18th
Lars Wichert's scorecard
IRONMAN World Championships
Saturday 8th October, 2022
Within recommended ranges
Just outside recommended ranges
Significantly outside recommended ranges
130g
Carb per hour
1,272mg
Sodium per hour
1,036ml
Fluid per hour
1,228mg/L
Relative sodium concentration
326mg
Total caffeine
How Lars hit those numbers
How Lars' hydration and fueling went...
- Lars raced the IRONMAN World Championships as a member of the 2022 Zwift Tri Academy and had high hopes of finishing on the overall amateur race podium
- Unfortunately, an upset stomach on the bike leg lead to a 15-minute stop by the side of the road and Lars vomited before he was able to continue on his way
- Lars finished strongly though, coming home in 9 hours 12 minutes, to finish inside the top-20 in what was his debut on the Big Island
Hydration
- Before the race, Lars undertook some sweat rate testing whilst in Kona to accurately estimate how much fluid he was losing through sweat and designed his hydration strategy accordingly. He also ensured his blood plasma volume was optimally full by preloading his sodium levels with 500ml (16oz) PH 1500 the night before and the morning of the race
- Out of the swim and into T1, Lars drank ~300ml (10oz) PF Energy Drink Mix before heading out onto the bike
- During the bike, whilst overconsumption of carb was a likely cause of sickness early on, he managed to get back on top of his hydration and settle his stomach. He drank ~2.3L (77oz) of PH 1500 (Drink Mix) throughout the ride, along with ~2.65L (89oz) of plain water
- In an attempt to make up for lost time, Lars decided to skip his bike special needs aid station, which contained another bottle of PH 1500 (Drink Mix) and instead utilise ~1L (32oz) of the on-course electrolyte drink and nine Electrolyte Capsules to top up his sodium levels. This gave him a total fluid consumption of ~1.3L (44oz) per hour with a relative sodium concentration of ~1,181mg/L (mg/32oz). Considering the hot and humid conditions in Kona (~27℃/ 80℉ average, ~69% humidity), this is a moderate-high intake but likely replaced a good proportion of his sweat losses given his self-perceived high sweat rate
- On the run, Lars headed out of T2 with a Soft Flask with two PH 1500 (Drink Mix) packets in. At the special needs aid station he picked up another one, consuming ~1L (32oz) in total, and a further ~1.5L (48oz) of the on course electrolyte drink
- He also estimated that through picking up cups from aid stations he drank ~700ml (23oz) of plain water, although it’s worth noting that there’s likely to be a high chance of error here due to the large amount of aid stations
- In total, Lars averaged a little over 1L (32oz) per hour across the entire 9 hours 12 minutes, with a relative sodium concentration of ~1,228mg/L (mg/32oz). Given his sweat sodium concentration is just 655mg/L (mg/32oz), Lars will likely have replaced the majority of his electrolytes lost through sweat
Fueling
Quick Carb Calculator Recommendation
30g
carb 30 mins before
60-90g
carb per hour during
- Lars executed a well thought out carb-loading protocol which included reducing the total fat in his diet to allow for the carb-rich meals for four days prior to the race. On race morning, he completed this protocol with a bowl of muesli for breakfast and a PF 30 Energy Gel 15 minutes before the swim start to help circulate some more glucose in his blood and potentially save some of this stored glycogen for later in the race
- During the early stages of the bike, Lars had five PF 90 Energy Gels in his integrated hydration system. As he wasn’t able to see how much of this he was drinking with each sip, it’s likely that he over consumed carbohydrates at this point in the race, and combined with a fairly limited fluid intake he found himself feeling unwell after ~90 minutes of riding
- After pulling to the side of the course to be sick, Lars spent ~15 minutes contemplating whether he could continue or not. Thankfully after a short period he began to feel better, and continued on his way
- Throughout the remainder of the bike, Lars allowed his stomach to settle whilst drinking some water, and slowly kick-started his fuel plan over the next few hours, and was almost fully reset by the final quarter of the bike. His numbers reflect this likely over consumption with an average carb intake of ~147g per hour, far exceeding the 90g/h recommended intake of our Fuel & Hydration Planner
- For the run, Lars carried two PF 90 Energy Gels to fuel him until the special needs aid station at ~19 miles, where he picked up another “Jumbo Gel” which lasted him until the end
- Lars’s Soft Flask with two PH 1500 (Drink Mix) packets in that he carried out of T2 was empty after a few miles, and he refilled it with the on-course hydration drink which contained carbohydrates too
- His total intake for the run was ~460g, which over just 3 hours 18 minutes of running, meant his average intake on the run was ~140g/h. Lars experienced some fairly severe stomach cramps towards the end of the run, which again is possibly due to the overload his gut was experiencing with surplus carb intake
Conclusions
- Lars said “I learned a lot during my first race in Kona, and within this I can see the potential to do really well there”. He rated his overall satisfaction with his performance a 7 (out of 10)
- Whilst being unwell during a race is never ideal, Lars’s ability and composure to bounce back and ride a solid second half of the bike and run a good marathon is a testament to his mental resilience and determination
- In the future, Lars should aim to follow his pre-race plan a little closer, and reduce the quantity of carb he takes if it continues to give him GI distress
Key info
Lars Wichert
Male
Sweat sodium concentration
655mg/L
Sweat sodium classification
Low
* determined by a PH Advanced Sweat Test
Result
Position
18th
Overall Time
9:12:44
Swim Time
1:01:30
Bike Time
4:46:01
Run Time
3:18:03
Event information
Sport
Triathlon
Discipline
Full distance
Event
IRONMAN World Championships
Location
Kona, Hawaii
Date
8th October, 2022
Website
Swim Distance
3.8km / 2.4mi
Bike Distance
180.2km / 112.0mi
Run Distance
42.2km / 26.2mi
Total Distance
226.2km / 140.6mi
Bike Elevation
1,772m / 5,814ft
Run Elevation
307m / 1,007ft
Total Elevation
2,079m / 6,821ft
Race conditions
Weather Conditions
Very Hot and Humid
Precipitation
No Rain
Min Temp
24°C / 75°F
Max Temp
30°C / 86°F
Avg Temp
27°C / 81°F
Humidity
69%
Athlete feedback
Race Satisfaction
7/10
Hydration rating
7/10
I felt like I was always thinking about my next drink on the bike, and that the aid stations seemed really far apart
Energy levels
9/10
Toilet stops
Yes
At the end of the bike and twice on the run
GI comfort
7/10
Cramping
No cramping
Lars' full stats
Carbohydrate (g) | Sodium (mg) | Fluid (ml) | Caffeine (mg) | Relative sodium concentration (mg/L) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | |||||
Total intake | 1,192 | 11,705 | 9,530 | 326 | 1,228 |
Per hour | 130 | 1,272 | 1,036 | 35 | |
Bike and Run | |||||
Total intake | 1,162 | 11,705 | 9,530 | 326 | 1,228 |
Per hour | 144 | 1,451 | 1,181 | 40 | |
Bike | |||||
Total intake | 701 | 7,383 | 6,250 | 200 | 1,181 |
Per hour | 147 | 1,549 | 1,311 | 42 | |
Run | |||||
Total intake | 460 | 4,323 | 3,280 | 126 | 1,318 |
Per hour | 140 | 1,310 | 994 | 38 |
Data Confidence
1
2
3
4
5
There is some confidence in the quantities and brands of products consumed but the data may lack specifics (e.g. volumes specific flavours). A high number of estimations have been made and the room for error is moderate-high. There may also be the possibility that some intake has been grossly over- or under-estimated.