Jocelyn McCauley
IRONMAN® New Zealand
Taupō2nd, FPROJocelyn's headline numbers
Jocelyn'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 energy was very good in the swim and on the bike, then pretty solid across the run too. Anytime I felt a dip, I just took more gel in."
With her first big race back post surgery, Jocelyn used her go-to mix of PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix, PF 30 Gels, PF 30 Caffeine Gel and on-course gels to keep her energy levels up and allow her to fight for a podium spot in the later stages of the run. Compared to her previous races, Jocelyn opted to save weight by carrying slightly less Carb & Electrolyte Drink on the bike which meant she took on less carbs than she had before during this discipline (~73g/h). However, she upped her intake on the run, hitting a consistent ~91g/h. This flips the usual trend we see in our Athlete Case Study Database of athletes ‘front-loading’ carbs on the bike before dropping their consumption on the run. Whilst Jocelyn should continue taking advantage of her tolerance for high amounts of fuel on the run, we would recommend that she *also* replaces the carbs she didn’t drink on the bike with an extra gel or two. This way, she would still be able to hit the top end of the recommendations on the bike.
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.
Jocelyn594mg/L
Jocelyn has been Sweat Tested to dial in her 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 Jocelyn's losses are on the low side, getting her hydration strategy right is still crucial when it's hot and/or humid as her higher sweat rate in these conditions can result in significant net losses over the duration of a race.
Learn moreT - 60mins: Drank ~500ml of strong electrolyte drink
"I didn’t feel like I had bloating or swelling like I’ve had in many other races."
After experiencing hydration related-issues in the past, including swelling in her extremities during full distances races, Jocelyn worked with the PF&H team to refine her fluid and sodium intake ahead of racing in New Zealand in 2024 to great success. With similar temperatures expected this year, she recreated the strategy to meet her individual needs. The difference was carrying fewer bottles of PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix - two compared to 3-4 previously - and instead picking up three on-course PH 1000 bottles to replace her fluid and sodium losses on the bike. As a result, she consumed slightly less fluid on the bike this year, though her average intake remained just below ~700ml per hour through consistently drinking cups of PH 1000 at every run aid station and water at every other station. Alongside her moderate relative sodium concentration, this approach helped maintain her electrolyte and fluid balance, as evidenced by her subjective feedback and by the fact she urinated once on the bike and a couple times during the run.
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
Jocelyn spread her caffeine intake across the race evenly to keep the levels in her system up throughout, avoiding any dips that could impact her perceived energy. Two PF 30 Caffeine Gels on both the bike and run meant she surpassed the general dosing recommendations, but given the length of this race is double the ~4-5 hour half life of caffeine, this will have helped maintain the concentration in her body to benefit from the stimulant’s ergogenic effects.
How Jocelyn hit her numbers
Here's everything that Jocelyn ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“I can’t complain too much when I know what training I had done going in, but also I always want the win.”
“In an impressive return from knee surgery, Jocelyn smashed her first IRONMAN® in over a year - the last one being her third place finish at this same race in 2024. She showcased her resilience as she moved one step up the podium, drawing on years of racing experience and well-refined fuel and hydration strategies.”
PF&HJocelyn'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.