Josh Amberger
Patagonman Extreme Triathlon
Patagonia2nd, MPROJosh's headline numbers
Josh'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 had good energy all day. I was happy with how I could push, and my legs only failed in the last 30 minutes but that was due to a lack of conditioning."
Josh’s final professional triathlon race saw him take on one of the most demanding triathlons on the calendar at Patagonman Xtreme Triathlon. With crew access allowed throughout, Josh had greater flexibility and control over his fueling on the go than in other full-distance races. Knowing he’d be racing hard for over 9.5 hours, he opted for a well rounded strategy that included real food, plenty of gels and a few ‘treats’ to avoid flavour fatigue. He averaged over 140g/h on the bike, using PF 300 Flow Gel, PF 30 Caffeine Gels, a banana and even a chocolate bar, before dropping to a slightly lower but still impressive 95g/h on the 4 hour run. Josh tolerated this high carb intake well, which is a testament to his years of gut training. It certainly supported his high-intensity effort on the long climbs and remote terrain, allowing him to push hard and stay mentally switched on through the closing miles.
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.
Drinking a strong electrolyte drink before the race could have helped Josh start optimally hydrated
"My hydration strategy was adaptive, we had to front load it on the go due to unexpected overheating even though I had prepared to not drink much due to the notoriously cold conditions for this race."
Patagonman’s December setting in southern Chile usually calls for a conservative hydration strategy, with the cold water swim and alpine terrain. But, with race day temperatures rising unexpectedly across the bike, Josh made some sensible real-time adjustments and ultimately averaged over 1L per hour to keep up with his sweat losses. Supported by his personal crew, Josh increased his intake when he began to feel thirstier, requesting extra bottles on the bike and carrying additional soft flasks in his running vest during the marathon. He predominantly drank PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix on both the bike and run, supplementing with some water and cola. This delivered a relative sodium concentration of ~392mg/L. Although this was slightly below the ‘average concentration’ we would recommend for him without knowledge of his individual sweat sodium losses, this is a level Josh has found effective for him across races of similar durations to avoid dehydration-related issues.
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
Josh started the day with his usual pre-race coffee to keep his routine consistent and give a slight rise in his caffeine levels. He then spread his doses of caffeine across the race, taking four PF 30 Caffeine Gels and ~1.3L of cola across the bike and run. This brought his intake to ~8.14mg/kg, above the general guidelines, but at a suitable level given his high habitual caffeine use and the race duration. This dosing strategy would have likely helped sustain focus, alertness and perceived energy levels across the day, exactly what was needed during the 9 hours and 35 minutes of racing.
How Josh hit his numbers
Here's everything that Josh ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“I didn’t win, but achieved the desired outcome of completing my first extreme triathlon on the wildest course I have ever done.”
“Josh capped off an incredible 20 year career as a professional triathlete through the Patagonian Fjords and mountains of southern Chile. His vast racing experience was showcased not only in his performance but in a solid, flexible fuel and hydration strategy that combatted the warmer than anticipated conditions and extreme course to take second on the podium.”
PF&HJosh'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.