IRONMAN 70.3® Les Sables D'Olonne

As evidenced in Leon’s case studies, his middle and long-distance triathlon fueling strategies are usually made up of over-concentrated drink mixes on the bike. Although this may not suit every athlete, it’s common for professionals to use this in their fueling strategy to save valuable time and effort opening products such as gels and chews. To be able to use these mixes successfully, athletes undergo vast amounts of gut training to become accustomed to the specific concentrations in their bottles before they use them on race day. The significant difference in his carb intake compared with his previous 70.3 races was a result of a dropped bottle, which meant he was 120g down on his initial pre-race plan. In an attempt to make up for this loss, Leon picked up two on-course energy gels, each containing 25g of carb. Despite his overall carb intake equalling more than 90g/h, Leon mentioned ‘feeling low’ on the run, likely due to both the physiological and psychological impact of dropping a bottle and ‘losing’ some carbs he had otherwise accounted for.

As previously mentioned, Leon dropped one of his 1L (32oz) bottles at the very start of the bike leg containing ~1000mg of sodium. He was able to pick up ~750ml (24oz) of plain water to make up for some of the fluid he lost, but he still felt this wasn’t enough to mitigate his sweat fluid losses. In an attempt to get back on top of this, Leon picked up a further ~500ml (16oz) of plain water from the aid stations across the duration of the run, summing to the highest fluid volume we’ve seen him drink whilst running in a 70.3®. However, he wasn’t able to replace the ~1000mg of sodium from the dropped bottle, resulting in his relative sodium concentration being lower than we usually see. In these mild conditions, this hydration strategy was likely adequate for Leon as he reported no issues except feeling thirsty on the bike. If the race was hotter or any longer, he may have begun to experience the effects of dehydration or possibly cramping and should aim to have a backup plan for his future races to prevent this.

Whilst above the general caffeine recommendations of 3-6mg/kg, as an athlete with a high tolerance for caffeine, this amount will have kept Leon’s blood caffeine levels high throughout the race, increasing his perceived energy levels and supporting his performance.