Josh Lewis
Challenge Roth
Roth8th, 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 think my fueling was relatively good throughout, however, there were crux points on both the bike and run. I had to surge quite hard around three hours into the bike, which cost me in the final 25 minutes as I felt empty."
Josh has maintained a similar full-distance fueling strategy since his maiden IRONMAN® in Cascais at the end of 2023. This strategy involved relying on PF 300 Flow Gel and PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix during the bike to hit his targeted high carb intake, and some PF 30 Caffeine Gels and on-course isotonic drinks during the run. Towards the final quarter of the bike course, after several ‘surges’ well above his pre-race target power output, he felt a bit low on energy. This was despite averaging ~123g of carb per hour over the 180kms (112 miles), but it was likely due to the exertional muscle fatigue rather than carb depletion per se. On the run, his carb intake remained solid, but a later-than-planned top-up from his special needs aid station (at ~31km rather than ~24km) meant his energy levels began to plummet for the final ~10km (6.2 miles). Going forward, he’ll ensure his team is ready when he needs them, and perhaps carry some backup gels with him just in case.
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.
Josh491mg/L
Josh 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 Josh'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
"I usually feel like I need a lot of sodium, as I’ve suffered with cramps in the past and it seems to help with that. I didn’t get as much sodium or fluid as I’d have liked during the run, and I started to cramp in the final kilometres, although it’s hard to tell if it was sodium-related or just general fatigue!"
Even in the relatively mild conditions on race day, having suffered from dehydration and cramping in previous races, Josh made sure he ‘front-loaded’ his fluid and electrolyte intake with a higher-than-recommended relative sodium concentration in his bottles on the bike. This prepared him well for the natural drop-off in fluid and electrolyte consumption on the run that we typically see from our database of triathlon case studies, due to the challenge of carrying fluid and drinking on the run. Josh’s average fluid consumption fell by ~55% from bike to run, which is a larger drop off compared to the average from our current full-distance case studies (~15%). So, perhaps drinking more during the run to replace a greater proportion of his fluid losses may have helped alleviate the cramps he experienced towards the end. We don’t have any data on Josh’s sweat rate, but testing this ahead of his next full distance race will help ensure he’s limiting the extent to which dehydration may be affecting his performance.
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.
Consuming caffeine in the hours before the start may have increased perceived energy levels
Josh chose to save the effects of caffeine until the latter parts of this race, hoping he would feel the benefits more obviously when things started to get tough. This worked well, as the three PF 30 Caffeine Gels he took during the run had the desired effect, and helped limit his perceived effort and reduce overall muscle pain.
How Josh hit his numbers
Here's everything that Josh ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“Overall I think this was the best strategy I’ve done so far, and I definitely think that having enough fluids on board helped mitigate cramp a lot more than ‘normal’, which I’ve experienced in so many of my races. I think the sodium concentration could have gone up though, particularly on the run. My gut was pretty stable, and I only had a couple of moments where it wasn’t perfect, but all in all it’s the best I’ve fueled for perhaps any race I’ve ever done.”
“Josh’s eighth place finish at this prestigious race was a solid performance, with an equally solid execution of his nutrition strategy. Ahead of his next race, maintaining his fluid intake during the run a little better should be a priority, which could go some way to alleviating his cramps in the later stages of the marathon. We look forward to seeing Josh’s upward trajectory continue, and with more full-distance race experience, along with nutritional iterations, begin the fight for podium positions like he’s managed over the 70.3® distance.”
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.