1st
Jason West's scorecard
IRONMAN 70.3 Augusta
Sunday 25th September, 2022
Within recommended ranges
Just outside recommended ranges
Significantly outside recommended ranges
80g
Carb per hour
903mg
Sodium per hour
684ml
Fluid per hour
1,320mg/L
Relative sodium concentration
320mg
Total caffeine
How Jason hit those numbers
How Jason's hydration and fueling went...
- Jason has an impressive winning record over the 70.3 distance since switching his focus to middle-distance racing in 2021. This race in Augusta saw him produce another blistering run split (1:07:24) to land himself on the top step of the podium for a fifth time during the calendar year
- As someone with a Sports Science background, Jason knows the importance of race nutrition (often called the “fourth discipline” of triathlon), and made sure to execute a robust fuel and hydration strategy en route to victory
- Jason started working with the PF&H Sports Science team through the latter part of the 2022 season to refine his fuel and hydration plan for 70.3 racing, and he executed his personalised strategy with great success in Augusta
Hydration
- Jason undertook a preloading protocol to top up his sodium levels by drinking ~500ml/16oz of PH 1000 (Tablet) with his breakfast the morning of the race. He also drank ~500ml/16oz PH 1500 (Drink Mix) within the last half an hour before the swim start
- This will have helped increase Jason’s sodium levels, but perhaps won’t have elicited the maximal benefit of blood plasma volume expansion associated with a strong electrolyte drink. Furthermore, drinking 500ml/16oz of PH 1500 within the last 30 minutes of the race, may not have allowed enough time to fully absorb the electrolytes, thus diminishing the maximal benefit
- In future, Jason should aim to drink 500ml/16oz PH 1500 the night before, and the morning of the race, aiming to finish this drink around 45 minutes before the race start to allow maximal absorption and his body to flush out any excess
- On the bike, he picked up a ~600ml/20oz bottle of plain water, which coupled with his ~1.1L/60oz integrated hydration bottle (containing ~1,900mg of sodium) and the small amount of sodium in his gels, gave him a relative sodium concentration of ~1,287mg per litre
- Jason has a low sweat sodium concentration of 512mg/L, but his high sweat rate of over 2.5L/80oz per hour in hot conditions means the sodium concentration of his drinks is often stronger to help limit the impact of his losses
- During the run his fluid intake dropped, and the only electrolytes he took were from the small amounts in his gels. He drank just ~250ml/8oz of water, which gave him a relative sodium concentration of ~887mg/L due to the small fluid volume
- It’s typical to see drop off in intake when comparing a triathlete's bike and run legs. As Jason experienced no dehydration-related signs or symptoms, it’s likely that his 'front-loading' strategy on the bike set him up for a much lower fluid intake on the run without impairing his performance
- For longer and hotter races, Jason should look to increase his fluid intake on the run to ensure he doesn’t experience hydration related issues such as cramps, nausea and/or reduced performance
Fueling
Quick Carb Calculator Recommendation
30g
carb 30 mins before
60-90g
carb per hour during
- Jason fueled his effort by using a mixture of energy gels and drink mix. His integrated hydration system on his bike was filled with ~1.1L/34oz of energy drink mix containing ~100g carbohydrate, and combined with four caffeine gels (23g carb, 40mg caffeine), gave him a total intake of ~180g, averaging ~88g per hour
- Jason has been working hard to take on slightly more carb during the run, which has proven difficult when running at speeds in excess of 3 minutes 12 seconds per kilometer. Nonetheless, his gut training is paying off, as he managed to take three energy gels (23g carb, 40mg caffeine) and average ~62g/h on his way to a 1:07:24 half marathon
- This is at the lower end of the 60-90g/h recommended range for carb intake as suggested by the PF&H Planner. There’s good evidence suggesting a correlation between increased carb intake and performance, and therefore he could look to increase his intake over time to reap the associated benefits
- As a frequent caffeine drinker, Jason has a good tolerance for it during exercise, and is able to utilise the ergogenic benefits associated with it. He averaged ~4.8 milligrams per kilo of bodyweight which falls nicely within the recommended range of 3-6mg/kg for optimal performance benefits
- This caffeine came in the form of frequent caffeinated energy gels which no doubt will have had a positive influence on his perceived 9 (out of 10) energy ratings across the race
Conclusions
- Jason has spent considerable time refining his fuel and hydration strategy for middle distance racing, and by using his scientific knowledge and experience has executed this plan well
- In future, when racing in warmer conditions, he should look to dial in his preloading protocol, along with increasing his fluid and electrolyte intake on the run to reflect increases in his sweat rate, perhaps by utilising a couple of Electrolyte Capsules
Key info
Jason West
Male
Sweat sodium concentration
512mg/L
Sweat sodium classification
Low
* determined by a PH Advanced Sweat Test
Result
Position
1st
Overall Time
3:35:18
Swim Time
0:21:14
Bike Time
2:03:35
Run Time
1:07:24
Event information
Sport
Triathlon
Discipline
Middle distance
Event
IRONMAN 70.3 Augusta
Location
Augusta, USA
Date
25th September, 2022
Website
Swim Distance
1.9km / 1.2mi
Bike Distance
90.1km / 56.0mi
Run Distance
21.1km / 13.1mi
Total Distance
113.1km / 70.3mi
Race conditions
Weather Conditions
Hot
Precipitation
No Rain
Min Temp
20°C / 68°F
Max Temp
27°C / 81°F
Avg Temp
23°C / 73°F
Humidity
51%
Athlete feedback
Race Satisfaction
9/10
Energy levels
9/10
Toilet stops
Yes
This is rare for me
GI comfort
10/10
Cramping
No cramping
Jason's full stats
Carbohydrate (g) | Sodium (mg) | Fluid (ml) | Caffeine (mg) | Relative sodium concentration (mg/L) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | |||||
Total intake | 287 | 3,235 | 2,450 | 320 | 1,320 |
Per hour | 80 | 903 | 684 | 89 | |
Bike and Run | |||||
Total intake | 249 | 2,411 | 1,950 | 280 | 1,236 |
Per hour | 79 | 761 | 616 | 88 | |
Bike | |||||
Total intake | 180 | 2,188 | 1,700 | 160 | 1,287 |
Per hour | 88 | 1,068 | 829 | 78 | |
Run | |||||
Total intake | 69 | 222 | 250 | 120 | 887 |
Per hour | 62 | 199 | 224 | 107 |
Data Confidence
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.