Kyle Smith
IRONMAN 70.3® Taupo
Taupo1st, MPROKyle's headline numbers
Kyle'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 felt pretty flat all day and struggled to get my heart rate up for a lot of the race. This was more of a general feeling though and was consistent from the start to the end with no real highs and lows I’d attribute to fueling. I was training really well going into this one, and have felt pretty rough since so I think it may have been some kind of underlying illness."
Kyle hit ~109g of carb per hour during this race, with a large proportion of it coming from his two pre-swim PF 30 Caffeine Gels. Kyle’s fuel strategy on the bike was to carry most of what he would need to reduce his reliance on picking anything up from on-course aid stations, which cost him in Ibiza earlier in 2023. He took the two gels taped to his top tube and filled his aero bottle with two PF 90 Gels and some water, averaging ~120g of carb per hour while on the bike. This dropped off considerably for the run to ~82g/h, which is consistent with what we see in other Case Studies and still within 10% of the Fuel & Hydration Planner’s recommendation for an event of this duration and intensity.
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.
Kyle471mg/L
Kyle 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 Kyle'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
"It really wasn’t a very warm day, and was overcast so I don’t think my hydration strategy played a massive role in this race. I did cross the finish line busting for a pee so guess that’s a good sign."
With temperatures peaking at ~19ºC in Taupo, Kyle has certainly raced in more oppressive conditions. Because of the mild conditions, Kyle’s sweat rate and therefore requirement for fluid was very manageable. As someone with very low sodium losses in his sweat, Kyle reduced his reliance on mid-race electrolytes by frontloading his sodium with a couple of Sodium Bicarbonate capsules before the race. The quantity that he took contained the equivalent sodium (~4100mg) to nearly five and a half servings of PH 1500, which means he would have effectively achieved a relative concentration of 584mg/L, had he consumed that *during* the race. So, while he only *actually* took ~42mg/L during the swim-bike-run, we wouldn’t recommend he take any more. His subjective feedback also suggests there was no downside to executing his strategy in this way. Our only word of caution is the extreme risk of gastrointestinal issues from consuming such a large amount of sodium in one go, so to those looking to trial this technique, ensure the first time isn’t before a race!
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
Having taken just above the general recommendations for caffeine intake across the four hour race, Kyle effectively reduced his perceived effort and increased his alertness. Happily, he reported no adverse side-effects from the caffeine, and as a habitual coffee drinker, it’s likely Kyle would have needed this high dose to maximally impact his performance.
How Kyle hit his numbers
Here's everything that Kyle ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“Race satisfaction is always high after a win, and it was great to stand on the top step in front of a home crowd in Taupo, especially given the 2024 World Championships are going to be here too. That said, it was frustrating not being able to get my heart rate up and push the power I had planned to on the bike, and my poor post race recovery shows I might have had some underlying illness. What I am really proud of is how I was able to stay positive mentally the whole way through and cling on for the win. ”
Kyle“It was great to once again see Kyle claim first place after winning 70.3 Cork just a couple of months earlier. From a fueling and hydration perspective, he provided his body with more than enough available energy, optimal caffeine and sufficient fluid so that he wouldn’t succumb to any dehydration related performance detriment. Though his sodium intake was before instead of during the race, his low sweat sodium concentration and the race’s mild conditions enabled this strategy to work appropriately.”
PF&HKyle'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.