Jelle Geens
IRONMAN 70.3® Geelong
Geelong1st, MPROJelle's headline numbers
Jelle's strategy
Fueling
T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)
T - 15mins: Took in a final dose of carb
"My tried and trusted fueling plan was perfect for this race, and my energy levels were good throughout."
Jelle aimed to consume 120g/h of carbs on the bike, which is in line with contemporary research suggesting that fueling at such a high level can maximise exogenous carb oxidation rates. To achieve this, Jelle carried two one litre bottles each with eight scoops of PF Carb Only Drink Mix and water. This ensured he finished the bike leg with good energy levels, as well as provided the foundations for the *fastest* run split of the day. Although Jelle consumed two PF 30 Gels while running, he had planned to have a third gel at ~55 minutes. Since he felt slightly full already at this point, he decided not to take any risks given he was leading the race and his energy levels were pretty good.
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.
Jelle614mg/L
Jelle 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 Jelle's losses are on the low side, getting his hydration strategy right is still important if he wants to perform at his best.
Learn moreT - 60mins: Drank ~500ml of strong electrolyte drink
"My hydration was fine for the race, especially as it wasn’t a particularly hot day. I’d actually like to try and consume more fluid on the run, but the small cups given at aid stations make this difficult when running fast."
Just like he did at the IRONMAN 70.3® World Championships in 2024, Jelle combined his carb, fluid and sodium intake into two bottles for the bike. To account for his sodium losses, he emptied four Electrolyte Capsules into each bottle alongside the PF Carb Only Drink Mix, creating his own carb and electrolyte blend. He also carried additional water in an aero bottle on his downtube, although the relatively moderate temperature meant that he only consumed ~50ml of fluid from this bottle. On the run, he picked up cups of water and some PH 1000 (Tablets) that were available on-course, but acknowledged that given the option logistically, he would have liked to consume more.
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
Jelle pre-caffeinated with a cup of coffee at breakfast and a final PF 30 Caffeine Gel in the last few moments before the swim. He didn’t use any additional caffeine *during* the race, meaning that his overall intake was slightly below the recommendations to reap the ergogenic benefits the stimulant has to offer. This is an area he could work on for future races, trialing caffeine during training to ideally support his strong performances.
How Jelle hit his numbers
Here's everything that Jelle ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“It was nice to take the win in my first race of the season and pick up where I left off at the end of 2024.”
“This was a great start to 2025 for Jelle, building on his success at the IRONMAN 70.3® World Championships at the end of 2024. The race result, well-executed strategy and performance should stand him in good stead for the first race of the T100 series in Singapore. ”
PF&HJelle'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.