Leon Chevalier
Challenge Roth
Roth5th, MPROLeon's headline numbers
Leon's strategy
Fueling
T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)
T - 15mins: Took in a final dose of carb
"My energy levels were really good until the second half of the run, where everything seemed to go wrong. Missing my personal needs was annoying, and I came close to bonking, and at times thought I was going to be sick."
Leon’s tried-and-tested fuel strategy served him well early in the race, and he averaged one of his highest carb intakes ever during the bike at ~132g per hour. His usual plan during the run is to carry all his PF 30 Gels in his trisuit, and take one every 15-20 minutes. At Roth, however, professionals have the option to receive aid from a member of their support team at points during the course. Unfortunately, similar to his PF&H team mate, Josh Lewis, Leon’s crew member couldn’t get to the rendezvous point at ~16k (10 miles) in time, so he had to rely on some on-course gels which Leon believed didn’t agree with his taste buds or stomach. As a result of this, he noticed his energy levels dip, signs of nausea, and was close to vomiting. Reverting back to his usual self-sufficient strategy will help avoid this, but it was a worthy experiment as using a crew to carry his ~10 PF 30 Gels is a weight saving marginal gain, especially when running at around 2:40 marathon pace.
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.
Leon1392mg/L
Leon 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.
Given Leon's losses are High (1,392mg/L), nailing his hydration strategy remains important, even when it's Mild.
Learn moreDrinking a strong electrolyte drink before the race could have helped Leon start optimally hydrated
"I came off the bike feeling quite thirsty, so made sure I prioritised getting lots of water at the first few aid stations. I think my energy levels and GI discomfort took centre stage in my thoughts for the race, but I don’t think my hydration was bad at all."
Leon sipped on lots of plain water during the morning before the race, so reintroducing some PH 1500 into those bottles would help him toe the start line optimally hydrated in future. He has shown multiple times that he can tolerate a fairly high concentration of carbohydrates and electrolytes in his bottles during the bike, and this race was no different. He carried three bottles from the start, each with 1,500mg of sodium from PH 1500 (Drink Mix), and 150g of carb from gels and ~15g from the electrolyte packets. This caused him no gastrointestinal issues once again, but during the run his average relative sodium concentration fell from ~1,307mg/L (mg/32oz) to just ~179mg/L (mg/32oz), and his energy levels and stomach comfort also nose-dived. Although Leon suggested this may have been caused by the unfamiliar gels he took, the sharp drop off in sodium concentration may also have contributed. Sodium is a known assistant in the absorption and transportation of glucose in the blood and taking some Electrolyte Capsules with him out of T2 would help stabilise his sodium concentration during the run, potentially alleviating his GI discomfort.
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.
Consuming caffeine in the hours before the start may have increased perceived energy levels
Leon’s caffeine consumption was slightly below his last few full distance races as he couldn’t top up his circulating levels during the run with his usual PF 30 Caffeine Gels as he’d planned. He still fell well within the scientifically recommended guidelines for a race of this length and intensity, but will likely increase his intake at future full distance races like at the upcoming IRONMAN® World Championships in Hawaii.
How Leon hit his numbers
Here's everything that Leon ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“Overall I’m pretty dissatisfied with the race. The plan was good but I couldn’t quite execute it, particularly on the run. This was probably a lack of planning on my part I think, and I feel there’s a lot that I unfortunately left on the table.”
“Leon’s fifth place in Roth set a French national record for the distance, which goes to show that the standard of competition was immense. The logistics of a triathlon are difficult and having a crew can increase the challenges as Leon discovered, which resulted in him feeling underwhelmed by his performance. Going forward, he should consider reverting back to a self-sufficient run, along with targeting a sodium intake on the run that closer matches his bike number.”
PF&HLeon'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.