< Back to case studies
Pro
2nd

Justin Metzler's scorecard

IRONMAN 70.3 Eagleman

Sunday 12th June, 2022

Within recommended ranges

Just outside recommended ranges

Significantly outside recommended ranges

  • 105g

    Carb per hour
  • 1,360mg

    Sodium per hour
  • 1,122ml

    Fluid per hour
  • 1,213mg/L

    Relative sodium concentration
  • 412mg

    Total caffeine
  • How Justin hit those numbers

    finish
    star
    bottle
     
    800ml x PH 1000 (Drink Mix)
    0.75 x Cup of oats with honey, almond butter, chia seeds, whey protein and salt
    1 x Coffee
     
     
    1 x PF 30 Caffeine Gel
     
     
    *** Review technique if drinking much at this point!
     
     
    1.5L x PH 1000 (Drink Mix)
    1 x PH Electrolyte Capsule
    1.5L x PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix
    1 x PF 30 Gel
    2 x PF 30 Caffeine Gel
    1.2L x Plain water
     
     
    5 x PH Electrolyte Capsule
    500ml x PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix
    2 x PF 30 Gel
    1 x PF 30 Caffeine Gel
    300ml x Plain water
    40ml x Energy drink (36g carb)
    30ml x Coca Cola Original
    30ml x Red Bull
     

    How Justin's hydration and fueling went...

      • Professional triathlete, Justin Metzler, had a brilliant race at IM 70.3 Eagleman. He finished second, after battling hard with Cody Beals, only getting out-run in the closing stages
      • After mishaps with his fueling and hydration (involving overconsumption) in his first two races of the season, Justin has been working closely with the Sports Science Team to refine his strategy
      • In this race, it was great to see Justin execute a plan which appropriately met his needs, had no adverse effects on GI comfort, and supported a brilliant performance

    Hydration

      • Before the race, Justin drank one coffee and ~800ml/26oz of PH 1000 (Drink Mix). Justin’s aware that optimal pre-race hydration would be to use PH 1500 but he didn’t have any at the time and opted for the next best thing
      • In previous races, Justin has been prone to overdrinking (>2L/64oz per hour on the bike at IM World Champs, St George) and one of the adjustments to his plan was to dial back his fluid consumption
      • Justin began with three bottles on his bike; two 750ml/24oz bottles both containing PF 30 Drink Mix and PH 1000 (Drink Mix) and one 650ml/22oz bottle containing PH 1000 (Drink Mix) only. He also picked up ~1.2L/40oz of plain water from the on-course aid stations
      • In total, this equated to ~3.25L/110oz of fluid on the bike, the equivalent of ~1.6L/54oz of fluid per hour. This is still a high fluid consumption, especially in the milder conditions (average temp 23℃/73℉), and could have been dialled back a bit further, but is less extreme than we’ve seen him drink before
      • In the latter stages of the bike, Justin experienced what he described as “micro-cramps in my hands which is usually a precursor for leg cramps” and took an Electrolyte Capsule to prevent it becoming anything more severe
      • On the run, Justin drank ~900ml/30oz of fluid, approximately ~750ml/24oz per hour. This was achieved by drinking 500ml/16oz of PF 30 Energy Drink Mix (which he ran out of T2 with) and ~400ml/14oz of plain water and other fluids, like Coca Cola and Red Bull, from aid stations
      • Justin experienced further twinges of cramp during the half marathon, this time in his calves, so took another Electrolyte Capsule at ~mile 4 to stave it off. He then proceeded to take one every ~2 miles, taking five in total
      • Justin’s sodium intake across the race was very good (1585mg/h) as a result of consistently drinking electrolyte-containing fluids and supplementing with Electrolyte Capsules on the run. Justin’s issues with cramping are more likely to have resulted from over-consuming fluid (Justin was aiming for like-for-like fluid replacement of his sweat losses) which, in turn, diluted the sodium he was ingesting
      • The appropriateness of an athlete’s sodium intake must be balanced with their fluid consumption, as total fluid intake can dilute or increase the overall relative sodium concentration
      • The overall relative sodium concentration of Justin’s race consumption was ~1213mg/L which will have replaced a good proportion of his losses from sweating but could have been better had he drunk less

    Fueling

    Quick Carb Calculator Recommendation

    30g

    carb 30 mins before

    60-90g

    carb per hour during
      • Around three hours before the race, Justin ate his regular carb rich breakfast alongside a coffee. He also took one PF 30 Caffeine Gel around 15 minutes before the swim. Combined, this meant that Justin was starting the race with his liver glycogen topped up and blood glucose levels high; two factors which can play a part in preserving muscle glycogen during the early stages of a race
      • During the race, Justin carried three bottles on the bike, two of which mixed PF 30 Drink Mix (1.5 servings) with one sachet of PH 1000 (Drink Mix), providing ~61g carb per bottle. The third bottle contained PH 1000 only. He also consumed a PF 30 Gel and two PF 30 Caffeine Gels in the first hour and a half, taking one every 30-40 minutes
      • In total, Justin consumed ~230g of carb on the bike, equating to an average intake of ~113g/h. This consumption exceeds the Fuel & Hydration Planner’s recommendations of 90g/h, but given the positive correlation between higher carbohydrate intakes and improved endurance performance, the greater carb intake Justin can tolerate, without suffering GI discomfort or issues, the better
      • Moreover, elite athletes tolerating >90g/h is becoming increasingly common
      • On the run, Justin ran out of transition with 500ml/16oz of PF 30 Drink Mix which he supplemented with three PF 30 Gels taken at miles 1, 6 and 9. In addition, he also picked up one cup of Red Bull, Coca Cola and the on-course energy drink, which all contributed small amounts of carb
      • In total, on the half marathon, Justin consumed ~129g of carb, the equivalent of ~107g/h - another fantastic carbohydrate intake which caused him no GI issues
      • Justin reported having great energy levels on the swim and bike, and feeling “OK” on the run, something he put down to possibly overhydrating on the bike

    Conclusions

      • The fuel and hydration strategy that Justin executed at 70.3 Eagleman was a lightyear away from the one he implemented a few weeks beforehand at the IM World Champs in St George. It was fantastic to see adjustments made and even more so to see them reflected in Justin’s strong performance
      • After the race, Justin commented “Of course I wanted to win after going for it all day but I was happy with that performance, particularly after my mishaps in Miami and St. George to start the year!”

    Key info

    Justin Metzler

    Male
    Sweat sodium concentration
    1,044mg/L
    Sweat sodium classification
    Moderate
    * determined by a PH Advanced Sweat Test

    Result

    Position
    2nd
    Overall Time
    3:42:51
    Swim Time
    0:23:26
    Bike Time
    2:03:13
    Run Time
    1:12:36

    Event information

    Sport
    Triathlon
    Discipline
    Middle distance
    Event
    IRONMAN 70.3 Eagleman
    Location
    Cambridge, Maryland, USA
    Date
    12th June, 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
    Bike Elevation
    100m / 328ft
    Run Elevation
    39m / 128ft
    Total Elevation
    139m / 456ft

    Race conditions

    Weather Conditions
    Hot and Humid
    Precipitation
    Rain
    Min Temp
    19°C / 66°F
    Max Temp
    24°C / 75°F
    Avg Temp
    23°C / 73°F
    Humidity
    81%

    Athlete feedback

    Race Satisfaction
    9/10
    Energy levels
    9/10
    GI comfort
    10/10
    Cramping
    Mild cramps that I could push through

    Justin's Thoughts

     I think a big part of my success this weekend was the updated nutrition plan and the implementation of the PF&H line

    Justin's full stats

     Carbohydrate (g)Sodium (mg)Fluid (ml)Caffeine (mg)Relative sodium concentration (mg/L)
    Overall
    Total intake3905,0324,1504121,213
    Per hour1051,3601,122111
    Bike and Run
    Total intake3605,0324,1503121,213
    Per hour1111,5481,27796
    Bike
    Total intake2313,2503,2502001,000
    Per hour1131,5851,58598
    Run
    Total intake1291,7829001121,980
    Per hour1071,48575093

    Data Confidence

    marker-icon

    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.

    Justin's recent case studies

    see all

    Related case studies

    Nail your next event with a FREE Fuel & Hydration Plan
    Get started