Leon Chevalier
IRONMAN® Vitoria-Gasteiz
Vitoria-Gasteiz9th, 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
"This was my hardest ever race but I managed to ride a similar pace to the lead pack solo and had one of the fastest runs of the day so I’m happy with my energy levels."
Leon went into the race with topped up glycogen stores thanks to his carb-load and carb-rich meal in the hours before the race. A PF 30 Caffeine Gel in the final 15 minutes also allowed some of this stored glycogen to be spared for later in the race. After finding his bike with a puncture in T1, Leon took on an impressive ~530g of carbs whilst riding in his pursuit of the leaders. He is no stranger to high carb numbers and we have seen him tolerate them well in previous races. During the run, he used PF 30 Gels and additional gels from aid stations to reach ~93g/h. Other than an “energy wobble” at ~18km, Leon was able to produce one of the fastest runs of the day, picking people off to finish strong in 9th place.
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 becomes especially crucial when it's hot and/or humid.
Learn moreT - 60mins: Drank ~500ml of strong electrolyte drink
"I couldn’t find my Electrolyte Capsules in my T2 bag so I couldn't take any sodium on the run. I finished very dehydrated and had terrible cramping afterwards."
Leon stayed on top of his hydration during the bike, averaging ~920ml/h which is the most we’ve seen him drink as he battled against dehydration in the ~36°C (~97℉) heat. Leon has a very high sweat sodium concentration so he used PH 1500 (Drink Mix) to maintain a relative sodium concentration close to his known losses on the bike. This set him up to be able to cope with not consuming any sodium on the run, as he left his Electrolyte Capsules in T2. Perceptually, he didn’t report feeling too dehydrated while running but after finishing he experienced several hours of painful muscle cramps. In future, Leon could leave a premade bottle of PH 1500 in his personal needs bag as a contingency plan.
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.
T - 0-4hrs: Had a final hit of caffeine
Leon had a PF 30 Caffeine Gel in the final 30 minutes before the swim to increase his alertness and cognitive function. He maintained an effective level of caffeine in his blood by taking four further caffeine gels during the race. While his overall caffeine intake exceeded the scientific recommendations, this is not uncommon for longer duration events and also appropriate considering Leon’s tolerance and frequent use of caffeine.
How Leon hit his numbers
Here's everything that Leon ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“After the puncture I questioned whether I was going to carry on so to make top 10 is pretty satisfying. ”
“Despite the adversities he faced on the day, Leon executed a solid fuel and hydration strategy to ensure he finished strong and bagged another top 10 finish in only his 5th race over the full IRONMAN® distance.”
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.