1st
Lars Wichert's scorecard
Challenge Almere-Amsterdam
Sunday 11th September, 2022
Within recommended ranges
Just outside recommended ranges
Significantly outside recommended ranges
109g
Carb per hour
795mg
Sodium per hour
449ml
Fluid per hour
1,770mg/L
Relative sodium concentration
100mg
Total caffeine
How Lars hit those numbers
500ml x PH 1500 (Drink Mix)
1 x Bowl of Muesli and Raisins
1 x Piece of Bread with Chocolate Cream
1 x PF 30 Gel
*** Tip: For sea swims, put a bottle of water at T1 to rinse your mouth out
1.3L x PH 1500 (Drink Mix)
2.33 x PF 30 Gel
2 x PF 90 Gel
500ml x PH 1500 (Drink Mix)
4 x PH Electrolyte Capsule
1 x PF 30 Caffeine Gel
1 x PF 90 Gel
50ml x Energy drink mix (44g carb)
How Lars' hydration and fueling went...
- Lars is a member of the 2022 Zwift Triathlon Academy with a strong record when it comes to triathlons. His first ever swim-bike-run was at IRONMAN Hamburg in 2021 where he finished first overall age grouper, and broke the amateur IM World Record in a blistering time of 8 hours, 12 minutes and 46 seconds!
- He raced Challenge Almere-Amsterdam as a final preparation race ahead of the IM World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, this October, and said he was “very pleased with how the fuel and hydration strategy worked”
Hydration
- Lars has a high sweat rate and so fluid replacement has been a focal point during this triathlon season
- Lars drank a ~500ml/16oz bottle of PH 1500 (Drink Mix) with dinner the night before the race and another with his breakfast on race morning. This will have preloaded his sodium levels to increase his blood plasma volume and optimise his hydration status ahead of the swim start
- On the bike, he drank ~1.3L/44oz of water with two PH 1500 (Drink Mix) packets in. This is a slightly more diluted concentration than we’d normally recommend when using the 1500s. However, given Lars’ sweat sodium concentration of 655 milligrams per litre, and the mild temperatures on race day (~19℃/ 66℉), this diluted relative sodium concentration (~1,154mg/L) will likely have replaced a good proportion of his losses through sweat
- Lars headed out of T2 with a 500ml/16oz Soft Flask of PH 1500 (Drink Mix) and four Electrolyte Capsules. He finished all of these, giving him a total sodium intake of ~1,774mg on the run
- He only picked up one cup of on-course energy drink, so his total fluid intake was ~550ml/18oz, giving him a very high relative sodium concentration of ~3,225mg/L. This high concentration is likely what caused his extreme thirst in the latter stages of the run and after the race
Fueling
Quick Carb Calculator Recommendation
30g
carb 30 mins before
60-90g
carb per hour during
- Lars began his carb-loading phase two days out from the race, increasing his intake of rice and noodles to ensure his liver and muscle glycogen levels were optimal come race day
- On race day, Lars had a bowl of muesli with some raisins, followed by a piece of bread with chocolate cream on, further topping off his glycogen stores
- Within the last 20 minutes before the swim start, Lars had a PF 30 Energy Gel which will have hit his bloodstream quickly, and this circulating glucose will likely have spared some of his stored energy for later in the race
- He ate ~280g of carb during the bike leg of the race, averaging ~126g per hour, which is slightly above his target intake of 120g/h as he simply biked faster than anticipated! This intake is further support of the recent evidence which suggests that some top-level athletes can absorb up to 120g per hour without any gastrointestinal issues. Whilst we don’t have evidence to support the actual absorption of this quantity, Lars’ lack of GI distress and total comfort throughout the race is positive and suggests it’s likely he was absorbing most, if not all, of the carb he ate
- Lars hit these numbers by adding two PF 90 Energy Gels and two-and-a-third's worth of PF 30 Energy Gels into a water bottle, along with the small amount of carb in his ~1.3L/44oz of PH 1500 (Drink Mix)
- On the run, he carried a PF 90 Energy Gel and a PF 30 Caffeine Gel with him out of transition two, and consumed these, as well as a small cup of on-course energy drink mix, to average an impressive carb intake of ~106g/h. Overall, his average carb intake across the entire race was ~109g/h
- This high intake is a testament to the rigorous and frequent gut training he’s undertaken during his regular training sessions, which has allowed him to comfortably absorb large amounts of carb
Conclusions
- This was the first race since Lars suffered blood poisoning after catching COVID-19 nearly eight weeks prior, and therefore he’s extremely pleased to execute a good race and come away with 1st place
- In future, Lars should aim to increase his fluid intake on the run and/or reduce the number of Electrolyte Capsules he takes, which would help to bring down the concentration of his fluid intake so it’s more in line with his sweat sodium concentration
Key info
Lars Wichert
Male
Sweat sodium concentration
655mg/L
Sweat sodium classification
Low
* determined by a PH Advanced Sweat Test
Result
Position
1st
Overall Time
4:07:59
Swim Time
0:28:43
Bike Time
2:13:36
Run Time
1:19:21
Event information
Sport
Triathlon
Discipline
Middle distance
Event
Challenge Almere-Amsterdam
Location
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Date
11th September, 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
Race conditions
Weather Conditions
Mild
Precipitation
No Rain
Min Temp
16°C / 61°F
Max Temp
21°C / 70°F
Avg Temp
19°C / 66°F
Humidity
71%
Athlete feedback
Race Satisfaction
9/10
Hydration rating
9/10
Energy levels
9/10
GI comfort
9/10
Cramping
No cramping
Lars' full stats
| Carbohydrate (g) | Sodium (mg) | Fluid (ml) | Caffeine (mg) | Relative sodium concentration (mg/L) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | |||||
| Total intake | 449 | 3,274 | 1,850 | 100 | 1,770 |
| Per hour | 109 | 795 | 449 | 24 | |
| Bike and Run | |||||
| Total intake | 419 | 3,274 | 1,850 | 100 | 1,770 |
| Per hour | 119 | 927 | 524 | 28 | |
| Bike | |||||
| Total intake | 280 | 1,500 | 1,300 | 0 | 1,154 |
| Per hour | 126 | 677 | 586 | 0 | |
| Run | |||||
| Total intake | 139 | 1,774 | 550 | 100 | 3,225 |
| Per hour | 106 | 1,347 | 418 | 76 | |
Data Confidence
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.