASH Miami
Miami1st, MPROJason's headline numbers
Jason's strategy
Fueling
T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)
T - 15mins: Took in a final dose of carb
"I felt pretty good throughout the whole race, I'm happy with my carb intake and to have no GI issues!"
Like many pro endurance athletes who have spent time gut training, Jason is able to comfortably consume over 90g of carb per hour while racing. He hit an impressive ~99g/h using PF Carb Electrolyte Drink Mix and alternating between PF 30 Gels and PF 30 Caffeine Gels. With no GI issues, it’s clear his commitment to practicing his fueling strategy in training has paid off, and he is able to put it into action on race day to keep his energy levels up, maximizing his performance.
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.
Jason512mg/L
Jason 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 Jason's losses are on the low 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 moreDrinking a strong electrolyte drink before the race could have helped Jason start optimally hydrated
"The late start and high temperatures were not ideal but I adjusted my front loading plan to suit. I was getting a bit dehydrated towards the end, had the race been much longer, I might have had some issues"
Jason chose to consume all of his sodium toward the front of the race, taking in ~1143mg/L on the bike and none on the run, giving his drinks an average relative sodium concentration of ~851mg/L across the entirety. While this is still above his low sweat sodium concentration determined through his Sweat Test, it’s likely the slight ‘oversalting’ of his drinks helped to encourage water retention and hydration status in the high temperatures. In future, we would recommend he spaces his intake out to achieve a more consistent level of electrolyte intake, especially for longer races in similarly hot conditions.
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.
T - 0-4hrs: Had a final hit of caffeine
Jason’s caffeine intake was in line with his previous races, as pre-caffeinating with a PF 30 Caffeine Gel for an energy boost is a consistent part of his strategy that works well for him. He strategically spaced out his caffeine intake throughout both the bike and run portions of the race, ensuring a steady supply of the stimulant to sustain his energy levels. By aligning his intake with scientific guidelines, Jason effectively harnessed the full ergogenic benefits of caffeine.
How Jason hit his numbers
Here's everything that Jason ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“I'm really happy to have taken the win at Clash Miami. I was quite surprised my run was so fast, I felt like I stayed relaxed and things just started to click which is great”
“Jason had a great race and executed a well-planned fuel and hydration strategy to seal another middle-distance victory. Now Jason will look to replicate this performance over the slightly longer distance at his next race just three weeks after this win. Spreading out his sodium intake to be a more consistent drip feed is the one tweak we’d encourage him to try in preparation.”
PF&HJason'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.