Kyle Smith
Challenge The Championship
Samorin1st, 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 like I had loads of energy and power, until the last lap of the run when it started to bite."
Kyle averaged a similar hourly carb intake in Samorin as he did during his previous middle-distance race in Singapore, but his execution was quite different. His total bike intake was ~44g higher for a similar duration, so his average intake was ~153 grams per hour (*vs* ~131g/h in Singapore). Following a similar trend to most of our triathlon case study data, Kyle’s intake was ~27% lower during the run. This still gave him enough energy to run his fastest ever half marathon ‘off-the-bike’, and one of the fastest middle-distance triathlons ever. Kyle’s clearly spent a *long time* training his gut to tolerate this *very* high intake, which supports the emerging scientific literature that highly trained athletes can tolerate >120g/h of carbs.
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 crucial when it's hot and/or humid as his 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 was super hydrated, and I needed to pee as soon as I crossed the finish line so think I nailed it."
Kyle has a very low concentration of sodium in his sweat as you can see from the graphic above. But we also know he loses large *volumes* of sweat when racing at a high intensity, based on several sweat rate tests he’s conducted in training under similar environmental conditions. Because of this, fluid replacement is a high priority for Kyle compared to some of his peers. Along with his impressive tolerance of carbs, Kyle has also trained his gut to tolerate high amounts of fluid intake per hour.
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
As a frequent caffeine user, Kyle’s tolerance to the stimulant is likely quite high. So, by taking four PF 30 Caffeine Gels strategically across the race (one ~10 minutes pre-swim, two during the bike and one early on the run), Kyle could maximise his blood caffeine levels at all times to lower his perception of effort. This is a staple part of his strategy, and something we’ve seen him execute several times without issue, so we wouldn’t recommend any changes going forward.
How Kyle hit his numbers
Here's everything that Kyle ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“This is probably my strongest middle distance run, and I felt really strong so I'm really pleased. ”
“Kyle’s Championship-winning performance was backed up by an expertly executed fuel and hydration strategy which he has iterated over several seasons of elite racing. High-carb and high-fluid are commonplace for Kyle, and this race was no exception. He consumed the upper end of what we’ve seen possible, including the second highest (only to himself in Singapore) carb-intake during any middle-distance race that we’ve analysed. Most importantly, he did this with no gastrointestinal distress, which is a testament to his rigorous gut training. Chapeau Kyle!”
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.