• After Lars’ endured a challenging race at the IRONMAN World Championships in Kona in his final race of 2022, where he suffered with stomach issues, he bounced back with a hugely impressive 8:15:45 finish time in his first race of 2023
• He made some alterations to his hydration and fueling strategy, with the help of the PF&H Sports Science team to help keep his GI comfort rating high, and prevent any sickness during this race

Hydration

• Lars executed a largely different hydration strategy to his previous IRONMAN in Kona. After suffering with some vomiting problems on the bike, it was vital that Lars altered not only his fueling strategy but also his hydration because Roth was quite a bit cooler and less humid than Hawaii
• Lars had an average fluid intake of ~810ml (28oz) per hour on the bike with a relative sodium concentration of ~1,139 mg/L (mg/32oz). Considering his sweat sodium concentration of 655mg/L, Lars could consider dialling his sodium intake back slightly
• Going into the run, Lars felt well hydrated. By overmixing PH 1500 drink mix (he used,4 packets in just 1 litre (32oz) of water - we generally recommend mixing two packets in 1L to maintain the relative sodium concentration of the drink), which he split into two 500ml (16oz) Soft Flasks. This meant he could carry the majority of his electrolytes without carrying large volumes of water
• To dilute the concentration to more closely match his sweat sodium score, Lars’ plan was to pick up plenty of water from the on-course aid stations. This plan fell short of his goal, and he only managed to pick up ~150ml (5oz) of water, leaving his average sodium concentration very high at ~2,486mg/L (mg/32oz) during the run
• After the race, he mentioned feeling like he had a full stomach from drinking so much whilst running, and this bloating feeling could be a result of overdoing the sodiumsomewhat
• As he also topped up his fluid intake with ~675ml (~21oz) of on-course electrolyte drink which may have contributed to the bloated feeling
• In the future, he may want to cut back on this amount of electrolyte drink, and instead focus on more plain water to reduce the overall concentration, and reduce the likelihood of feeling bloated
• Lars reported to us that he also suffered from cramps in the last hour of the bike and during the run, where he had to stop and walk to alleviate the pain. This was unlikely due to sodium depletion, and instead was possibly due to one of the other multifactorial causes of cramp. Perhaps as this was his first full-distance triathlon of the year, muscle conditioning and fatigue played a role in these cramps, something Lars will look to work on before his next race

Fueling

Conclusions

• Lars had a successful race at Challenge Roth, and rated his satisfaction a 9.5 (out of 10), feeling he “got everything out of myself considering my current training volume”
• Despite getting a few cramps towards the end, Lars still succeeded in securing a first place age group position (plus second fastest amateur overall) and felt particularly happy with his swim, and looks forward to carrying this speed in the water to his next race